Spain

Non-lucrative visa (visado de residencia no lucrativa). Residence for people with enough passive income or savings to live in Spain without working there.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Non-lucrative visa (visado de residencia no lucrativa)

A one-year residence permit, renewable for two further two-year periods.

Who qualifies

Income or savings of at least 400% of the IPREM index for the main applicant (€28,800/year in 2026, IPREM frozen at €600/month), plus 100% of the IPREM (€7,200/year) for each additional family member.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Non-Lucrative Residence Visa, Ley de Extranjería, Art. 46–47, income linked to IPREM
Income must be passive: pensions, investments, rental or annuities. The visa does not authorise work in Spain.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Non-Lucrative Residence Visa
Private health insurance with no co-payments, and a clean criminal record for the last 5 years.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Non-Lucrative Residence Visa

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

3 questions, from the program’s own rules.

Steady monthly income, from any source?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Income: Steady income each month, rising with each person who moves.
Just you$2,640
2 people$3,300
4 people$4,620
Time: 1–3 months for the consulate decision.
Cost: About $700–1,500: visa fee, health insurance, and certified/apostilled financial documents.
The hard part: Showing recurring, documented passive income rather than a lump sum, at a level that has not risen with inflation since 2023.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

Citizens by 2038.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
1 year, renewable for 2 years at a time.
2028
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 2 years.
2030
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 2 years.
2032
Permanent residence
Five years of legal, continuous residence. Absences of up to 6 months at a time and 10 months in total do not break it (18 months total if for work). No language test. Half of any time on a student stay counts.
2037
Apply for citizenship
With a language test and a civics test.
2038
Citizenship
The decision usually takes 12 months.

Language: Spanish at A2, the DELE A2 exam run by the Instituto Cervantes. Nationals of Spanish-speaking countries are exempt.
Civics: The CCSE, an Instituto Cervantes multiple-choice test on the Constitution and Spanish society and culture. Everyone takes it, including Spanish speakers.
Time away: Residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before the application. The Civil Code sets no day count; a long break in residence or a lapse in permit can restart the clock.
Two passports: It depends on the rules at the time and on your home country.

Each renewal needs proof you actually lived in Spain more than 183 days of the year; long-term residence after five years.
Whether you can keep your current citizenship depends on the rules at the time and your home country.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: Must not be absent more than 6 months in any year to keep the permit and to count years toward permanent residence.
Tax: Makes you a Spanish tax resident once you exceed 183 days/year; the non-lucrative visa itself carries no special tax regime (the Beckham law applies only to employment/self-employment income, not passive income).

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Apply at the Spanish consulate for your address with proof of income and health insurance.Open exteriores.gob.es ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of steady income: at least $2,640 a month
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health insurance that meets the program’s rules

Postern can’t run this for you yet.

Which state do you live in?

Tell us which state you live in. Postern runs this application through the BLS Spain centres for the Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston consulates, for residents of DC, MD, VA, WV, NC, AZ, CO, UT, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI, AL, AR, LA, MS, NM, OK, TN, TX.

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