Moving to Spain from the US: visa options for 2026

01Do US citizens need a visa to live in Spain?

Yes. A US passport lets you visit Spain and the rest of the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. That covers tourism, family visits and short business trips. It does not let you live, work or study long term, and days spent in France, Italy or Portugal count towards the same 90.

To stay longer you need a residence visa issued by a Spanish consulate in the US, followed by a residence card once you arrive. There is no special treaty route for Americans and no residence by simply buying a home. You choose the category that matches how you will support yourself in Spain.

ETIAS, the EU's new travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors, is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026. It affects short visits only. If you hold a Spanish residence visa or card, ETIAS is not what you need.

02Which visa fits you? The main options for Americans

These are the routes most Americans actually use. Figures are for 2026.

Route	Best for	Money to show in 2026	Work in Spain
Non-lucrative visa (residencia no lucrativa)	Retirees and people living on savings, pensions, Social Security or investments	€2,400 a month (€28,800 a year) plus €600 a month per dependant	Not allowed
Digital nomad visa (teletrabajo de carácter internacional)	Employees of US companies and freelancers with clients outside Spain	About €2,849 gross a month, plus more per family member	Remote work for foreign companies; up to 20% Spanish clients if freelance
Student visa	Degree, master's, language or study abroad programmes	€600 a month (100% of IPREM)	Up to 30 hours a week
Entrepreneur residence	People starting an innovative business in Spain	Enough for you and your family; favourable report from ENISA required	Your own business

IPREM (Indicador Público de Renta de Efectos Múltiples) is the benchmark Spain uses for income tests: €600 a month in 2026. The digital nomad figure is 200% of Spain's minimum wage, which Royal Decree 126/2026 sets at €1,221 a month in 14 payments, or €17,094 a year. Some people also qualify for a highly qualified professional or EU Blue Card permit through a Spanish employer; that route depends on the job, not on you alone.

03Which Spanish consulate do I apply to, and how do appointments work?

You apply to the consulate whose district covers the state where you live, not the one nearest to your flight. Spain has consulates general in several US cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Houston, Boston, San Francisco and Washington. Los Angeles, for example, covers Southern California, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. If you apply to the wrong one, the application is not accepted.

Many US consulates now take residence visa applications by appointment through BLS International, the external service provider. You attend in person, hand over original documents with copies, and leave your passport while the case is decided. Plan your travel around this: you will not have your passport for part of the process.

The Los Angeles consulate states a legal decision period of three months from the day after you apply. Inside that period the immigration office in the Spanish province where you plan to live decides on the residence permit, and the consulate then issues the visa. Fees are paid when you apply and are not refunded if you are refused. At the time of writing, Los Angeles and New York both charge US citizens $140 for the non-lucrative visa plus $13 for the residence permit.

04What is the FBI background check and does it need an apostille?

Spain asks for a criminal record certificate from every country where you have lived in the last five years. For the US, that means the FBI Identity History Summary, not a state or local police check. The Los Angeles consulate states that the certificate must be less than six months old and must carry the federal apostille issued by the US Department of State in Washington. A state apostille is not valid for an FBI record.

After the apostille, the certificate needs a translation into Spanish by a sworn translator (traductor jurado). The order matters: request the FBI check, obtain the federal apostille, then translate the whole thing. Because the federal apostille is processed centrally, it is often the slowest link in the chain, and the six-month clock runs from the date on the FBI certificate.

Other US documents follow similar rules. Marriage and birth certificates for family members need an apostille from the state that issued them, then a sworn translation. The medical certificate must be signed by a doctor, on letterhead or with a stamp, and be no more than 90 days old when you apply.

05Can I keep working for my US company from Spain?

Only on the right visa. The non-lucrative visa does not allow any work, including remote work for a US employer; the Los Angeles consulate states expressly that it does not allow teleworking. If your plan is to keep your job, you need the digital nomad visa.

