Spain’s Official State Gazette (BOE) published a Royal-Decree-Law on 24 December confirming that the current Salario Mínimo Interprofesional (SMI) of €1,184 per month (14 payments) will remain in force until 31 December 2026.
Background and context
• Under Spanish law, the SMI is normally updated every January after consultations with unions and employers.
• Remote-worker, Highly-Qualified and Digital-Nomad residence categories all peg their financial-means thresholds to a multiple of the SMI (usually 200 % for the main applicant and 75 – 25 % for dependants). A freeze therefore holds those visa income requirements steady.
VisaHQ’s dedicated Spain team can walk employers, HR departments and individual professionals through the exact documentation and proof-of-funds requirements linked to the current SMI. Whether you are preparing a Digital-Nomad filing or an EU Blue Card petition, the platform’s step-by-step interface, live chat support and courier services (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) help applicants lock in the existing salary thresholds before any potential mid-year change takes effect.
![Spain Extends 2025 Minimum-Wage Level Through 2026, Delaying New SMI Hike]()
Why the government pressed “pause”
The Labour Ministry began three-way talks earlier this month but unions demanded a 7.5 % rise, employers 1.5 %, and experts recommended 3.1-4.7 %. With no consensus and a rollover national budget for 2026 still unresolved, ministers opted to extend the current figure to give “legal certainty” while negotiations continue in the new year.
Implications for global-mobility programmes
1. Digital-nomad, EU Blue Card, researcher and ICT applicants can base 2026 income evidence on the existing €1,184 benchmark, keeping the main-applicant threshold at roughly €2,370-2,760 a month (depending on regional practice).
2. Corporate secondments planned for early 2026 will not face an unexpected salary-level increase, easing assignment budgeting.
3. HR teams should, however, flag that a mid-year SMI hike is still possible once social-dialogue talks conclude; wording in the decree expressly allows for a retroactive rise with effect from 1 January 2026.
What companies should do now
• Audit ongoing visa and residence applications to ensure financial evidence matches the frozen SMI.
• Insert contingency clauses in assignment costings in case a belated 2026 SMI uplift is approved.
• Communicate the freeze to remote workers counting on Spain’s digital-nomad route so they can finalise filings quickly.
Bottom line
For at least the next few months, Spain’s corporate immigration salary thresholds are locked in. That creates a short window of cost predictability for employers and mobile talent, but mobility managers should stay alert for a possible mid-2026 adjustment once the political wrangling resumes.
Background and context
• Under Spanish law, the SMI is normally updated every January after consultations with unions and employers.
• Remote-worker, Highly-Qualified and Digital-Nomad residence categories all peg their financial-means thresholds to a multiple of the SMI (usually 200 % for the main applicant and 75 – 25 % for dependants). A freeze therefore holds those visa income requirements steady.
VisaHQ’s dedicated Spain team can walk employers, HR departments and individual professionals through the exact documentation and proof-of-funds requirements linked to the current SMI. Whether you are preparing a Digital-Nomad filing or an EU Blue Card petition, the platform’s step-by-step interface, live chat support and courier services (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) help applicants lock in the existing salary thresholds before any potential mid-year change takes effect.
Why the government pressed “pause”
The Labour Ministry began three-way talks earlier this month but unions demanded a 7.5 % rise, employers 1.5 %, and experts recommended 3.1-4.7 %. With no consensus and a rollover national budget for 2026 still unresolved, ministers opted to extend the current figure to give “legal certainty” while negotiations continue in the new year.
Implications for global-mobility programmes
1. Digital-nomad, EU Blue Card, researcher and ICT applicants can base 2026 income evidence on the existing €1,184 benchmark, keeping the main-applicant threshold at roughly €2,370-2,760 a month (depending on regional practice).
2. Corporate secondments planned for early 2026 will not face an unexpected salary-level increase, easing assignment budgeting.
3. HR teams should, however, flag that a mid-year SMI hike is still possible once social-dialogue talks conclude; wording in the decree expressly allows for a retroactive rise with effect from 1 January 2026.
What companies should do now
• Audit ongoing visa and residence applications to ensure financial evidence matches the frozen SMI.
• Insert contingency clauses in assignment costings in case a belated 2026 SMI uplift is approved.
• Communicate the freeze to remote workers counting on Spain’s digital-nomad route so they can finalise filings quickly.
Bottom line
For at least the next few months, Spain’s corporate immigration salary thresholds are locked in. That creates a short window of cost predictability for employers and mobile talent, but mobility managers should stay alert for a possible mid-2026 adjustment once the political wrangling resumes.
