Golden Visa

The Spanish Golden Visa is a programme that grants residency to foreign non-EU citizens who purchase real estate in Spain at a minimum of €500,000 in cash.

This residence permit is granted by the Spanish government through the ‘Law of Entrepreneurs’ to promote national investments and provides an interesting solution for investors from non-EU countries who buy properties in Spain.

Benefits of the Golden Visa

A key benefit of the Golden Visa is the possibility of obtaining legal residence and work permit in the Spanish territory, extending that right to the immediate family members:

• The Law allows for the reunification of the family.
• For children over 18 years of age, who are of legal age in Spain, for this we would have to prove that they are still economically dependent on the applicant, for example with a current account where pay them money, that he has no income of his own and that he lives in the parents’ House, pays for studies, University, etc.

The Golden Visa also offers the opportunity to travel and move freely around Spain and other countries of the European Union without a visa (free movement in the area called “Schengen”) and the option for the holder to maintain their legal tax regime outside of Spain.

The applicant and their family are not obligated to prove that they have been in Spain for at least six months, even in the case of renewals.

Requirements to obtain a Golden Visa in Spain

You can request authorisation for a Spanish Golden Visa if you meet the following requirements:

• You are age 18 or over
• You are not in an irregular situation within the Spanish territory
• You do not have a criminal record under Spanish law
• You have the respective certificate of ownership of the acquired property
• You can make payment of the corresponding fees for processing the visa
• You possess public insurance or private health insurance arranged with an entity authorized to operate in Spain
• You possess sufficient financial resources to cover personal and family expenses during the period of residence in Spain

Procedure and deadlines to obtain the Golden Visa in Spain

The process to obtain a Spanish Golden Visa is quite straightforward, due to there being a Public Body exclusively dedicated to the procedure. This means that the process tends to be resolved in a short period of time (usually around one month).
According to article 67 of Law 14/2013 regulating the Golden Visa, if the purchase of a Spanish property has been proved, the initial authorisation for the residence will last for two years.

Once this has expired, those who would like to continue to reside in Spain can apply for a renewal of their residence permit every five years, provided that the requirements of the Spanish Golden Visa are upheld, i.e. the initial investment has been maintained by the visa holder.