Residence in Spain After the Golden Visa Ended: Routes, Amounts and Timelines

Which routes to a Spanish residence permit work in 2026

Residence in Spain is governed by Organic Law 4/2000 on foreigners (LOEX) and its regulation, Royal Decree 1155/2024, in force since May 20, 2025. The law distinguishes temporary residence (more than 90 days and less than five years) from long-term residence — the indefinite right to live and work in Spain on the same terms as Spaniards. Buying property is no longer a route on its own. The regulation has already been amended: a Spanish Supreme Court judgment of July 8, 2026 annulled parts of the wording, and the current version was published in the BOE on September 22, 2026 — the amounts and deadlines below are checked against it.

For a Russian citizen applying from Russia, five routes remain workable. Amounts are calculated using the 2026 IPREM — €600 a month — and the 2026 minimum wage (SMI) — €17,094 a year.

Route	Main requirement	Right to work	First term
Non-working residence (residencia no lucrativa)	400% of IPREM — €2,400 a month per applicant, +100% of IPREM per family member	No	1 year
Remote work (teletrabajo de carácter internacional)	200% of SMI — about €2,849 a month; a degree or 3 years of experience	Yes, for a foreign employer	Visa up to 1 year; permit in Spain up to 3 years
Employment (cuenta ajena)	Contract with a Spanish employer and a work permit	Yes	Per permit; renewal for 4 years
Study (estancia por estudios)	Enrolment and 100% of IPREM — €600 a month	Up to 30 hours a week	For the programme
Family reunification (reagrupación familiar)	A resident relative with income of at least 150% of IPREM for two	Yes, without a separate permit	Tied to the relative's permit

Other routes — settlement (arraigo; for example, the training variant, arraigo socioformativo, allows employment of no more than 30 hours a week at no less than the SMI), exceptional circumstances, start-ups and highly qualified professionals — require either time already spent in Spain or a separate procedure and are not covered here.

Non-working residence permit: €2,400 a month per applicant

Spain's non-working residence permit (residencia temporal no lucrativa) is for a foreigner who will live in the country on their own means without employment or self-employment — this is how Article 61 of Regulation 1155/2024 defines the status. It is the main route for people with savings, rental income or a pension.

The financial threshold is set in Article 62: 400% of IPREM a month for the applicant and 100% of IPREM for each dependent family member. With IPREM at €600, that is €2,400 a month for one person. The amount is multiplied by the term of the permit: the first permit is issued for one year, so the applicant must show €28,800 in an account or as regular income, plus €7,200 for each family member.

Household	Per month	First year
Single applicant	€2,400	€28,800
Applicant and spouse	€3,000	€36,000
Applicant, spouse and child	€3,600	€43,200

Means can be proven by any admissible evidence. The regulation expressly lists certified cheques, credit cards with a bank certificate and property title deeds. For foreign accounts, the bank's name and address, account details, opening dates, the balance on December 31 of the previous year and the average balance over the last year are required.

For this route, the regulation treats as family members a spouse, a registered partner or a partner with at least one year of proven cohabitation (with children in common, stable cohabitation is enough), minor children of the applicant or spouse, and adult children with a disability or who cannot support themselves for health reasons.

Besides money, the applicant must have health insurance, no criminal record in Spain, not be within a no-return commitment period and pay the fee. According to the Moscow visa centre, the insurance must cover all risks covered by the Spanish public health system. The immigration office checks criminal records itself: under Article 63 it requests a certificate from the central register of convicted persons and a police report, both prepared within seven days. Entries in a police report do not by themselves lead to refusal.

The myth that a no lucrativa permit allows remote side work is refuted by the rule itself: the status is granted to those living in Spain without work or professional activity, and working requires a different route.

Other routes: remote work, employment, study and family

Remote work for a foreign company

The remote-work visa and permit (teletrabajo de carácter internacional, the "digital nomad visa") is for qualified professionals: university, vocational or business-school graduates, or people with at least three years of experience. The financial benchmark stated by Spanish consulates is 200% of SMI for the applicant, 75% of SMI for the first family member and 25% of SMI for each additional one.

