Spanish digital nomad permit instead of a Schengen visa: travel and obligations

A Spanish digital nomad residence permit replaces a Schengen visa: while your visa and residence card are valid, you can travel across the 29 Schengen countries without visas for up to 90 days in any 180. For Russian citizens this matters more than ever since November 2025, when consulates in Russia began issuing mostly single-entry visas. But the digital nomad permit is granted so that you live in Spain and work remotely from here, not so that you tour Europe. It comes with obligations: the card, municipal registration, rules on work, Spanish taxes and renewing on time. Here is what the permit gives you for travel and what you must do to have it renewed.

Why Schengen visas have become harder to get

On 6 November 2025 the European Commission adopted decision C(2025) 7552. Russian citizens who live in Russia and apply at consulates in Russia now mostly receive single-entry visas for a specific trip. A one-year multiple-entry visa is available to spouses, children and parents of Russian citizens legally residing in the EU and of EU citizens, provided they obtained and lawfully used three visas in the previous two years. Seafarers, drivers and train crews can get a multiple-entry visa for 9 months. The fee for each visa is €90.

Every trip means a new application, a visa centre appointment and a fee. How to apply is covered in our guide to the Schengen visa.

How the digital nomad permit replaces a Schengen visa

There are two routes to the digital nomad permit. Through a consulate, you get a remote work visa for up to one year and apply for a residence permit before it expires. If you are already legally in Spain, you apply for the residence permit directly. The permit is granted for up to three years and renewed for two years at a time while the conditions are met. Throughout this time Article 21 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement applies: with a residence permit and passport you may travel to other Schengen countries. The Schengen Borders Code sets the limit at 90 days in any 180, with no visa. The national D visa you enter Spain with gives the same right.

• Travel to all Schengen countries, including Bulgaria and Romania, which joined on 1 January 2025.
• No visa fees, consulate appointments or waiting for a decision.
• At the border you show your passport and your visa or residence card. Holders of Schengen residence permits and D visas are not registered in the Entry/Exit System (EES), which since 10 April 2026 takes fingerprints and photos of short-stay travellers.
• Residence permit holders do not need an ETIAS travel authorisation.

Cyprus and Ireland are not part of Schengen and apply their own entry rules. The 90 days in any 180 are one shared limit across the whole area: two weeks in Italy and a month in France add up to 45 days. The requirements for the permit are covered in our guide to the digital nomad visa in Spain.

What the digital nomad permit does not give

• The right to live in another Schengen country. Beyond 90 days in any 180 you need that country’s permit.
• The right to work from another country as your home base. The permit is for remote work from Spain, and Article 21 of the Convention allows only trips to other countries.
• Entry without checks. A border guard may ask about the purpose of your trip and your funds.
• The right to stay after a breach. If the conditions of a short stay are breached, you must return to Spain immediately.

Obligations of a digital nomad permit holder

The digital nomad permit is governed by Law 14/2013. Anything that law does not cover falls under Organic Law 4/2000 on foreign nationals. The general duties of residents therefore apply to digital nomads too, and the immigration law fines late reporting of changes or late renewal up to €500.

More on the card in our guide to the TIE in Spain, on registration in empadronamiento and on insurance in health insurance for a residence permit.

Live and work from Spain

Law 14/2013 sets no minimum number of days in Spain for digital nomads. But the visa is issued to people who intend to live in Spain and work remotely from here for a foreign company. The permit is renewed only if the conditions it was granted on still apply, and the Directorate General for Migration may request information to check this. Someone who actually lives and works in another country and only occasionally comes to Spain risks a refused renewal.

Pay taxes in Spain

Anyone who spends more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year becomes a tax resident and pays income tax on worldwide income. Employees holding the remote work visa may opt for the special tax regime for workers who move to Spain. See our guide to digital nomad taxes in Spain.

Tax residents report foreign bank accounts, securities and real estate every year between 1 January and 31 March on Modelo 720 if any of these groups exceeds €50,000. A new return is due when a group has grown by more than €20,000. See our guide to Modelo 720.

Follow the travel rules

• No more than 90 days in any 180 in other Schengen countries.
• If your card has expired while renewal is pending, you need a return authorisation to travel.
• When entering Spain from another Schengen country, a declaration of entry is required in some cases.

Notify the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs

Russian citizens must notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs about a foreign residence permit. Deadlines and fines are covered in our guide to notification of second citizenship and residence permits.

How long you can be away without losing the path to long-term residence

Frequent trips also affect your residence record. Long-term residence is granted after five years of legal and continuous residence in Spain. Continuity is kept if each absence lasts no more than six consecutive months and all absences together do not exceed ten months over five years.

• Long-term residence ends if you spend 12 consecutive months outside the EU.
• Spanish citizenship is generally granted after ten years of legal, continuous residence immediately before the application.

See our guides to long-term residence in Spain and Spanish citizenship.

Who the digital nomad permit suits as a Schengen alternative

The digital nomad permit works as a Schengen alternative for remote employees and freelancers who move to Spain and work from here. It gives them both legal residence in Spain and visa-free travel across Europe. If you want to keep living in Russia and only occasionally travel to Europe, the permit will not solve that: at renewal the authorities check whether the conditions still apply, and the tax agency will ask where your income is. In that case the realistic option is a visa for each trip.

If you have decided to move and work remotely, we help you get the digital nomad permit: we check whether your income, contracts and insurance qualify, prepare and file the documents and support you until you receive your residence card. See how it works on the digital nomad visa to Spain page.

Frequently asked questions

Can I travel around Europe without a visa with a Spanish digital nomad permit?

Yes. With the remote work visa or residence card and your passport you can travel to all 29 Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180. Cyprus and Ireland are not in Schengen and apply their own entry rules.

Can I get a digital nomad permit and keep living in Russia?

The law sets no number of days, but the permit is granted to live in Spain and work from here. At renewal the conditions are checked, and someone who actually lives in another country risks a refusal.

Can a digital nomad work for Spanish companies?

An employee cannot: only companies outside Spain. A freelancer may take Spanish clients, but for no more than 20% of their total work.

When do I need to get the TIE card?

Within a month of entering Spain on the visa or of the permit being granted, in person at the police. The card is required if the authorisation is for more than six months.

When should I apply to renew the digital nomad permit?

Before the permit expires. If you apply within 90 days after expiry, the permit stays valid until the decision, but fine proceedings may be opened. Renewal is for two years if the conditions are still met.

How long can I be outside Spain and still get long-term residence?

No more than six consecutive months per absence and no more than ten months in total over five years. Otherwise residence is not considered continuous.

Does a digital nomad pay taxes in Spain?

If you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, you are a tax resident and pay tax on worldwide income. Employees may opt for the special regime for workers who move to Spain.

Does a digital nomad permit holder give fingerprints to the EES?

No. Holders of Schengen residence permits and national D visas are not registered in the EES. At the border you show your passport and your visa or residence card.

Sources

• Commission decision C(2025) 7552 on multiple-entry visas for Russian nationals
• Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement, Article 21
• Schengen Borders Code, Regulation 2016/399
• Schengen area: member countries, European Commission
• EES: who is exempt from registration
• Law 14/2013, Articles 62, 74 bis to 74 quinquies and 76: digital nomad permit
• Organic Law 4/2000 on foreign nationals, Articles 4, 32, 52 and 55
• Royal Decree 1155/2024, Immigration Regulation
• Law 7/1985, Article 15: municipal register
• Law 35/2006 on personal income tax, Articles 9 and 93
• Royal Decree 1065/2007, Articles 42 bis, 42 ter and 54 bis: Modelo 720
• Spanish Civil Code, Article 22