Spain · Business / Startup
Spain Self-employed permit
First stay: 1 yr
Initial residence and self-employment authorization (Arts. 82-85 RD 1155/2024)
First checked against official sources on Change log
Key facts
Self-employed permit is a business / startup route for Spain. Checked 2026-10-11 against the official source.
- Government fees
- €90 ≈ $100
- First stay
- 1 yr
Cost, time and long term
Government fees€90 ≈ $100
- EUR 90 (≈ $100)National long-stay visa (type D) processing fee, collected in euros or local currency; some nationalities pay a different amount under reciprocity.
RenewalRenewable
The initial authorization lasts one year; renewal is requested in the two months before expiry.
Boletín Oficial del EstadoMinistry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration
Permanent residenceAfter 5 years of residence
Long-term residence needs five years of continuous legal residence; absences of up to 6 consecutive months (10 in total, or 18 for work) do not break continuity.
CitizenshipAfter 10 years of residence
Nationality needs 10 years of legal, continuous residence immediately before applying (2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal), plus good conduct and integration.
ProcessingOfficial timeline
The decision is due within three months (silence means refusal); the consulate then decides the visa within one month.
Boletín Oficial del EstadoMinistry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration
Where to applyFrom abroad
File in person at the Spanish consulate abroad; the visa follows approval.
Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and MigrationBoletín Oficial del Estado
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Applications are made from outside Spain, not after arriving
- Not open to EU, EEA or Swiss passports
What you'll need
Who can apply3
- The applicant is an adult non-EU national who will carry out a lucrative activity on their own account.
- The applicant meets the legal requirements to open and run the planned activity.
- The applicant holds the required professional qualification or sufficient proven experience.
What you must show1
- The planned investment is sufficient, and any effect on job creation, including self-employment, is shown.
Documents3
- Form EX-07, full passport and criminal record certificates for the last five years.
- Licences or declarations needed to open the activity, and qualification or registration documents.
- Documentation of the investment and job impact, for example an assessment from a self-employed association.
Steps2
- The applicant files in person at the Spanish consulate; the decision takes up to three months.
- After approval, request the visa within one month and enter Spain within its three-month validity.
After you arrive1
- Register with Social Security within three months of entry, then request the identity card within one month.
What happens at day 183
How Spain decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Stay on this route
1 year at first, renewable
- Tax residence
- More than 183 days in a calendar yearPresence in Spanish territory; sporadic absences count unless tax residence in another country is proven.
- Foreign-source income
Residents are taxed on worldwide income, including foreign-source income.
All tax rules for Spain Tax records checked
Full official text
Residence and work authorization for non-residents to carry out a business or professional activity on their own account in Spain, limited to one region and sector in the first year. 1 2 3 4
What you must show and pay
- A fee of EUR 90 (≈ $100) · National long-stay visa (type D) processing fee, collected in euros or local currency; some nationalities pay a different amount under reciprocity. 3
Requirements
- The applicant is an adult non-EU national who will carry out a lucrative activity on their own account. 1 2
- The applicant meets the legal requirements to open and run the planned activity. 1
- The applicant holds the required professional qualification or sufficient proven experience. 1
- The planned investment is sufficient, and any effect on job creation, including self-employment, is shown. 1
- Form EX-07, full passport and criminal record certificates for the last five years. 1
- Licences or declarations needed to open the activity, and qualification or registration documents. 1
- Documentation of the investment and job impact, for example an assessment from a self-employed association. 1
- The applicant files in person at the Spanish consulate; the decision takes up to three months. 1
- After approval, request the visa within one month and enter Spain within its three-month validity. 1
- Register with Social Security within three months of entry, then request the identity card within one month. 1
Stay
- The initial authorization lasts one year and is limited to one region and sector. The entry visa is valid three months.
- Initial permitted stay: 12 months.
- Visa validity: 3 months. Validity is the window to use the visa, not the length you may stay.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Nationality
Non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.
Work
Self-employment in the authorised region and sector.
Family
Spouse or partner, children under 18, dependent adult children and dependent parents over 65 can be reunited once the holder has lived in Spain one year and holds a permit for at least one more year. Your spouse or partner may work in Spain without a separate permit.
Official sources
- Sheet 14 - Initial authorization of temporary residence and self-employment · Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration · checked 2026-10-10
- Real Decreto 1155/2024, Regulation of Ley Orgánica 4/2000: consolidated text (in force 20 May 2025) · Boletín Oficial del Estado · checked 2026-10-10 · published 2024-11-20
- Orden AUC/891/2024 setting the fees for processing visas · Official State Gazette (BOE) · checked 2026-10-11
- Sheet 8 - Temporary residence authorization by family reunification · Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration (Spain) · checked 2026-10-10
- Código Civil, Art. 22 (Spanish nationality by residence) · Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado · checked 2026-10-11
Self-employed permit and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed permit | – | 1 yr, renewable | – |
| Entrepreneur visa | – | 3 yr, renewable | – |
| Startup Visa Portugal | Needs savings of €6,446+ ≈ $7,200 | 2 yr, renewable | – |
| Startup Visa Italy | Needs savings of €50k+ ≈ $56k | 1 yr, renewable | – |
| Business investor permit Greece | Needs an investment of €500k+ ≈ $559k | 5 yr, renewable | – |
Questions people ask
How much money do I need for the Self-employed permit?
A fee of EUR 90 (≈ $100). National long-stay visa (type D) processing fee, collected in euros or local currency; some nationalities pay a different amount under reciprocity.
How long can I stay on the Self-employed permit?
The initial authorization lasts one year and is limited to one region and sector.
How long does the Self-employed permit take to process?
The decision is due within three months (silence means refusal); the consulate then decides the visa within one month.
Can I work on the Self-employed permit?
Self-employment in the authorised region and sector.
Can I bring my family on the Self-employed permit?
Spouse or partner, children under 18, dependent adult children and dependent parents over 65 can be reunited once the holder has lived in Spain one year and holds a permit for at least one more year.
Who can apply for the Self-employed permit?
Non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.
Does the Self-employed permit lead to permanent residence in Spain?
Time on the Self-employed permit counts toward permanent residence in Spain, which the rules allow after 5 years of residence. Time on the Self-employed permit counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 10 years of residence.
How are Self-employed permit holders taxed in Spain?
No special regime in our records is tied to the Self-employed permit. The standard rules apply: Residents are taxed on worldwide income, including foreign-source income. Savings income (interest, dividends, gains) is taxed at 19% to 30% combining the state and regional portions; the general scale has a state portion of 9.5% to 24.5% plus a regional portion.
More in Spain
Business / startup visas elsewhere
Head to head
≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-11 against 5 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Sheet 14 - Initial authorization of temporary residence and self-employment · Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration · checked 2026-10-10
- Real Decreto 1155/2024, Regulation of Ley Orgánica 4/2000: consolidated text (in force 20 May 2025) · Boletín Oficial del Estado · checked 2026-10-10
- Orden AUC/891/2024 setting the fees for processing visas · Official State Gazette (BOE) · checked 2026-10-11
- Sheet 8 - Temporary residence authorization by family reunification · Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration (Spain) · checked 2026-10-10
- Código Civil, Art. 22 (Spanish nationality by residence) · Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado · checked 2026-10-11
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.