Renewing a digital nomad residence permit in Spain: deadlines and documents in 2026

A digital nomad residence permit is renewed online with the UGE, the unit that handles these permits: 60 calendar days before the permit expires, or within 90 days after. If you miss those 90 days too, both the renewal and a switch to another permit are refused. It is renewed for two years if the conditions on which it was granted still hold: a foreign employer or clients, income at or above the threshold, social security and health insurance.

The legal deadline for a decision is 20 working days, and if the UGE does not reply, the renewal is deemed approved. While the application is pending, your status is kept. A new criminal record certificate is not required.

If you hold a digital nomad D visa rather than a residence permit, this is not a renewal. You file an initial residence application, and only in the last 60 days of the visa: there is no 90-day grace period after it ends.

When to apply: 60 days before and 90 days after

The law allows you to apply within 90 days after the permit expires: such an application extends its validity until the decision (Article 76.3 of Ley 14/2013). The 60-calendar-day window before expiry comes from the ministry’s guidance (UGE renewal guidance); filing earlier is not advisable. The law does allow filing within 90 days after expiry, but it expressly leaves open penalty proceedings for the late filing (same Article 76.3). If you miss the 90 days after expiry as well, both the renewal and a switch to another permit are refused.

• Count from the permit, not the card. The end date is in the UGE decision. It usually matches the TIE, but if it does not, the date in the decision is what counts.
• Calendar days. Both the 60 and the 90 days are calendar days. The general rule of “two months before, up to three months after” in RD 1155/2024 does not apply to the digital nomad permit: permits under Law 14/2013 have their own procedure: the 90 days after expiry come from Article 76.3 of Ley 14/2013, the 60 days before from the UGE guidance. That general-regime rules are not carried over to these permits is confirmed by ministry criterion 2/2025, although the criterion itself deals with permit duration, not the filing window.
• Online filing only, through the ministry’s portal. You need a digital certificate or a representative.
• The decision is due within 20 working days of filing. If there is no reply, the renewal is deemed approved (Article 76.1 of Ley 14/2013). This is evidenced by a certificate of administrative silence — certificado acreditativo del silencio: it is issued automatically within 15 days, and the applicant may request it at any time (Article 24.4 of Ley 39/2015).

If you have a D visa, not a residence permit

A digital nomad visa issued by a consulate is valid for up to a year. It cannot be renewed: in its last 60 days you file an initial residence application with the UGE (Article 74 quater of Ley 14/2013). If you miss the window and the visa expires, you can no longer apply from inside Spain; the only route is a new visa through a consulate (UGE FAQ, question 15).

This application comes with some relief. You do not have to prove three months of work for your employer again, nor provide a criminal record certificate if you already hold a permit of more than six months (UGE document list). The permit is granted for the period requested, up to three years (criterion 2/2025), so the route of a one-year visa plus a three-year permit gives about four years before the first renewal.

What is checked at renewal

This article covers the digital nomad permit. How the other permits are renewed — employment and self-employment, non-lucrative residence, family reunification — is collected in the article on renewing a residence permit in Spain.

There is no separate list of renewal requirements: the UGE checks whether the conditions on which the permit was granted still hold (Articles 74 quinquies and 76.3 of Ley 14/2013). You have to meet them throughout the permit, not just at renewal time.

• Working for abroad. As an employee, only for a company outside Spain. If you are self-employed, Spanish clients are allowed, but no more than 20% of your total activity (UGE FAQ, question 14).
• Income of at least €2,849 a month for the applicant. The second family member adds 75% of the minimum wage to the threshold, and each additional one another 25%: a couple needs €3,918 a month, a family of three €4,274. The amounts are gross; how the threshold changed in 2026 is covered in our article on the new income threshold.
• Social security. If you are self-employed, only the Spanish self-employed scheme (RETA) is accepted, not a foreign certificate; how to register is covered in our article on autónomo. If you are employed, Spanish social security through the foreign company, or a certificate under an agreement that expressly covers remote work from Spain.
• Health insurance for the whole period, with no co-payments or waiting periods, if you are not in Spanish social security. Which policies qualify is covered in our article on health insurance.

