The Ley de Startups route for founders: one innovation report decides everything, and the path it opens runs all the way to long-term residence. Here is how it actually works in 2026 — clearly, and without spin.
Last updated: June 2026 — reviewed against the Spanish consulate page (exteriores.gob.es) and Law 14/2013 as amended by Law 28/2022.
Free Spain Entrepreneur Visa Assessment — we read your business idea against the ENISA innovation test, map the right route (consular visa or in-country residence permit), and tell you honestly whether it fits.
Get Assessment| Spain Entrepreneur (Startup) Visa — Ley de Startups | |
|---|---|
| Governing law | Law 14/2013 (Entrepreneurs Act), as amended by Law 28/2022 (Ley de Startups) |
| Core qualifier | Favourable ENISA / UGE-CE innovation report (innovative, scalable, special economic interest) |
| Investment threshold | None — no minimum capital required |
| Financial means | Approx. 200% of Spain's minimum wage for the main applicant, plus additions for family (a means-to-support figure, not an investment) — re-confirm the live figure |
| Validity | 1-year visa (consular route) or 3-year residence permit (in-country route), renewable for 2-year periods |
| Processing | Typically a few weeks to a few months; the regulation permits ENISA up to ~3 months and a residence-permit decision within 20 working days |
| As of | June 2026 |
We assist founders based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait City, Muscat, Manama, as well as across India and Sri Lanka. Spain's Entrepreneur Visa is one of Europe's clearest founder routes — but it lives or dies on one document, the ENISA report, and that is where most self-managed applications come unstuck.
Our job is to read your business idea the way the assessor will read it, prepare the evidence properly, and route the file through the right Spanish professional. Preparation is what separates a competitive application — and preparation is assessable.
Yes — the Spain Entrepreneur (Startup) Visa is open and accepting applications as of June 2026, confirmed on the official Spanish consulate page (exteriores.gob.es). It runs under Law 14/2013 as amended by the Ley de Startups (Law 28/2022) and was not affected when Spain ended its Golden (investor) Visa in April 2025. In fact, the closure of the Golden Visa made this route, alongside the Digital Nomad Visa, one of Spain's principal active pathways for relocating founders.
So the door is open — but "open" and "a fit for your project" are two different things. The program is built for innovative, scalable businesses, not for any company that wants a base in Spain. The first honest conversation is whether your idea reads as innovative to an assessor. Find out where you stand — free assessment.
The ENISA innovation report is a mandatory favourable assessment certifying that your project is innovative, scalable and of special economic interest to Spain — and without it, an entrepreneur residence permit cannot be granted. It is not paperwork you tick off; it is the single qualifier the whole application rests on. The assessor is reading for genuine innovation and growth potential, not just a viable business.
This is exactly where a strong file separates from a weak one. A clear business plan, a credible scalability story and evidence of the economic interest to Spain are what move a report toward "favourable." We prepare that evidence before anything is submitted, and the file is routed through regulated Spanish practitioners in our network who handle the formal lodgement. Message us on WhatsApp and we'll tell you honestly how your idea reads.
Applying from abroad through a Spanish consulate gives you a 1-year entrepreneur visa first; applying from inside Spain on a legal stay, directly to the UGE-CE, can give you a 3-year residence permit, renewable for 2-year periods while the business operates. Both lead to the same place — they just start at different points. The official consulate page states the consular visa carries one year of validity.
Which route fits depends on where you are now and how you plan to move. Founders still in the UAE most often begin at the consulate; those already legally in Spain may go straight to the 3-year permit. It is a sequencing decision worth getting right at the start, because it shapes your renewals and your timeline to long-term residence. We'll map the route to your situation in the assessment.
There is no minimum investment or capital amount for the Spain Entrepreneur Visa — this is not a "buy your way in" route. What does apply is a financial-means requirement: you must show enough money to support yourself, set at roughly 200% of Spain's minimum wage for the main applicant, with additions for a spouse and each dependant. That is a means-to-support figure, not an investment threshold.
The honest note on the numbers. The exact euro figure derives from Spain's 2026 minimum wage, which was still awaiting final government approval when this page was reviewed. We deliberately state it as "approx. 200% of the minimum wage" rather than a fixed amount, because a hard number could date the moment the new wage decree publishes. We re-confirm the live figure before any application — and so should anyone quoting you a precise sum today.
