Spain closed its €500,000 real-estate Golden Visa on 3 April 2025. Wealthy non-EU movers now use one of three legal routes: the Non-Lucrative Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa (paired with the Beckham Law), or the Entrepreneur Visa. The decisive move is to fix your tax position before you become a Spanish tax resident, not after.
For years the answer to “how does a rich foreigner move to Spain?” was simple: buy a €500,000 property, get residency. That door is now shut. In its place sits a set of routes that reward planning and punish improvisation. The good news for anyone eyeing the Costa del Sol: the alternatives are often cheaper and, done in the right order, far more tax-efficient than the visa most people mourned.
This guide lays out the real 2026 options, the numbers behind each, and the one sequencing mistake that costs high-net-worth (HNW) movers the most money.
What actually happened to Spain’s Golden Visa in 2025?
Spain’s investor residency (“Golden Visa”), created by Law 14/2013, let non-EU nationals obtain residency by investing, most commonly €500,000 in real estate. It was repealed by Ley Orgánica 1/2025, published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado on 3 January 2025 and effective 3 April 2025. From that date, no new Golden Visa applications can be filed.
Two points matter for anyone mid-process:
- Grandfathering exists. Complete applications filed before 3 April 2025, and permits already granted, are protected by transitional provisions and continue under the old rules.
- The stated reason was housing, not immigration. The government framed the repeal around housing affordability (Spanish home prices rose sharply between 2014 and 2024, roughly 60–80% depending on the measure: INE’s official index puts the rise at the lower end, portal asking-price series near 80%), aligning with a broader EU push against “golden” schemes. Translation: it is not coming back.
The upshot: buying property no longer buys residency. Property and residency are now two separate decisions, and, as the sections below show, that separation works in your favour if you plan the tax layer first.
What are the real residency alternatives for wealthy movers in 2026?
Three routes cover almost every HNW profile. The right one depends on a single question: do you still earn active income, or do you live off capital?
| Route | Best for | Can you work? | Headline financial test (2026) | Beckham Law eligible? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) | Retirees, rentiers living on passive income/savings | No economic activity in Spain | ~€28,800/yr for the main applicant (400% of IPREM €600/mo), +€7,200/yr per dependent | No (no work permit) |
| Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) | Remote employees & founders still earning abroad | Yes, remotely for non-Spanish clients | Yes | |
| Entrepreneur / Startup Visa | Founders deploying active capital into an innovative business | Yes, in the funded venture | No fixed sum; requires a favourable ENISA report on innovation & scalability | Case-by-case |
The Non-Lucrative Visa: for those living on capital
The NLV is the classic “I have enough money, I just want to live here” permit. You prove passive income or liquid savings and agree not to work in Spain. The 2026 threshold is 400% of the IPREM (€600/month), i.e. €28,800 per year for the main applicant plus €7,200 per additional family member. A couple therefore shows roughly €36,000/year; a couple with one child, €43,200.
The trap is tax, not immigration. Because the NLV requires you to live in Spain most of the year, you will almost certainly become a Spanish tax resident, taxed on worldwide income at ordinary rates (up to 47%) and potentially exposed to wealth and solidarity taxes. And NLV holders cannot use the Beckham regime, because it requires a work relationship. For a retiree with a modest pension this is fine. For someone with a large portfolio or unrealised gains, it can be the most expensive way in.
The Digital Nomad Visa + Beckham Law: for those still earning
For anyone still drawing a salary or founder’s income from outside Spain, the DNV is usually the superior route, and the reason has little to do with the visa itself. The DNV requires roughly €2,849/month (about 200% of the minimum wage) and that no more than 20% of your income comes from Spanish clients.
The prize is the Beckham Law (the régimen especial para trabajadores desplazados): a flat 24% tax on employment income up to €600,000, and 47% above that, for up to six years. All employment income, wherever earned, is deemed Spanish-source under the regime. Under Beckham you are taxed broadly as a non-resident, which means most foreign investment income, dividends and non-Spanish capital gains fall outside Spanish tax, wealth tax applies only to Spanish assets, and you are exempt from the Modelo 720 foreign-asset declaration. For a US citizen with a 401(k), a brokerage account and US real estate, that scope is enormous.
Two conditions decide everything: you must not have been a Spanish tax resident in the prior five years, and you must elect the regime within six months of registering with Spanish social security. Miss the window and you default to ordinary worldwide taxation.