The law sets no minimum number of days in Spain for renewal. But digital nomads get no relief for long absences either, and for future permanent residence the days are counted strictly — more on that below.

The main renewal risks: a social security gap and tax returns

If you are self-employed, you must register in the Spanish self-employed scheme (RETA) right after the permit is approved. The UGE requires this (UGE FAQ, questions 6–7), and without registration the permit may be terminated. Practitioners call the period between approval and registration the gap, and at renewal it is the main reason for a request for further documents.

• What happens in practice. In 2026, with a gap of more than three months, the UGE sends a request to move the RETA registration date back to the day after approval and to pay contributions for the missed period. You have 10 working days to reply, while moving the date at social security can take longer; in that case the reply explains that the request has already been filed and attaches proof.
• What it costs. In one case described by practitioners, a gap of three and a half months cost about €8,150: around €6,450 in contributions and taxes for the missed period and €1,700–1,800 for the gestor’s work.
• How to avoid it. Register in RETA the day after approval, even if your first clients have not arrived yet, and keep proof of registration. How to do it is covered in the step-by-step guide.

Tax returns. Anyone who lives in Spain for more than 183 days a year becomes tax resident and files an income tax return as a resident — form 100, or form 151 under the Beckham Law. How residence is determined is covered in our article on tax residency. If you have not yet become tax resident, you file the non-resident return — form 210 (IRNR) — and declare your work income in it: salary and fees for work you physically do in Spain count as Spanish-source income even if your employer or clients are abroad (art. 13.1.c of the Non-Resident Income Tax Law). For renewal the UGE accepts forms 100, 151 and 210, provided they declare income at or above the threshold; returns from other countries do not count. A form 210 that only covers a flat will not help: practitioners describe a renewal refused to a nomad who filed 210 for property only — there was no declared income from work in Spain. Go into the renewal with returns filed for every year of the permit.

What the UGE checks in 2026

In September 2026, UGE coordinator Luis Esteban Manzanares described at a seminar on the Entrepreneurs Law what the unit looks at when renewing. This is the authority’s position rather than a new rule, but it is how files are being decided now:

• The amount declared, not just the fact of payment. The UGE checks what income you declared for income tax: form 100, form 151 under the Beckham regime, or the non-resident returns. It must cover the nomad threshold of 200% of the minimum wage, currently €2,849 a month, and more if the family renews too. Anyone who declared minimal income or cannot prove sufficient income will not be renewed.
• Social security registration as early as possible, most easily through an entrepreneur support point (PAE). If the deadline passes without registration, the permit is extinguished. The UGE usually restores it with a new decision once registration is in place, but a new TIE card is then required.
• A nomad who is a partner in their own company. There must be a real link to the company: at least a 25% stake for a director, or 33% with a service contract for a board member or partner. All duties must be fully remote: running a restaurant, production or a workshop that needs someone on site does not qualify. There is also a tax risk: a foreign company managed from Spain may end up with a permanent establishment here.
• Mixed income is allowed. You can reach the threshold by combining your own activity with a stake in a foreign company, as long as you are registered in Spain as an autónomo.
• Gross or net. Under the instructions income is counted before tax and contributions, and the UGE has confirmed this in writing. But in practice in 2026 there were requests and refusals based on net income from the tax return (rendimiento neto), especially for autónomos with large deductions. If you get such a request, reply with an explanation citing the instructions and a gross calculation.
• Savings. Officially, savings to cover a shortfall are provided for in the first application. At renewal they have in practice covered the shortfall for family members, but savings do not make up for weak tax returns of the nomad themselves.
• Register as autónomo within the first weeks. A gap of two or three months between approval and registration has already triggered requests; the UGE mentions a guide of about 15 days.

It is worth downloading your filed returns in advance: how to do it in the tax agency account is covered in our article on the Sede electrónica.

No tax returns filed or a social security gap: a plan to fix it before renewal

It is better to fix things before the renewal window, not within the 10 working days of a request for documents: moving the registration date and filing missed returns take weeks. Start three to four months before your permit expires.