Yes — your family can be included, typically at the same time and for the same authorisation period as the main applicant. That covers a spouse or unmarried partner, dependent minor children, dependent adult children who have no family unit of their own, and dependent ascendants. It is one of the more generous family provisions among Europe's founder routes.
Each family member adds to the financial-means you need to show — roughly an extra portion of the minimum wage per person — and each needs their own clean documentation, including criminal-record certificates. As of 2025-26, that certificate need only cover the countries you lived in over the last two years (not five), issued within about six months and apostilled. We sequence the family file alongside the principal so nothing holds up the case.
All criteria and figures are set by the Spanish authorities and are subject to change; verified against official sources as of the date shown.
1. The euro figures move with Spain's minimum wage. The financial-means amounts derive from Spain's 2026 minimum wage, which sources flagged as still awaiting final government approval at the time of research. Treat any precise euro sum you see online as provisional and re-verify it against the official decree before relying on it.
2. Processing time is a range, not a promise. In practice many advisers report the ENISA report in around 10-30 days and the whole process in one to two months — but the regulation permits ENISA up to roughly three months. Plan for "a few weeks to a few months," not a fixed turnaround. Anyone guaranteeing a 10-day result is overpromising.
3. For Indian nationals, this is a residence route, not a fast-citizenship route. Spain's accelerated 2-year citizenship track is for nationals of Ibero-American countries, the Philippines, Andorra, Portugal, Equatorial Guinea and Sephardic Jews — it does not apply to India. Indian nationals follow the standard 10-year timeline, and because Spain generally does not allow dual nationality for Indians, naturalisation would mean renouncing Indian citizenship (with OCI eligibility afterwards). Plan this as a path to residence and PR, not a shortcut to a second passport.
4. Citizenship is not granted, it is earned over time. The permit counts toward long-term residence after 5 years and citizenship after 10 — but each stage has its own conditions, and continuous legal residence is required. We map the realistic timeline for your nationality in the assessment.
Spain sits outside the jurisdictions where Cosmos holds its own immigration licence. So we are honest about our role: for Spain, applications are prepared and submitted through government-authorised agents and regulated Spanish legal practitioners in our network. Cosmos coordinates the parts we do best — eligibility assessment, ENISA documentation preparation and case management — and the formal Spanish lodgement runs through the right regulated professional.
Cosmos Immigration is a regulated immigration consultancy founded in Dubai in 2014, with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hyderabad and Oakville, and 10,569 assessments completed since 2014. Verify our credentials on the relevant official registers — and run the same check on anyone you're considering.
Yes. It is open and accepting applications as of June 2026, confirmed on the official Spanish consulate page. It runs under Law 14/2013 as amended by the Ley de Startups (Law 28/2022) and was not affected when Spain ended its Golden Visa in April 2025.
No. There is no minimum investment or capital amount. You do need to show financial means to support yourself — set at roughly 200% of Spain's minimum wage for the main applicant, with additions for family. That is money to live on, not money to invest.
It is a mandatory favourable assessment certifying your project is innovative, scalable and of special economic interest to Spain. Without a favourable ENISA report, the entrepreneur residence permit cannot be granted — it is the single qualifier the whole case rests on.
Plan for a few weeks to a few months. In practice many advisers report the ENISA report in around 10-30 days and completion in one to two months, but the regulation permits ENISA up to roughly three months and a residence-permit decision within 20 working days. Treat it as a range, not a fixed promise.
It is a route to residence and long-term residence (after 5 years), with citizenship possible after 10 years. Spain's 2-year fast-track citizenship does not apply to India. Because Spain generally does not allow dual nationality for Indians, naturalisation would require renouncing Indian citizenship, with OCI eligibility afterwards. Treat it as a residence and PR route, not a fast-passport route.
Cosmos Immigration is a regulated immigration consultancy founded in Dubai in 2014, with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hyderabad and Oakville. Spain sits outside our own licence scope, so Spanish applications are prepared and submitted through government-authorised agents and regulated Spanish legal practitioners in our network, while Cosmos coordinates eligibility, documentation and case management. Verify Our Credentials
Cosmos Immigration is a private consultancy, not a government body. Program criteria and figures are set by the Spanish authorities and are subject to change; verified against official sources as of the date shown.
Start with a free assessment, not a sales pitch — or message us on WhatsApp. We'll tell you honestly whether Spain's founder route fits your idea — even if the answer is no.
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