Bank statement for a Spanish digital nomad permit: how to prepare it for the UGE
A certificado bancario (bank certificate) in your name, stamped or signed by the bank, covering the 3 months before you apply, with the contract payments marked and matching your invoices or payslips; if your income falls short, a savings certificate for the full permit period
- TimeStatement: the 3 months before the application date. Savings: the full permit period — 12 months for a visa; for a residence permit applied for in Spain, the period you request, up to 36 months
- Checked26 Oct 2026
For the digital nomad residence permit, the UGE asks for a bank certificate in your name, stamped or signed by the bank, covering the 3 months before you apply. Mark the contract payments; they must match your invoices or payslips. The threshold is €2,849 a month gross plus family add-ons; savings for the full permit period cover any shortfall.
This is for you if you apply to the UGE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas, the unit that handles Law 14/2013 permits) from Spain for the autorización de residencia para teletrabajo de carácter internacional (digital nomad residence permit), or for a digital nomad visa at a consulate, including when your family applies after you. It is not for non-lucrative residence, study or general-regime family reunification: those routes use different amounts and periods.
Prepare in advance
- Work out the threshold for everyone moving: for you and for each family member — the add-ons differ
- Find the account where your employer or client pays you under the contract: the statement must be for that account
- Check that the payments for the 3 months before your application date have already arrived, and prepare the matching invoices or payslips
Documents tick what you already have
Steps
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1
Work out the gross threshold for your family #
As a digital nomad you need €2,849 a month; with one family member, €3,918; for each additional member, a further €357. These are gross amounts, before tax and social security: if your salary arrives net, your payslips show the gross figure. Convert income in dollars or any other currency into euros and state the exchange rate and date in your cover letter. The UGE guidance does not name a rate, so keep a margin above the threshold.
UGE guidance for digital nomad applicants (PDF) ↗ -
2
Order a bank certificate for the 3 months before you apply #
You need a document in your name, stamped or signed by the bank (sellado/firmado), showing the contract payments for the 3 months before your application date. Use the account your contract payments go into; if you work as a sole trader, your business account. A paper statement from a branch or a PDF with the bank's electronic signature or seal will do; an app export without them will not. A certificate showing only the balance and the total incoming payments for the period is not enough either: each payment must appear on its own line. If your bank does not issue a signed statement online, print the account history at a branch and ask a member of staff to stamp and sign it. The bank can be Spanish or foreign.
UGE guidance: what the bank certificate must contain (PDF) ↗ -
3
Mark the payments and match them to your invoices #
The UGE requires you to mark the contract payments in the statement and checks them against your invoices or payslips for the same 3 months. In a requerimiento we received in October 2026, the UGE wrote it in capitals — “se deberán MARCAR expresamente” — so a statement without markings may come back with a request for documents. Highlight each payment on the paper statement before scanning, or in the PDF, and in your cover letter give the page, date, amount and number of the invoice it settles. If payments arrived unevenly or from a different payer, explain this in the letter: the guidance expressly advises explaining anything that does not match the requirements to the letter.
UGE guidance: marking payments and the cover letter (PDF) ↗ -
4
Income short? Add a savings certificate #
The gap between your income and the threshold is covered by savings for the full permit period: the monthly shortfall × 12 for a consular visa, or × the number of months of the residence permit you request from the UGE (no more than 36). You need a recent certificate from a Spanish or foreign bank, in your name, stamped or signed. Contract income is the basis; savings only cover the shortfall. In practice, the UGE has asked applicants to move money from brokerage and payment accounts into a bank account and provide a bank certificate.
UGE: the digital nomad permit lasts up to 3 years (PDF) ↗ -
5
Show that the money is yours and lawful #
The UGE checks three things about the funds: ownership, lawful origin and availability (titularidad, licitud y disponibilidad). Certificates must be in the digital nomad's name only: if the money is in your spouse's account, transfer it to your own account in advance and keep proof of the transfer. For a large incoming payment, attach a document showing its source. If you own your company and lack other documents, attach your personal tax return for the previous year.
Joint instruction on international teleworkers, 2023 (PDF) ↗ -
6
Translate the statement into Spanish #
Under the UGE guidance, documents in another language, except the CV, are translated by a sworn translator (traductor jurado). In practice, the UGE has repeatedly accepted bank statements with a plain translation — translation and original in one PDF — but it may ask for a sworn one, and you will have 10 working days to reply. The guidance requires an apostille for documents issued by public authorities; a statement is issued by a bank, so on the guidance's wording it does not need one.
Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs: register of sworn translators ↗ -
7
Be ready to have the statement notarised #
Since spring 2026, the UGE has sent some digital nomads a requerimiento for a notarised (notarizado) bank certificate. Most often this concerns statements from online banks such as Revolut and Wise; it has also happened with BBVA and with Georgian and US banks. In practice, a Spanish notary draws up a deed confirming that the printout matches what they see in your online banking. Not every notary accepts documents in English or without a stamp, so find one in advance. If your bank issues a stamped paper statement, use that.
