Non-Lucrative Visa Requirements
The non-lucrative visa (NLV) lets you live in Spain without working there. To qualify, you need enough money to support yourself and your family without work, health insurance, a passport valid for at least a year, a clean criminal record for the last five years and a medical certificate. The first authorisation lasts one year.
Check your eligibility in five questions
Answer these before you order a single document. A "no" to any of them is worth resolving first.
- Will you live in Spain without any work or professional activity, including remote work for clients or an employer abroad?
- Can you show at least €2,400 a month for yourself, plus €600 for each family member, for the whole first year?
- Will you hold health insurance that meets your consulate's wording from the day you arrive?
- Is your passport valid for at least another year?
- As an adult, have you been free of criminal convictions in every country you've lived in during the last five years?
The conditions, and how each is proved
| Condition | What it means | How you prove it | Who checks it |
|---|---|---|---|
| No work in Spain | Living in Spain without work or professional activity | Your declaration and the nature of your income; some consulates ask for a signed statement | The consulate |
| Financial means | Enough to support you and your family for the authorisation period | Pension letters, bank certificates and statements, investment statements | The consulate |
| Health insurance | Holding health insurance (seguro de enfermedad) | A policy and certificate that meet your consulate's wording | The consulate |
| Passport | Valid for at least one year | Your passport and copies | The consulate |
| Clean record | For adults, no record in the countries lived in during the last five years for offences under Spanish law | Criminal record certificates from each country | The consulate, and the immigration office through Spanish records and a police report |
| Medical certificate | No illness with serious public-health consequences under the International Health Regulations 2005 | A doctor's certificate in the consulate's wording | The consulate |
| Not irregularly in Spain | You mustn't be in Spain without permission when you apply | Applying from the consulate for where you live | The consulate |
| No return commitment | Not within a period in which you agreed not to return after a voluntary return | Records held by the authorities | The immigration office |
| Fees | The visa and authorisation fees | Payment receipts and the fee forms | The consulate |
How much money, by household
The regulation sets the means as a share of the IPREM index: 400% a month for the applicant and 100% for each family member, for the period of the authorisation. With the IPREM at €600 a month in 2026, that works out as:
| Household applying | Per month | For the first year |
|---|---|---|
| One person | €2,400 | €28,800 |
| A couple | €3,000 | €36,000 |
| A couple and one child | €3,600 | €43,200 |
| A couple and two children | €4,200 | €50,400 |
You can show the money as regular income, as savings, or as a mix, by any means of proof the law accepts. For foreign bank accounts, the regulation asks for the bank's name and address, the account details and opening date, the balance on 31 December of the previous year and the average balance over the last year. For the evidence itself, see NLV income and savings.
What "not working" means
The NLV is for residing without work or professional activity. Several consulates spell out that this includes teleworking: the Los Angeles and New York pages say no teleworking, and Washington says no work "either on-site nor remotely". Passive income is the usual basis: pensions, rents, dividends, interest and savings. If you plan to keep earning from work, the digital nomad visa requirements are the ones to read.
Health insurance
The regulation's wording is short: you must hold health insurance. In practice, the NLV commonly requires comprehensive private health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain, normally without copayments. Check the wording used by your consulate. Many consulates add no-copayment or no-limit wording, while some (London, for example) ask for cover of all public-system risks and also accept S1 registration. Our NLV health insurance guide covers what consulates ask for.
Two bodies, two decisions
Your application carries two requests: the visa, decided at the consulate, and the residence authorisation, decided by the immigration office.
- The consulate checks your passport, criminal record and medical certificates and the visa form, and assesses your means and insurance.
- The immigration office checks the no-return condition and public order, including a Spanish criminal record check and a police report. It has one month to decide, and no reply counts as a refusal.
You apply at the consulate for where you live. See NLV consulate application.
Requirements that catch people out
- Planning to work remotely. The NLV is for residing without work or professional activity. Remote workers should look at the digital nomad visa.
- Counting means for one month. The amount is monthly, for the whole authorisation period.
- Forgetting family members in the sums. Each one adds 100% of the IPREM.
- A passport that's too close to expiry. It needs at least a year's validity.
- Missing a country. The criminal record covers every country you've lived in during the last five years, not only where you live now.
- Applying from the wrong place. You apply to the consulate for where you live, and you mustn't be in Spain irregularly when you do.
After the first year
Meeting the requirements once isn't the end. To renew, you'll need the means again for yourself and your family, health insurance kept up without a break, schooling for children of compulsory school age, and real residence in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year. A renewal lasts two years. Plan your time in Spain with that in mind. See NLV renewal help.
Have your eligibility checked
Both services in our group check eligibility before you commit to the full service: My Spanish NLV includes an eligibility check, and Platinum Legal Spain offers a free one. Bring your income figures, the country you'll apply from and everyone who's coming with you.
My Spanish NLV
A guide to every NLV requirement, with an eligibility check.
- An eligibility check in under ten minutes
- Requirements confirmed for your consulate
- Translations up to €100 if you go ahead
Opens provider website. No details shared.
Platinum Legal Spain
The full list of current NLV requirements, with a fixed-fee service behind it.
- A free eligibility check
- A free consultation
- A fixed fee in three stages if you go ahead
Opens provider website. No details shared.
We don't pass your details to either service. Choosing one opens its website in a new tab, where you start a separate enquiry.
Frequently asked questions
Can I work remotely on an NLV?
The route is for residing in Spain without work or professional activities. If you'll work remotely, see the digital nomad visa requirements.
How long is the first authorisation?
One year. Renewals are for two years. See NLV renewal help.
Is there an age requirement?
The route is commonly used by retirees, but the conditions are about means and not working, not age.
Who counts as a family member?
A spouse or registered or proven stable partner, unmarried children under 18, and adult children with a disability who need support. Each one adds 100% of the IPREM to the means.
Does the money have to be in a Spanish bank?
No. The regulation accepts any lawful means of proof, and sets out the details it needs for foreign bank accounts.