The Entrepreneur (Startup) Visa: for active capital
If your plan is to actually build or fund something, the Entrepreneur Visa under Law 14/2013 (as updated by the 2022 Startups Law) grants an initial three-year authorisation, renewable, leading to long-term residence after five years. There is no published minimum investment; the gatekeeper is a favourable ENISA report certifying the project is innovative and scalable. It is the most demanding route on substance, but for founders it aligns residency with a business they were going to run anyway. It can also pair with Beckham for the founder’s own remuneration.
Why does tax planning have to come before residency?
This is the part almost everyone gets backwards, and it is where the real money is won or lost.
Spain taxes you on your worldwide income from the moment you become a tax resident: generally by spending more than 183 days in a calendar year, or by having your centre of economic interests in Spain (assets, business, main income). Once that switch flips, gains you could have realised tax-free as a non-resident are inside the Spanish net, and the Beckham election may already be impossible if you moved in the wrong order.
Sequencing the tax layer first protects three things:
- The Beckham window. Beckham requires no Spanish tax residency in the previous five years and an election within six months of social-security registration. The visa you choose (DNV vs NLV) and your arrival date directly determine whether you qualify.
- The pre-residency gain. While you are still a non-resident, Spain only taxes your Spanish-source income. Selling appreciated stock, crystallising crypto gains, restructuring a company, or taking a large distribution is generally a pre-arrival decision. Do it after the residency switch and Spain’s savings-income scale (below) applies to the whole gain.
- Wealth and solidarity exposure. Andalucía effectively bonifies regional wealth tax to 0%, but the national Solidarity Tax on Large Fortunes still bites above €3M of net wealth. Whether your assets sit inside or outside the Spanish net, and whether Beckham shields them, is a design choice made before you land.
The order that works is: model the tax outcome → pick the visa that fits it → time your arrival and any asset events → then buy property. Property comes last precisely because it no longer drives residency and because owning a Spanish home can itself pull your “centre of economic interests” into Spain.
How much tax will I actually pay in Spain?
Two scales matter. Ordinary residents pay progressive IRPF on general income (employment, pensions, rent) rising to about 47% at the top, plus a separate savings-income scale on interest, dividends and capital gains:
| Savings income (2026) | Rate |
|---|---|
| €0 – €6,000 | 19% |
| €6,000 – €50,000 | 21% |
| €50,000 – €200,000 | 23% |
| €200,000 – €300,000 | 27% |
| Over €300,000 | 30% |
Beckham beneficiaries instead pay a flat 24% on Spanish employment income to €600,000, with Spanish-source savings income taxed on the scale above and most foreign income left outside the Spanish base during the regime.
On top of income tax, HNW movers should price in wealth-side exposure:
| Net wealth (2026) | Solidarity Tax on Large Fortunes |
|---|---|
| Up to €3,000,000 (after the €700,000 personal exemption) | 0% |
| €3.0M – €5.35M | 1.7% |
| €5.35M – €10.7M | 2.1% |
| Over €10.7M | 3.5% |
In Andalucía the regional wealth tax is bonified to essentially 0%, so this national “top-up” is the number that matters for larger balance sheets. Beckham holders are assessed on Spanish assets only, which is often the difference between a meaningful bill and none.
US and UK note: US citizens remain taxable by the IRS wherever they live; the US–Spain tax treaty and foreign tax credits prevent most double taxation, but Beckham’s “non-resident” treatment interacts awkwardly with treaty positions and needs a cross-border CPA. UK movers must handle statutory residence and the end of remittance-basis planning back home. These are not DIY situations.
What does the Costa del Sol property piece cost, and where does it fit?
Property is now a lifestyle and investment decision, not an immigration one. Budget for transaction costs on top of the price:
| Cost | Resale home (Andalucía) | New-build home |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer tax (ITP) | 7% | — |
| VAT (IVA) | — | 10% |
| Stamp duty (AJD) | — | ~1.2% |
| Notary, land registry, legal | ~2–3% | ~2–3% |
| All-in, on top of price | ~9–11% | ~13–15% |
Note the tax base: since 2022 ITP (and AJD) is charged on the higher of the price paid or the Cadastre’s valor de referencia (VAT on a new build is still charged on the actual price), and in Andalucía the Modelo 600 self-assessment must be filed and paid within two months of completion. For a €900,000 resale villa, that is roughly €63,000 in ITP alone before fees. That figure is exactly why the property step belongs after your tax residency and financing are settled, not before.
