Moving to Spain from the UK after Brexit: visas 2026

01Can I still move to Spain from the UK after Brexit?

Yes. What changed on 1 January 2021 is the legal basis. Until then a British citizen could settle in Spain under EU free movement, simply by registering. Today a British passport holder is a third-country national (a non-EU citizen) under Spanish immigration law, so living in Spain requires a visa and a residence permit, exactly like an American or an Australian.

Without a visa you can visit Spain and the rest of the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. That allowance is for tourism, family visits and short business trips. It is not a way to live here, and time spent in France, Portugal or Italy counts towards the same 90 days.

If you were already living in Spain before 1 January 2021, none of this applies to you: your rights are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement and what you need is the TIE card for UK nationals. See the last section of this guide.

02Which visa do I need? The options compared

There is no single post-Brexit visa for Britons. The right route depends on one question: how will you support yourself in Spain? The table below covers the routes British clients ask us about most often. Amounts are the 2026 figures.

Your situation	Usual route	Key requirement in 2026	Where you apply
Retiring on a UK pension, savings or rental income	Non-lucrative visa (residencia no lucrativa)	€2,400 a month (400% of IPREM) plus €600 a month per dependant; no work in Spain	Spanish consulate in London or Edinburgh
Keeping your UK job or UK clients and working remotely	Digital nomad visa (teletrabajo de carácter internacional)	About €2,849 gross a month (200% of the minimum wage); employer or clients outside Spain	Consulate in the UK, or from Spain if you are here legally
Job offer from a company in Spain for a qualified role	Highly qualified professional permit	Salary of at least €41,356.36 a year; degree or equivalent experience	Online with the UGE-CE, by you or the employer
Studying in Spain	Student visa	€600 a month (100% of IPREM); work allowed up to 30 hours a week	Consulate, or from Spain in some cases
Married to or partner of an EU citizen, including an Irish citizen	EU family member residence card	Based on the EU citizen's own right to live in Spain	In Spain, at the immigration office

IPREM (Indicador Público de Renta de Efectos Múltiples) is the public benchmark Spain uses for income thresholds; it is €600 a month in 2026. The minimum wage (salario mínimo interprofesional, SMI) is €1,221 a month in 14 payments for 2026, set by Royal Decree 126/2026, which is €17,094 a year.

03Which visa do I need to retire to Spain on a UK pension?

The non-lucrative visa. It is designed for people who will live in Spain without working: retirees, people living on investments or rental income, and early retirees with enough savings. You must show 400% of IPREM per month for yourself, which is €2,400 a month or €28,800 for the first year, plus €600 a month for each dependant. A couple therefore needs €3,000 a month, or €36,000 for the year.

You can prove this with regular income (state and private pensions, rent, dividends) or with savings that cover the full amount for the year. The Consulate General in Edinburgh asks for 12 months of bank statements and an explanation of any large deposits in the last year, such as a property sale or a pension lump sum. Every application also needs a written explanation of where the money comes from.

Health insurance is the second big requirement. It must be issued by an insurer authorised to operate in Spain and cover everything the Spanish public system covers, with no co-payments or excess. Travel insurance is never accepted. If you receive a UK state pension, you may be entitled to an S1 form. Both UK consulates accept a registered S1 instead of private insurance, provided you register it with the Spanish Social Security and bring the registration receipt.

Two points catch retirees out later. First, you cannot work in Spain on this visa, not even part-time. Second, to renew after the first year you must have lived in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year, which in most cases also makes you a Spanish tax resident. Take advice from a tax adviser before you move; we do not give tax advice.

04Can I keep working for my UK employer from Spain?

Not on the non-lucrative visa. The Edinburgh consulate states it plainly: working remotely for a company outside Spain is not permitted on that visa, and it asks recent workers for an HMRC P45 or proof that a business has ceased trading. Applying for the non-lucrative visa while quietly keeping your job is one of the most common reasons we see for refusals and non-renewals.

If you want to keep your UK job or your UK clients, the route is the digital nomad visa. You need a working relationship of at least three months with a company that has been trading for at least a year, written permission from your employer to work from Spain (or contracts with your clients if you are self-employed), a degree or three years of relevant experience, and income of about €2,849 gross a month. Freelancers may take Spanish clients for up to 20% of their work; employees may only work for companies based outside Spain.

Social security is the detail most UK employers miss. You will need either registration with the Spanish Social Security or a certificate showing you remain covered by the UK system where the UK and Spain have an arrangement for it. Raise this with your employer's payroll team early.

05Do I apply in London or Edinburgh, or can I apply from Spain?