1. Gather the facts. Your contribution record (vida laboral) in Import@ss shows your RETA registration date, and your tax agency account shows which returns were filed and for which years. Compare them with the date of the UGE decision.
2. Close the social security gap. Apply to move your registration date to the day after approval and pay the missed months’ contributions with a late-payment surcharge. In practice, the reduced flat-rate contribution is lost.
3. File the missed returns. Form 100, 151 or 210 for each year of the permit, with income at least at the threshold. If you file before the tax agency sends a demand, a late-filing surcharge applies rather than a penalty (Article 27 of the General Tax Law).
4. Get certificates of no debts from the tax agency and social security, after paying.
5. Attach a one-page explanation to the renewal: the approval date, when and how you fixed things, and confirmation numbers.

How a surcharge for filing late yourself differs from a penalty, which penalty reductions apply and how to file a return for a past year — in «Spanish tax penalties and late returns».

When a year falls out: illness, injury, long recovery

Income is assessed over the year, not month by month. The law asks one thing: that the conditions which gave rise to the permit are maintained at renewal (Ley 14/2013, article 74 quinquies.3), and the financial thresholds themselves are tied to the minimum wage (same law, twentieth additional provision, point 3). The UGE checks them against the amount you declared — that is, against the annual tax return. So a few months lost do not decide the matter on their own: what decides it is whether the year’s income covers the threshold — €34,188 a year, an average of €2,849 a month. A year with a gap in the middle and strong months around it often clears the bar, and that is worth calculating before you start worrying.

Sick leave does not break your social security record — it proves it. A registered baja médica and temporary incapacity benefit mean you stayed in the system and contributions kept running. At renewal that is not a weakness but evidence: a gap in social security is the main trigger for a request for further documents, and here there is none.

What to put in the file:

• parte de baja and parte de alta — the opening and closing of the sick leave;
• an informe médico or hospital discharge report with dates;
• proof of temporary incapacity benefit, if you received it;
• your vida laboral and certificates showing no debts to social security or the tax agency;
• a one-page explanation: what happened, on which dates, and how it affected your income.

That explanation matters more than it seems. The file is read as a whole, and a dip in the figures with nothing attached looks like conditions that were lost; with medical documents it looks like an interruption that ended.

If the year’s total still does not reach the threshold. There are fewer options than one would like, but they exist. Income may be combined — your own activity in Spain plus a stake in a foreign company, provided you are registered here as an autónomo. The current year is shown by interim returns: forms 130 and 303 prove that income has recovered even if the previous year sagged. And look at the dates: you may apply 60 days before the card expires and for 90 days afterwards, while the tax return campaign runs from April to June — when exactly you file decides which return is the latest one you hold. This is a case where moving by a few weeks changes what is in the file.

If you recovered abroad, count the days. A long absence hits two things at once: tax residence, which starts at 183 days in Spain, and the path to permanent residence, where absences are capped. Medical documents with dates explain why you were away — without them, an absence simply reads as an absence.

Documents for renewal in 2026

The UGE’s official list for renewal is short (UGE guidance):

• form MI-T marked “Renovación”, the single form for holders of permits under Law 14/2013;
• a copy of every page of your valid passport;
• a copy of your TIE card;
• proof of payment of fee 790-038: in point 7 of the form, “Autorización de residencia renovada”, paid separately for you and for each family member.

To these you add proof that the conditions still hold. At renewal the main proof of income is your tax return: the UGE checks what income you declared in Spain for the previous year.

