Spain’s hugely popular Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) is about to become more expensive. An article published on 29 October in The Local explains that the amount remote workers must earn to qualify is indexed to Spain’s statutory minimum wage (Salario Mínimo Interprofesional – SMI). Because the government and trade-union confederations are already negotiating a fresh increase in the SMI for 2026, legal experts expect the DNV’s monthly earnings test to jump from the current €2,763 to somewhere between €3,033 and €3,200 per month.
The DNV was introduced in January 2023 under the Start-ups Law and has so far attracted nearly 28,000 non-EU residents. Applicants must show that at least 80 % of their income comes from clients or an employer located outside Spain, hold private health insurance, and pass background checks. The visa can be issued for three years (renewable) and allows holders to benefit from Spain’s special “Beckham” tax regime (15 % on the first €600,000 of income for five years).
Higher income requirements are politically popular with unions, who argue that they protect local wage standards, but the move is controversial within Spain’s booming co-working and tech scenes. Some start-up organisations fear that a steeper threshold could price out early-stage entrepreneurs and freelancers who helped rejuvenate second-tier cities such as Valencia, Málaga and Bilbao. Large multinationals that second staff to Spain on remote-first contracts should re-forecast compensation packages and mobility budgets for 2026 applications.
Practical implications for employers include: (1) reviewing global-mobility cost projections for remote assignees; (2) accelerating 2025 applications before the new SMI enters into force on 1 January 2026; and (3) updating assignment letters to reflect the possibility that dependants’ minimum-income add-ons (75 % of SMI for spouses, 25 % per child) will also rise. Immigration advisers recommend submitting renewal files at least 60 days before expiry because the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE) is currently dealing with backlogs averaging six weeks.
The DNV was introduced in January 2023 under the Start-ups Law and has so far attracted nearly 28,000 non-EU residents. Applicants must show that at least 80 % of their income comes from clients or an employer located outside Spain, hold private health insurance, and pass background checks. The visa can be issued for three years (renewable) and allows holders to benefit from Spain’s special “Beckham” tax regime (15 % on the first €600,000 of income for five years).
Higher income requirements are politically popular with unions, who argue that they protect local wage standards, but the move is controversial within Spain’s booming co-working and tech scenes. Some start-up organisations fear that a steeper threshold could price out early-stage entrepreneurs and freelancers who helped rejuvenate second-tier cities such as Valencia, Málaga and Bilbao. Large multinationals that second staff to Spain on remote-first contracts should re-forecast compensation packages and mobility budgets for 2026 applications.
Practical implications for employers include: (1) reviewing global-mobility cost projections for remote assignees; (2) accelerating 2025 applications before the new SMI enters into force on 1 January 2026; and (3) updating assignment letters to reflect the possibility that dependants’ minimum-income add-ons (75 % of SMI for spouses, 25 % per child) will also rise. Immigration advisers recommend submitting renewal files at least 60 days before expiry because the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE) is currently dealing with backlogs averaging six weeks.