For the digital nomad route you must have worked for the company (or with your clients, if self-employed) for at least three months, and the company must have been trading for at least a year. You need a letter authorising you to work remotely from Spain, a degree or three years of relevant experience, and income of about €2,849 gross a month. Employees may only work for companies based outside Spain. Freelancers may take Spanish clients, up to 20% of their work.

There is a social security question as well. You either register with the Spanish Social Security or show that you remain covered in the US under the agreement between the two countries. Speak to your employer's payroll or HR team about this before you apply.

06How much money do I need, and in what form?

For the non-lucrative visa you show at least €2,400 a month for yourself and €600 a month for each family member, for the whole year of the first permit. A couple needs €36,000 for the year; a couple with two children €50,400. You can use regular income such as Social Security, pensions, dividends or rent, or savings that cover the full amount. Statements from US banks and brokers are accepted when they show the institution, the account and the balances clearly.

For the digital nomad visa the money must come from the remote work itself: payslips, contracts and invoices. Savings help as a cushion but do not replace the income test. The usual benchmark is about €2,849 a month for you, plus 75% of the minimum wage for the first family member and 25% for each additional one.

Health insurance must be with an insurer authorised in Spain, valid for a year, with full medical and hospital cover and no co-payments. US plans and Medicare do not meet this requirement, and travel insurance with medical cover is refused outright.

07Can I bring my spouse and children?

Yes. On both the non-lucrative and digital nomad routes, your spouse or registered partner and your dependent children can apply with you. Each family member files their own application with their own documents, and you add the extra income for each one. Unmarried partners need to prove a stable relationship; under the non-lucrative rules a year of living together is normally sufficient proof.

Children of school age must be enrolled in school in Spain. On a non-lucrative renewal you have to prove it, and if enrolment is missing the immigration office will warn you and refuse to renew if it is not fixed.

08How long until I can get Spanish citizenship as an American?

Ten years of legal, continuous residence. Spain's Civil Code gives shorter periods to nationals of Latin American countries, Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea, but not to US citizens. Time on a non-lucrative, digital nomad or work permit counts as legal residence, and the residence must be continuous right up to the application.

When you acquire Spanish nationality by residence you must declare that you renounce your previous nationality. Countries on the Civil Code's exempt list are spared this, and the US is not on it. What that declaration means for your US citizenship is a question of US law, so take advice in the US before you apply.

Long before citizenship, after five years of legal residence, you can apply for long-term residence, which removes most of the conditions of the earlier permits and allows you to work.

09Frequently asked questions

Will I pay tax in both the US and Spain?

Possibly. The US taxes its citizens wherever they live, and Spain generally treats you as tax resident if you spend more than 183 days a year here. A tax treaty between the two countries helps to avoid double taxation, but the details depend on your income. Talk to a tax adviser who knows both systems; we do not give tax advice.

Can I apply from Spain while I am visiting as a tourist?

For the digital nomad route, yes: if you are in Spain legally, you can apply for the residence permit online to the UGE-CE, which must answer within 20 days. For the non-lucrative visa, no: it must be applied for at the consulate covering your US home.

Is a state background check enough?

No. The consulates ask for the FBI Identity History Summary with the federal apostille from the Department of State. If you lived in another country in the last five years, you also need that country's certificate.

How long does the whole process take?

The consulate's legal decision period is three months, which can be extended if it asks for more documents. Before that, allow for the FBI check, the federal apostille, translations and the appointment wait. After the visa, you have one month from arrival to apply for your residence card (TIE) in Spain.

Can I study or start a business instead?

Yes. The student visa suits degree and master's programmes and allows part-time work. The entrepreneur route requires a business plan with a favourable report from ENISA, Spain's public body for innovative companies, and has no minimum investment. Both are covered in their own guides.

Do I need a lawyer?

No, the law does not require one. Many Americans use one because the steps happen in two countries and one missing apostille can cost months. We prepare US clients' applications online and review every document before the consulate appointment.

··Official sources

Information reviewed on 03.10.2026 against the law in force. This page is for general information and is not a substitute for advice on your own case.

How to move to Spain from the USA: visa options for Americans in 2026

Short answer