Spain has several long-stay routes for non-EU nationals, and the right one depends on how you intend to support yourself once you arrive — savings and pension, remote work, study, employment or family. This guide compares the main routes, points you to the right one, and explains the health insurance condition that applies across almost all of them.
Most people arrive at the right route by answering one question: where will your money come from while you live in Spain?
If two routes look plausible, the difference usually comes down to whether you intend to work in Spain and whose money is paying for your stay. That distinction matters more than which route is quickest.
Tell us which route you are applying for and we will help you arrange health insurance that matches the requirements published by the office handling your application.
Get an Insurance QuoteTalk to Our Team| Route | Who it is for | Work in Spain | Health insurance | Apply from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Lucrative Visa | Retirees and others living on savings, pension or other passive income | Not permitted — the route is non-lucrative by definition | Required | The Spanish consulate covering where you legally reside |
| Digital Nomad Visa | Employees and freelancers working remotely for businesses outside Spain | Remote work for non-Spanish employers or clients, with limits on Spanish-source income | Required | Consulate, or from within Spain in some circumstances |
| Student Visa | People enrolled on a course at a recognised Spanish institution | Limited, subject to conditions | Required | The Spanish consulate covering where you legally reside |
| Work authorisation | People with a job offer from a Spanish employer | Yes, tied to the employer and role | Normally through the Spanish social security system once employed | Employer-initiated, then consulate |
| Self-employed (autónomo) | People setting up their own activity in Spain | Yes, self-employed activity | Normally through social security once registered | The Spanish consulate covering where you legally reside |
| Family reunification | Close family of a non-EU national already legally resident in Spain | Depends on the status of the resident family member | Required in most cases | Application begins in Spain, visa issued at the consulate |
Income and means thresholds apply to several of these routes. They are index-linked and revised, so we have deliberately not printed a figure here — confirm the current threshold on the checklist published by the office handling your application before you budget.
The NLV is the established route for people who can support themselves without working in Spain — typically retirees, the semi-retired, and people living on investment or rental income. It is governed by Royal Decree 1155/2024, articles 60 to 63.
The defining condition is in the name: you are undertaking not to carry out work in Spain. You evidence sufficient means for yourself and any family members joining you, accommodation, and health insurance. You apply from the Spanish consulate covering where you legally reside, not from inside Spain.
It is the most common route for non-EU retirees, and the one where health insurance questions arise most often, because the consulate checklists set the detailed conditions rather than the regulation itself.
Full guide: Non-Lucrative Visa Spain — eligibility, the means test and what the no-work undertaking really forbids.
Insurance for this route: NLV health insurance.
The DNV is for people who will continue working remotely for employers or clients based outside Spain. It suits employed remote workers, freelancers with an overseas client base, and contractors who can show an established working relationship.
Two things separate it from the NLV. You may work, provided the work and income are predominantly from outside Spain. And because DNV holders may fall within the Spanish social security system, the correct health cover is not always a private policy — where a certificate of coverage or Spanish social security registration applies, that changes what you need to evidence. Check which applies to you before buying a policy.
Full guide: Digital Nomad Visa Spain — the qualification gate, the 20% rule and the two application paths.
Insurance for this route: Digital Nomad Visa health insurance.
The student route covers long-stay study at a recognised Spanish institution — universities, language schools, vocational programmes and some research placements. You evidence enrolment, means of support, accommodation and health insurance.
The student route is the one case where the insurance condition is set out in the regulation itself rather than left to consulate checklists: Royal Decree 1155/2024, article 35(i), requires insurance with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, providing cover comparable to the public system's basic common portfolio.
Full guide: Student Visa Spain — what the study route grants, work rights and the family restriction.
Insurance for this route: Student visa health insurance.
Send us your situation and we will point you to the insurance requirements for the route you are most likely applying under.
Get an Insurance QuoteTalk to Our TeamEU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a visa and instead complete a residency registration. See private cover for EU citizens in Spain and health insurance for EU residency registration.
Spain's investor residence route, commonly called the Golden Visa, is closed. Ley Orgánica 1/2025 removed the investor residence provisions from Ley 14/2013, and the route stopped accepting new applications on 3 April 2025. It is not an option for new applicants and is not covered on this site.
Almost every long-stay route asks you to evidence health cover. What varies — and what causes most of the confusion — is who sets the detail. Three different sources are at work, and they are not interchangeable.
The practical consequence: a requirement you read about for one consulate may not apply at yours. Always check the current checklist published by the office handling your application, and treat anything presented as “Spanish law” with care unless it cites the regulation.
For the detail, see Spanish visa health insurance requirements and health insurance for Spanish consulate requirements. For pricing, see what visa health insurance costs.
Long-stay visas are applied for at the Spanish consulate or embassy covering the place where you legally reside — not the one nearest to where you plan to live in Spain, and not one you choose for convenience. Several consulates use an external submission centre to take appointments and collect documents; the requirements are set by the consulate, not the submission centre.
A small number of routes, including the digital nomad route in some circumstances, can be applied for from within Spain. Confirm which applies to you before booking anything.
We arrange health insurance for Spanish visa applications and prepare the certificate in the format your office asks for. Tell us your route and your appointment date.
Get an Insurance QuoteVisa Health InsuranceThe Non-Lucrative Visa. It is designed for people supporting themselves without working in Spain, which is the position most retirees are in.
The Digital Nomad Visa, where the work and income come predominantly from outside Spain. If you intend to work for a Spanish employer instead, a work authorisation is the correct route.
Almost all long-stay routes require evidence of health cover, but not always a private policy. Where you join the Spanish social security system — through employment, or in some digital nomad cases — that cover may satisfy the requirement instead. Check what your route and office expect before buying.
Changes of situation are possible in some cases and follow their own rules and timing. This is a question for an immigration adviser, as the answer depends on your status, how long you have held it and what you are moving to.
No. Ley Orgánica 1/2025 removed the investor residence provisions from Ley 14/2013 and the route stopped accepting new applications on 3 April 2025.
At the Spanish consulate or embassy covering the place where you legally reside. Some consulates use an external submission centre to take appointments, but the requirements come from the consulate.
Because conditions such as no copayment, no waiting period and certificate wording are set by individual consulates rather than by the regulation. They genuinely differ between offices, so a requirement quoted for one consulate may not apply at yours.
Income and means thresholds are index-linked and revised, so any figure published on a website dates quickly. Take the current figure from the checklist published by the office handling your application.
