Spain Non-Lucrative Visa 2026: Requirements for Americans

Updated November 5, 2026

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Quick answer. Spain’s non-lucrative visa lets you live in Spain without working, on your savings, pension or passive income. In 2026 you need to show €2,400 a month (€28,800 a year) for yourself and €600 a month (€7,200 a year) more for each family member. You apply at the Spanish consulate that covers your US state, with private Spanish health insurance and an apostilled FBI background check. It is the visa most American retirees use: Spain has no separate retirement visa.

Who it is for, and who it is not for

"Non-lucrative" does not mean you cannot have income. It means your income cannot come from working in Spain or from a job you do while living here. The visa fits you if:

• You are retired and live on a pension, Social Security, a 401(k) or an IRA.
• You have rental income, dividends, interest or other passive income.
• You have enough savings to cover the year.
• You want to spend a year or more in Spain with your family without working.

It does not fit you if you plan to keep working remotely for your US employer or your own clients. Consulates refuse non-lucrative applications when the file shows active work. For that, you need the Spain digital nomad visa. If you are not sure which one fits, we compare them (in Spanish) in digital nomad, highly qualified or non-lucrative.

How much money you need in 2026

The requirement is tied to Spain’s IPREM index: 400% of it for the main applicant and 100% for each family member.

• Savings work. A bank balance that covers the year is accepted. Consulates like to see that the money has been there for a while, not deposited the week before.
• Income works too. Pension statements, Social Security award letters, dividend and rental statements. Show that it will keep arriving while you live in Spain.
• Exchange rate. The figures are in euros. If your money is in dollars, leave a margin for currency swings.

How much life in Spain actually costs depends a lot on the city. We break it down (in Spanish) in how much money you need to move to Spain.

Documents for the consulate

• National visa application form and the EX-01 residence form, both signed.
• Passport valid for at least one year, with copies of all used pages.
• Proof of funds: bank statements, pension or Social Security letters, investment and rental statements.
• Private health insurance from an insurer authorized in Spain, with full coverage equivalent to the Spanish public system. Consulates usually require no copayments and no waiting periods. Travel insurance is not enough.
• FBI Identity History Summary, apostilled by the US Department of State. Add a certificate from any other country where you lived in the last five years.
• Medical certificate stating that you do not have any disease that could have serious public health implications under the International Health Regulations of 2005.
• Proof that you live in the consulate’s jurisdiction, such as a state driver’s license or utility bill.
• Marriage and birth certificates, apostilled, if family members come with you.
• Sworn translations into Spanish of documents in English. Some consulates accept certain documents in English; check yours.
• Visa fee, paid at the consulate, and the Spanish residence fee (form 790 code 052). We explain that fee (in Spanish) in our guide to form 790 code 052.

Which consulate and how to apply

You apply in person at the Spanish consulate general that covers the state where you legally live: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York or San Francisco, or the consular section of the embassy in Washington, D.C. Each one publishes its own checklist and appointment system, and they differ in details. Follow your consulate’s list to the letter.

1. Book the appointment early. In some consulates, slots run out weeks ahead.
2. File the application in time: most consulates accept it up to three months before your planned travel date.
3. Wait for the decision. The rules give the consulate one month to decide, but it can ask for more documents and the clock stops while you reply.
4. Collect the visa and enter Spain while it is valid.

After you arrive

1. Register at your town hall (empadronamiento).
2. Apply for your residence card (TIE) within one month of entering Spain. You book a fingerprint appointment with the National Police and bring the EX-17 form and the fee receipt. Step by step (in Spanish) in our guide to the fingerprint appointment.
3. Open a Spanish bank account and keep your insurance active the whole year.

Renewals, long-term residence and citizenship

• First renewal: after one year, for two more years. You apply in Spain in the 60 days before your card expires, or up to 90 days after.
• Stay put. To renew, you must have spent more than 183 days in Spain in the year. Long trips home can cost you the renewal.
• Funds again. At each renewal you prove the money for the coming period.
• Long-term residence after five years of legal residence.
• Citizenship: ten years of residence for Americans in general, but only one year if your father, mother, grandfather or grandmother was originally Spanish. See Spanish citizenship by descent.
• Switching to work. If your plans change, you can apply to switch to a work permit, as long as you meet that permit’s requirements.

Taxes: the part people forget

If you spend more than 183 days a year in Spain, or your main interests are here, you become a Spanish tax resident. Spain then taxes your worldwide income, including US pensions, IRA and 401(k) withdrawals, dividends and rents, subject to the US-Spain tax treaty. As a US citizen, you also keep filing in the US.

• Some income is taxed only in the US under the treaty, some in Spain, some in both with a credit. Each type of income has its own rule.
• If you hold assets abroad worth more than €50,000 in a category, you must file Spain’s Form 720. Our guide (in Spanish) to forms 720 and 721 explains it.
• The Beckham Law is for people moving to work in Spain. It does not apply to the non-lucrative visa.

Plan this before you move, not in your first April in Spain. Start with our guide (in Spanish) to taxes when moving from the US to Spain.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

Moving to Spain from the USLiving legally in the US? Digital nomad, non-lucrative, student, Blue Card or entrepreneur: 2026 requirements, money, consulates and taxes, by a Madrid lawyer.Read more →Spain Digital Nomad VisaSpain digital nomad visa in 2026: €2,849 a month, who qualifies, documents, consulate vs. applying from Spain, Beckham Law and tips for Americans, by a Madrid lawyer.Read more →Living in Spain as an AmericanLiving in Spain as an American in 2026: visas, the 90-day rule, healthcare, US and Spanish taxes, banking, driving and citizenship, by a Madrid immigration lawyer.Read more →Residencia no lucrativa en España (in Spanish)Requisitos de la residencia no lucrativa en España en 2026: medios económicos, seguro médico, dónde presentarla y renovación. Te ayudamos a prepararla.Read more →