With the 2026 SMI of €17,094 a year, that is about €2,849 a month for the applicant, about €1,068 for the first family member and about €356 for each additional one. Consular requirements published on the Spanish Foreign Ministry website (the Santiago consulate, 2023) add conditions on the employer and insurance: an employment or contractual relationship with the company of at least three months at the time of application, a company operating for at least one year, and health insurance without waiting periods, co-payments or coverage limits from an insurer listed with Spain's Directorate General of Insurance. Employees prove the company's and their own registration with Spanish social security; the self-employed prove registration under RETA. Check the list for Moscow with the consulate.

A consular visa is valid for up to one year. Someone already legally in Spain, for example on a tourist entry, can apply directly for a residence permit to the dedicated unit of the Ministry of Inclusion (UGE) without a prior visa — it is issued for up to three years, and a decision is due within 20 days. A detailed look at the threshold and tax regime is in our article on Spain's digital nomad visa.

Employment with a Spanish company

Residence and employment (residencia y trabajo por cuenta ajena) start with a permit requested by the Spanish employer. A renewed permit is issued for four years and allows work in any sector and anywhere in the country — under Article 81 of the regulation. Self-employment (cuenta propia) follows the same term: under Article 87, a renewed permit is valid for four years and allows both employment and self-employment.

Study

A student receives not a residence permit in the strict sense but a stay authorisation for study (estancia por estudios). The financial minimum is 100% of IPREM a month, i.e. €600 (less if accommodation is prepaid for the whole period), plus 75% of IPREM for the first family member and 50% for each additional one. Work during studies is limited to 30 hours a week.

Family reunification

A Spanish resident can bring the relatives listed in Article 66 of the regulation: a spouse over 18, a partner in a relationship similar to marriage, children of the applicant or spouse under 18, and adult children with a disability or who cannot support themselves for health reasons. For a child of only one spouse, sole custody or the other parent's consent to the move must be proven. Under Article 67, the income benchmark for a two-person household is 150% of IPREM, i.e. €900 a month, plus 50% of IPREM, €300, for each additional member. A reunification permit gives the spouse, partner and children above the minimum working age the right to work without a separate procedure.

Spain's golden visa is closed: what happened to residence through property

Spain stopped issuing the golden visa for property purchases of €500,000 or more on April 3, 2025. Organic Law 1/2025 left Articles 63–67 of Law 14/2013, on which investor visas rested, without content — as confirmed by the text of the law in the official BOE gazette and the Spanish government's announcement.

The law kept two transitional rules. An investor who applied before the ban took effect receives the visa or permit under the rules in force on the application date. Existing investor visas and permits remain valid for their full term, and their renewals are decided under the rules in force on the date they were granted.

The myth that an apartment in Spain still opens residence is the most common one around purchase queries. Buying a home no longer gives status on its own, but the regulation allows property to be used as proof of means for the non-working permit, alongside bank documents. If the goal is a home plus legal residence, the property is chosen separately and the route — by income or work. Listings are in our Spain real estate catalogue.

How to get a Spain residence permit from Russia: application and resident card

A Spain residence permit can only be obtained from Russia through a Spanish consulate: under Article 63 of the regulation, the foreigner applies for a visa at the competent consulate, and that application simultaneously starts the review of the residence authorisation.

1. Choosing a route and collecting documents. For the non-working permit, the Moscow visa centre lists: the national visa application form and form EX-01, two photos, the international passport, proof of means, a medical certificate, a criminal record certificate, insurance and proof of residence in the consular district — for Russian citizens, the internal passport.
2. Apostille. Criminal record certificates issued in Russia, Belarus, Armenia and Uzbekistan must carry an apostille.
3. Submission. The Consulate General of Spain in Moscow accepts national visa applications in person, from 9:00 to 12:20, by appointment via [email protected]. The BLS visa centre states that documents can also be submitted through it, for an additional service fee.
4. Decision and D visa. The consulate forwards the application to the immigration office (oficina de extranjería), which, under Article 63, decides on the residence authorisation within one month of receiving the documents from the consulate. If there is no answer within a month, the application is deemed refused — silence here means refusal, not approval. After a positive decision, the consulate issues a national D visa for entry into Spain.
5. TIE card. Within one month of entry, the visa holder applies in person for the foreigner identity card (tarjeta de identidad de extranjero) at a police station.

How much a Spanish residence permit costs: fees and the financial threshold

The cost consists of government fees and a financial threshold that is shown, not spent. As of October 24, 2026, the BLS visa centre in Moscow lists: national D visa fee — 8,840 rubles, residence permit fee — 917 rubles, visa centre service fee — 1,444 rubles including VAT. Payment is accepted only in rubles, and the amounts change with the euro exchange rate.

