Visas in Madrid

Max Stay

Up to 90 days within any rolling 180-day period, counted across the ENTIRE Schengen Area (not per-country). The clock is cumulative — time spent in France, Italy, etc. counts against the same 90-day allowance as time in Spain.

Framework

Schengen Area short-stay rule (Regulation (EU) 2016/399 / Schengen Borders Code)

Who Qualifies

Citizens of countries holding a visa-waiver agreement with the EU (e.g. the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and roughly 50+ other nationalities) do not need a visa for short stays in Spain and the rest of the Schengen Area. EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are not subject to this limit at all and can enter freely with just an ID card or passport.

Beyond 90 Days

Anyone wanting to remain longer than 90 days for work, study, or residence (including via Spain's digital nomad visa) needs a Spanish national (Type D) long-stay visa, which is a separate process usually started at a Spanish consulate before travel.

Proof Of Funds

Border officials have the right to request proof of sufficient financial means to cover the stay; figures cited across sources vary (commonly cited ranges of roughly €90–€122 per person per day, with a minimum lump sum sometimes cited around €810–€1,099), so travelers should carry a credit card plus a recent bank statement and not rely on a single figure.

Official Source Link

https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/washington/en/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/Consular/Condiciones-de-entrada-en-Espana.aspx

Overstay Consequences

Staying beyond 90 days without a residence permit or long-stay visa puts a traveler in an irregular/unlawful situation, which can lead to fines, deportation, and an entry ban of up to 3 years from the Schengen Area.

Passport Requirements

Passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned departure date from the Schengen Area and must have been issued within the last 10 years.

Extending A Visa Free Stay

An extension of a visa-free stay is only possible in exceptional circumstances (e.g. medical emergency, humanitarian or force-majeure reasons) via an application to Spain's immigration authorities (Extranjería/National Police); staying longer for ordinary tourism purposes is not a valid reason.

How The 180 Day Window Works

It is a rolling look-back window, not a fixed calendar block. On any given day, authorities count backward 180 days and add up all days already spent in the Schengen Area; if that total is under 90, further stay is still allowed up to the 90-day cap.

Entry Process For Visa Exempt Travelers

No visa application is required. At the border, travelers must show a valid passport and may be asked to prove the purpose and conditions of their stay (return/onward ticket, accommodation proof, and sufficient financial means).

Documents Required

• Valid passport
• Proof of remote work: employment certificate confirming remote-work authorization (if employed) or contracts with foreign clients (if freelance)
• Proof of at least 3 months' prior work history with the current employer/clients, and that the employing company has operated for at least 1 year
• Proof of income meeting the 200% SMI threshold (bank statements consistent with declared income; stamped, not just PDF downloads, are increasingly required)
• University/postgraduate degree OR at least 3 years' professional experience in the relevant field
• Private health insurance with full coverage in Spain and no co-payments
• Clean criminal record certificate (no record in the last 5 years), apostilled/legalized and translated
• Certificate of Social Security coverage in home country where applicable (e.g. A1 certificate for UK employees, Certificate of Coverage for US W-2 employees), or registration as autónomo if none applies

Basis

Set at 200% of Spain's Salario Mínimo Interprofesional (SMI, minimum wage), so it rises whenever the SMI is adjusted each year.

Dependent Add Ons

Roughly +75% of SMI/month for a first dependent (spouse/partner) and +25% of SMI/month for each additional dependent — figures cited across sources range from about €916-1,070/month for a spouse and €305-360/month per additional dependent, since exact amounts shift slightly with each annual SMI update.

Single Applicant Annual

€34,200

Single Applicant Monthly

€2,850

Alternative If Income Shortfall

If monthly income is below the threshold, applicants may cover the shortfall with savings — enough to cover the gap for the full validity of the permit (e.g. up to 36 months for a 3-year permit).

Name

Special Tax Regime for Impatriates (Régimen especial para trabajadores desplazados), commonly called the 'Beckham Law'

Duration

The regime applies for the year of arrival plus 5 additional years — 6 years total.

Core Condition

You must not have been a Spanish tax resident during the 5 years prior to your move (this was reduced from 10 years under the Startup Act reform).

Other Benefits

Exemption from Spain's wealth tax on assets held outside Spain, and exemption from the Form 720 overseas asset declaration requirement while the regime is active.

What It Offers

A flat 24% tax rate on qualifying Spanish-sourced work income up to €600,000/year, instead of Spain's standard progressive income tax rates which reach up to 47%. Income above €600,000 is taxed at 47%.

Application Process

Not automatic — you must actively opt in by filing Form 149 (Modelo 149) with the Spanish Tax Agency within 6 months of registering with Spanish Social Security or starting work, whichever is first. Missing this window forfeits the benefit for the entire stay, with no extensions. Annual filing under the regime uses Form 151 in place of the standard Form 100.

Foreign Income Treatment

Foreign-sourced income not derived from work performed in Spain (e.g. dividends, interest, capital gains from abroad) is generally taxed separately at Non-Resident Income Tax rates (roughly 19–25%) rather than the 24% Beckham rate — treatment can vary by individual circumstance.

Eligibility For DNV Holders

Digital Nomad Visa holders who are employees of a non-Spanish company can access the Beckham Law — this was reinforced by court rulings/jurisprudence in 2025. Purely self-employed freelancers/autónomos generally do NOT qualify for the Beckham Law (it is primarily an employee regime), though some sources note narrow exceptions for entrepreneurs or highly qualified professionals tied to Spanish 'innovative' startups.

Standard Rates If Not On Beckham

Standard progressive income tax (IRPF) rates in Spain scale up to 47% for high earners.

Trigger

You become a Spanish tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain within a calendar year, or if your main economic/professional center of interests is in Spain even with fewer days present.

Double Taxation

Spain has double taxation treaties with more than 90 countries, which determine tax residency tie-breaker rules and provide relief (via exemption or tax-credit methods) against being taxed twice on the same income.