What is the right order of operations? (step by step)
- Model the tax outcome first. Map your worldwide income, unrealised gains and net wealth against Spanish residency, and against a Beckham election specifically. Decide what to realise or restructure while still a non-resident.
- Choose the visa that fits the tax plan. DNV if you still earn and want Beckham; NLV if you live on capital and accept ordinary residency; Entrepreneur if you are funding a venture.
- Time your arrival to control the calendar year you cross into tax residency, and to protect the Beckham “no residency in the prior five years” test.
- File the visa and register (consulate or in-country, then TIE, empadronamiento, social security). If Beckham applies, calendar the six-month election deadline from day one.
- Then buy property, or rent first. With residency and tax settled, arrange FX and any mortgage deliberately (large cross-border transfers move on exchange rates, and non-resident/new-resident mortgage terms differ).
Frequently asked questions
Is there any way to still get Spanish residency by buying property? No. Since 3 April 2025, real-estate investment no longer grants residency. You buy property and obtain residency through two separate processes.
Which route is cheapest for a wealthy retiree? Usually the Non-Lucrative Visa; the income test is modest (~€28,800/year). But “cheapest visa” is not “cheapest tax.” A retiree with a large portfolio may pay far more in ongoing tax on the NLV than a still-earning mover pays under Beckham. Model both.
Can I get the Beckham Law’s 24% rate on a Non-Lucrative Visa? No. Beckham requires a qualifying work relationship or an eligible route such as the Digital Nomad Visa. NLV holders, who cannot work in Spain, are excluded and taxed on worldwide income at ordinary rates.
Do I have to sell my investments before moving? Not necessarily, but the timing of any sale is a decision to make before you become a Spanish tax resident, because non-residents are generally not taxed by Spain on foreign-source gains. This is the single highest-value planning point for HNW movers.
Will I owe Spanish wealth tax on the Costa del Sol? Andalucía bonifies regional wealth tax to ~0%, but the national Solidarity Tax on Large Fortunes applies above €3M of net wealth (after a €700,000 exemption). Beckham holders are assessed on Spanish assets only.
How long until I can get permanent residency or citizenship? Long-term (permanent) residence is generally available after five years of legal residence. Spanish citizenship typically requires ten years (two for nationals of certain countries), with residence and integration conditions.
A note on scope (please read)
This article is general information for the Costa del Sol community, not tax, legal or immigration advice. Rules, thresholds and rates for 2026 are cited from public sources but change, and your outcome depends on your specific circumstances. Before acting, engage a Spain-licensed abogado/gestor and, if you have US or UK ties, a cross-border CPA or adviser. Do not make an irreversible move (a property purchase, an asset sale, or an arrival date) on the basis of this page alone.
Read next
- Non-Lucrative Visa vs Digital Nomad Visa: which route fits?
- The Beckham Law in 2026: remote executives and tech talent
- What it really costs to buy property in Málaga province
- Spain’s wealth tax for non-residents in 2026
- US taxes while living in Spain
- The right order to move to Spain
Sources
- Ley Orgánica 1/2025 (repeal of the Golden Visa), Boletín Oficial del Estado – boe.es
- Agencia Tributaria (IRPF, savings-income scale, special expat/Beckham regime) – agenciatributaria.gob.es
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries, Spain – Individual residence rules
- KPMG GMS Flash Alert 2025-008 – Spain Golden Visa elimination
- NLV 2026 income thresholds (IPREM €600/mo; €28,800/yr main applicant) – spainguru.es; spainnonlucrativevisa.com
- Digital Nomad Visa 2026 income requirement – remotepass.com; citizenremote.com
- Beckham Law 2026 (24% flat, six-year regime, wealth-tax/Modelo 720 scope) – costaluzlawyers.com; greenbacktaxservices.com
- Solidarity Tax on Large Fortunes (thresholds & rates) – pccwealth.com; costaluzlawyers.com
- Andalucía property purchase taxes (ITP 7% / VAT 10% + AJD 1.2%) – solprop.es; idealista.com
- Spain 183-day rule & centre of economic interests – wise.com; taxsummaries.pwc.com