Item	Amount	Set by
National D visa	8,840 rubles	Consulate, per BLS
Residence permit fee	917 rubles	Spain, per BLS
BLS service fee (if applying through the centre)	1,444 rubles	BLS
No lucrativa threshold for the year	€28,800 per applicant	Regulation 1155/2024, Art. 62
Remote-work threshold	about €2,849 a month	200% of SMI 2026
No lucrativa family threshold	+€7,200 per family member a year	Regulation 1155/2024, Art. 62

The financial threshold is checked twice: when applying for the visa and at every renewal, each time for the term of the permit. The money is not paid to the state but must be available to the applicant for that whole period.

Private health insurance, document translations, apostilles and rent in Spain are budgeted separately — their price depends on the provider and region, with no single tariff.

Renewal, long-term residence and Spanish citizenship

A non-working permit renewal is filed with the immigration office within the two months before the permit expires. An application filed in that window extends the old permit until a decision. Filing up to three months late is accepted, but a sanction procedure is opened under Article 52 of LOEX.

For renewal, the financial threshold under Article 62 and insurance for the whole past term are checked again, as well as actual residence in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year and school attendance for school-age children. If school enrolment is not confirmed, the immigration office notifies the education authorities and gives a month to fix it — otherwise the permit is not renewed.

Renewal also considers conduct during the past term: criminal records and payment of taxes and social security contributions (Article 64(5)). If a condition is not met, the applicant may attach a report from the autonomous community on their integration efforts — it certifies knowledge of Spain's constitutional values and recommends renewal.

Long-term residence (residencia de larga duración) is granted after five years of legal and continuous residence in Spain. Continuity is not broken by absences of up to six consecutive months, provided they total no more than ten months over the five years. For work-related absences, the same six consecutive months apply, with up to 18 months in total. The long-term resident card is first renewed after five years, then every five years until age 30 and every ten years after.

The regulation distinguishes two long-term statuses with the same five-year threshold: EU long-term residence (larga duración-UE, Article 176) and national long-term residence (Article 183). Both require five years of legal and continuous residence before applying.

The myth that a passport comes after five years of residence does not hold: five years open long-term residence, while citizenship by residence, under Article 22 of the Spanish Civil Code, requires ten years. Shorter terms — two years — apply to nationals of Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal and to Sephardi Jews. Details are in our article on how to obtain Spanish citizenship.

What a Spanish residence permit gives and what obligations it brings

A Spanish residence permit gives the legal right to live in the country for more than 90 days, and long-term status — to live and work indefinitely on the same terms as Spaniards (Articles 31 and 32 of LOEX). For trips to other Schengen countries, the holder of a valid residence permit does not need a separate visa — this follows from the EU entry rules published on the Your Europe portal.

Obligations come with the status. A person who spends more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year becomes a Spanish tax resident under Article 9 of the personal income tax law (Ley 35/2006). The myth that a non-working permit carries no tax is refuted by this rule: under Article 2 of the same law, a resident's tax covers all income regardless of where it is earned, including interest and rent in Russia.

The 183-day rule is not the only criterion. A person is also a Spanish tax resident when the main centre or base of their activities or economic interests is in Spain. In addition, the law presumes residence, unless proven otherwise, if a spouse who is not legally separated and dependent minor children habitually live in Spain. For a family moving together on residence permits, this means tax residence may arise even if the head of the family spends fewer days in Spain. Navigating the overlap of Spanish and Russian rules is best done with a tax adviser — this article describes only the rule.

Working without the right route is prohibited, and renewing a no lucrativa permit requires more than 183 days in the country per year — so tax residence is practically unavoidable on this route.

No lucrativa or remote work: how to choose a route

The choice between the non-working permit and the remote-work permit depends on the source of money: no lucrativa suits those living on savings and passive income, remote work — those receiving a salary or fees from a company outside Spain.

Parameter	No lucrativa	Remote work
Threshold per applicant	€2,400 a month (400% of IPREM)	about €2,849 a month (200% of SMI)
Threshold for the first family member	€600 a month	about €1,068 a month
Work	Prohibited	Remote, for a foreign company
Where to apply	Consulate of residence	Consulate or, once in Spain, the UGE
First term	1 year	Visa up to 1 year; permit in Spain up to 3 years
Source of the threshold	Regulation 1155/2024, Art. 62	Requirements of Spanish consulates

No lucrativa has a lower threshold for families with children: each family member adds €600 a month versus about €1,068 for the first family member under remote work. Remote work has a longer first term if the permit is requested from within Spain, and comes with a legal source of income. Both routes require insurance, and both lead to tax residence for those living in the country more than 183 days a year.