Residence visas are applied for at the Spanish consulate covering the place where you live. The Consulate General in Edinburgh covers Scotland, Northern Ireland and the English counties of Cleveland, Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and the Tees Valley. The Consulate General in London covers the rest of England and Wales. Both use BLS International to book appointments and receive applications, and you must bring proof that you live in that consular district.

You apply in person and the consulate keeps your passport while the application is processed. The non-lucrative visa cannot be applied for from inside Spain: you must apply from the UK. The digital nomad route is more flexible. If you are in Spain legally, for example within your 90 visa-free days, you can apply for the residence permit online to the UGE-CE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos), which must decide within 20 days. If it does not answer in time, the permit is treated as granted.

If you live in the UK but are not British, for example an Australian or South African resident in London, you also need your UK residence permit. Holders of a UK visitor visa cannot apply through the UK consulates.

06Which UK documents cause the most problems?

Most delays come from documents that are valid in the UK but do not meet Spanish requirements. These are the ones to watch:

Police certificate: only the ACRO police certificate is accepted. A Basic Disclosure from Disclosure Scotland or a DBS check is not. It must be less than six months old when you apply.
Apostille first, translation second: UK public documents need the Hague apostille from the FCDO (£45 per document on the standard paper service, or £35 for an e-apostille) and then a sworn translation into Spanish. The apostille stamp itself does not need translating.
Medical certificate: signed by a registered doctor, issued no more than three months before you apply, with wording that you do not suffer from any disease with serious public health implications under the International Health Regulations 2005.
Passport: valid for at least one more year, with two blank pages. The UK consulates do not accept passports issued more than ten years ago.
Marriage and birth certificates for family members: apostilled and translated, just like the police certificate.

Order the ACRO certificate and the medical certificate last, once your appointment date is fixed, so that neither has expired on the day.

07How long does it take, from first document to TIE card?

The legal clock starts when the consulate accepts a complete application. Edinburgh states a decision period of 90 days, which can be extended if it asks for more documents or an interview. Inside that period the immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) in the province where you will live has one month to decide on the residence permit, and the consulate then issues the visa.

Before that, allow time to gather and legalise documents and to get an appointment, which depends on BLS availability. After the visa is issued you enter Spain within its validity and, within one month of arriving, apply in person for your TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero), the residence card, with fingerprints at a police station. The first permit lasts one year; renewals under the non-lucrative route are for two years, and after five years of legal residence you can apply for long-term residence.

08I moved to Spain before 2021. Am I covered by the Withdrawal Agreement instead?

If you were lawfully living in Spain before 1 January 2021 and have kept living here, you do not need any of the visas above. The Withdrawal Agreement protects your right to live and work in Spain. What you need is the TIE marked Artículo 50 TUE, which is now the document that proves your status at the border.

The difficult cases are people who were living here but never registered, people with long absences, and family members who joined later. Those need a careful look at the evidence before anything is filed. We can review your situation online, whichever route you are on, and prepare the application in English and Spanish.

09Frequently asked questions

Can I move to Spain with an Irish passport?

Yes, and it changes everything. An Irish citizen is an EU citizen and can live in Spain under free movement, registering with form EX-18 within three months of arrival. A British spouse or partner of an Irish citizen can apply for an EU family member residence card instead of a visa, which is usually simpler than any of the routes above.

Can I move to Spain with a criminal record?

Not automatically ruled out. The consulate looks at convictions in the last five years for offences that also exist under Spanish law, and the regulations say a police record is not by itself an automatic reason for refusal: the authorities weigh the circumstances. Spent minor convictions are treated very differently from recent serious offences. Have the ACRO certificate reviewed before you apply.

Can I bring my non-British spouse and children?

Yes. Under the non-lucrative and digital nomad routes, your spouse or registered partner and dependent children can apply with you, each with their own application, and you add the extra income for each one. If your spouse lives in the UK on a UK visa, they also need their UK residence permit.

Do I have to sell my UK home?

No. There is no requirement to give up property in the UK, and rental income from it can count towards your financial means. What matters for renewal is that you actually live in Spain for more than 183 days a year, and that has tax consequences in both countries that you should check with a tax adviser.

Can I switch from the non-lucrative visa to working later?

It is possible, but it is a new application with its own requirements, not a box you tick. Depending on the job, that may be the digital nomad permit, a highly qualified permit or a work permit.

What if my visa is refused?

The refusal letter must give the reasons and state which appeal is available and the deadline. Many refusals come from fixable problems such as a document that expired or insurance with co-payments, and in those cases a fresh, corrected application is often faster than an appeal. Get the refusal reviewed promptly because appeal deadlines are short.

··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.

Moving to Spain from the UK after Brexit: which visa is right for you in 2026

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