Spanish notaries: find a notary ↗ -
8
Parents moving too? Show a year of transfers to them #
For dependent parents, the UGE asks you to prove that you have supported them financially for at least a year before the application: bank certificates of transfers or equivalent documents. You also need a document showing that the parent receives no income from work and no state benefits. Parents over 80 are presumed to be dependent.
UGE guidance for a digital nomad's family (PDF) ↗
Depends on the province
There is one UGE for the whole of Spain, and the statement requirements do not depend on the province. For a digital nomad visa at a consulate, funds can be proved by any means, as long as ownership, lawful origin and availability are shown. Each consulate publishes its own document list on exteriores.gob.es; if it does not state a statement period, follow the UGE rule of 3 months.
Common mistakes
- Submitting an app export without the bank's stamp or signature. The guidance requires a document “sellado/firmado” by the bank; such an export triggers a requerimiento, and in 2026 also a request for notarisation.
- Not marking the payments, or payments that do not match the invoices: a different amount, date or payer. The UGE checks each incoming payment against an invoice or payslip.
- Attaching a bank certificate showing only the balance and the total incoming payments. It does not allow the payments to be matched to invoices, and the UGE asks for a statement showing each payment on its own line.
- Showing 12 months of savings when applying for a residence permit from Spain, or keeping the savings in a spouse's account. You need the shortfall for the full period requested, and only in the digital nomad's name.
When not to do it yourself
Your income arrives in cryptocurrency, through payment platforms or from a third party rather than from the client under the contract; the money sits in a company or brokerage account; or you have received a requerimiento to notarise a statement from a bank that issues no paper documents. Such cases are best handled with a lawyer.
Frequently asked questions
Will a bank app export do, or do I need a stamped statement?
An app export without the bank's signature does not meet the requirement: the UGE guidance asks for a certificate “sellado/firmado por la entidad bancaria”. A stamped paper statement from a branch or a PDF with the bank's electronic signature or seal will do. Unsigned exports trigger requerimientos, and since 2026 also requests for notarisation.
Do I need to notarise my bank statement for the UGE?
The UGE guidance does not require it: the bank's stamp or signature is enough. In practice, since spring 2026 the UGE has sent some digital nomads a requerimiento for a notarised bank certificate, mostly for online banks. A Spanish notary then draws up a deed confirming that the printout matches the online banking data. You have 10 working days to reply, so find a notary in advance.
Does the statement need a sworn translation, or can I translate it myself?
Under the UGE guidance, everything except the CV is translated by a sworn translator. In practice, the UGE has repeatedly accepted bank statements with a plain Spanish translation — translation and original in one PDF — but it may ask for a sworn one. A sworn translation is the safe option; a plain one saves money but risks a requerimiento.
Does a bank statement for the digital nomad visa need an apostille?
On the wording of the UGE guidance, no: an apostille or legalisation is required for public documents issued by authorities, and a statement is issued by a bank. If you apply for a visa at a consulate, check its page: it sets its own legalisation rules, and if in doubt, ask the consulate before booking an appointment.
What period should the statement cover for the digital nomad visa?
The 3 months before the application date: the UGE guidance says “de los tres meses anteriores a la fecha de solicitud”. Use an account history that ends close to your application day and shows the contract payments for those months. If your application date moves, update the statement so that it includes the latest payment.
How much in savings must I show if my income is below the threshold?
The monthly shortfall × the number of months of the permit: 12 for a visa; for a residence permit from Spain, the period you request, up to 36 months. The money must be in your name, in a Spanish or foreign bank, with a recent bank certificate that is stamped or signed. The UGE looks first at contract income, so savings cover a shortfall rather than replace work.
Will a Revolut or other foreign bank statement do — do I need a Spanish account?
You do not need a Spanish account: the UGE guidance accepts certificates from Spanish and foreign banks. In practice, statements from Revolut, Wise and other online banks without a stamp more often trigger requests for notarisation. Convert amounts in dollars or other currencies into euros and state the rate in your cover letter.
Can I show my spouse's money or a joint account?
Certificates must be in the digital nomad's name (“a nombre del titular”): only your income and savings count, and money in your spouse's account is not counted. Transfer it to your own account in advance and keep proof of the transfer. The guidance says nothing directly about joint accounts, so discuss that case with a lawyer before applying.
More in the journal
Checked 26 Oct 2026 against official sources — links next to every step. Rules in Spain change; if something does not match, let us know. All guides are on the Guides page.
Relotus · https://relotus-relocation.com/en/guides/bank-statement-digital-nomad/