When a Spanish residence permit does not fit

• You need income in Spain but have no route to work. No lucrativa excludes work; working for a Spanish company requires a contract and a work permit.
• You have capital but not the required sum for the first year. The threshold covers the whole term: a single applicant must show €28,800 for the first year, a family of three — €43,200.
• You are not ready to live in Spain for half a year or more. Renewing no lucrativa requires more than 183 days a year in the country, and therefore tax residence.
• The goal is an EU passport quickly. Spanish citizenship by residence takes ten years; Spain does not suit a fast second passport.
• The goal is status through buying an apartment. This route has been closed since April 3, 2025.

How we verify data

Methodology

Every threshold, deadline and fee in this article is taken from an open primary source and checked against a verbatim quote. Euro amounts are calculated by us from current indicators: IPREM at €600 a month and SMI at €17,094 a year; the calculation is shown next to the original percentage. Ruble fees are given per the visa centre on the verification date — October 24, 2026.

Sources

• Royal Decree 1155/2024 — regulation on foreigners, BOE-A-2024-24099, Arts. 37, 57, 61–64, 66–67, 81, 176, 183, 185 (version of 22.09.2026).
• Organic Law 4/2000 on foreigners (LOEX), BOE-A-2000-544, Arts. 31–32.
• Organic Law 1/2025, BOE-A-2025-76, final provision 21; Spanish government announcement of April 2, 2025.
• Law 31/2022 on the 2023 budget (IPREM €600), BOE-A-2022-22128; Royal Decree 126/2026 on the SMI, BOE-A-2026-3815.
• Spanish Civil Code, Art. 22; Law 35/2006 on personal income tax, Arts. 2 and 9.
• Consulate General of Spain in Moscow (exteriores.gob.es); BLS Spain Russia visa centre; Spanish consulate requirements for the remote-work visa.

Disclaimer

This information is for reference: amounts are tied to IPREM and SMI, which Spain revises, and consulates may change document lists. Before applying, check the conditions on the consulate's website and with a Spanish immigration lawyer.

Frequently asked questions

Can you get a Spain residence permit by buying property in 2026?

No. The golden visa for property was abolished by Organic Law 1/2025 from April 3, 2025. Property can only be used as one of the proofs of means for the non-working permit.

How much money is needed for Spain's non-working residence permit?

400% of IPREM a month for the applicant — €2,400 — and 100% of IPREM, €600, for each family member. For the first year of the permit, that is €28,800 for one person.

Where do you apply for a Spain residence permit from Moscow?

At the Consulate General of Spain in Moscow by appointment via [email protected], or through the BLS visa centre with an additional service fee of 1,444 rubles.

Can you work with a no lucrativa permit?

No. This status is granted for living without work or professional activity; working requires a route with the right to work — remote work, employment or your own business.

After how many years can you get permanent residence and Spanish citizenship?

Long-term residence after five years of continuous legal residence, citizenship by residence after ten years; there is no shortened term for Russian citizens.

How long does a no lucrativa decision take?

The immigration office decides within a month of receiving the documents from the consulate; if there is no answer within a month, the application is deemed refused.

How long must you live in Spain to renew a residence permit?

To renew the non-working permit, you must live in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year and again prove the financial threshold and insurance.

Is an apostille needed on the criminal record certificate?

Yes. According to the Moscow visa centre, criminal record certificates issued in Russia must carry an apostille.

Does a Spain residence permit holder become a tax resident?

Yes, if they spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year: under Article 9 of Law 35/2006 they become a tax resident and pay tax on all income wherever it is earned.

For how long is the first no lucrativa permit issued?

For one year, under Article 61 of Regulation 1155/2024. Means are proven for that whole period — €28,800 per applicant.

Can you apply for a remote-work permit while already in Spain?

Yes. A foreigner legally in the country can apply for the remote-work permit without a prior visa; it is issued for up to three years.

Who can be included in a no lucrativa application as family members?

A spouse or partner (registered or with at least a year of proven cohabitation), minor children and adult children who cannot support themselves for health reasons. Each requires an additional €600 a month.