• Income tax (IRPF) return for the last year — Modelo 100, or Modelo 151 under the Beckham Law, or, if you are not yet tax resident, the non-resident Modelo 210 declaring your income from work in Spain. The amounts are gross, and over the year they must cover the threshold — €34,188 for a single applicant, more if your family renews too. If your permit has run for more than a year, attach the returns for every year.
• Tax clearance certificate — certificado de estar al corriente de obligaciones tributarias, downloaded from your AEAT account.
• If you are self-employed: your vida laboral, a social security clearance certificate (certificado de estar al corriente con la Seguridad Social), recent invoices and client contracts. If last year’s return does not cover the threshold, or it was filed long ago, the quarterly Modelo 130 and 303 show this year’s income.
• If you are employed: your contract with the foreign company, recent payslips (nóminas) and Spanish social security registration (vida laboral) or a certificate under an agreement that expressly covers remote work from Spain.
• Health insurance — if you are not in Spanish social security.

Documents in a foreign language need a sworn translation.

• Where this list comes from. The UGE’s 2018 renewal guidance has no tax documents: it was written before the digital nomad permit existed. But the UGE’s current list for remote workers says the UGE may require proof that there are no debts to the tax agency and social security (family member documents), and income of a partner in their own company is proved with the IRPF return for the previous year (applicant documents). In practice in 2026 the UGE requests Modelo 100 at renewal to check last year’s income — it is easier to attach it upfront than to answer a request within 10 working days. In practice the UGE may also ask for the originals of apostilled documents and sworn translations to check they are genuine.
• No criminal record certificate is needed: it is not required from those who already hold a permit of more than six months (2023 ministry instruction, point 4.2).
• The fee. For an initial application the UGE states €73.26 (UGE FAQ, April 2026); the renewal amount is calculated by the payment form. Each applicant pays, including each family member. The general fee rules are covered in our article on 790 fees.

If you changed employer or switched to freelancing

Any change affecting the conditions of the permit must be reported to the UGE within 30 days by filing a request to modify the conditions (Additional Provision 7 of Ley 14/2013). Failing to report it is an offence, and in the worst case the permit is terminated.

• A new employer. You need the new company’s documents, as for the first application, but you do not have to prove three months of work for it again.
• From employment to freelancing. You can switch at any time if you meet the requirements of the new option (UGE FAQ, question 18). Right after approval you must register in RETA; see the step-by-step guide. If you do not register, the permit may be terminated.
• You became CEO or a co-owner. This is also a change of conditions if your contract, salary or the nature of your work changes. The position itself does not block renewal, but add to the file the appointment decision, the new contract and a company letter confirming you may still work from Spain. If you stayed in your home country’s social security, check that the certificate covers your current position. What changes for the Beckham Law and the company’s taxes is covered in if you became a director or co-owner.
• Proof of employment does not count as proof of freelancing, and vice versa: the documents are gathered for the new option.

You do not have to wait for the renewal window. If your basis is at risk — the company is losing business, your income is falling, your role changed — an application on another option or to modify your digital nomad permit can be filed at any time while you are legally in Spain (Article 74 quinquies of Ley 14/2013; UGE FAQ, question 18), and your current status is kept while it is processed (Article 76.1). Filing early means choosing your basis calmly rather than in the last 90 days, and lowers the risk of losing the permit.

Renewal for your family

Each family member files their own application: form MI-F, their own 790-038 fee, a copy of their passport and a declaration by the permit holder that the marriage or cohabitation continues (UGE guidance). It is easiest to file at the same time as the main applicant, so the decisions are issued together. The holder’s income has to cover the whole family, at the thresholds above. Family members can work in Spain without restriction, both as employees and self-employed. Who counts as family, the thresholds and documents for the first application are covered in a digital nomad’s family.

Can you leave Spain while the renewal is pending

If the renewal was filed on time and there is no decision yet, travelling outside the Schengen area requires an autorización de regreso, a return authorisation on form EX-13 with fee 790-012 (Article 5 of RD 1155/2024). It is valid for up to 90 days, and you must re-enter through a Spanish border post (police). How to get one is covered in our article on the autorización de regreso.

Official sources do not say that the filing receipt alone is enough to return. It is safer either to get a return authorisation or to file early enough for the decision to arrive before the trip, which is realistic with 20 working days for a reply.

What happens if you are late

• Within 90 days after expiry. The renewal application is still accepted, and the permit stays valid until the decision, but penalty proceedings may be opened for the late filing (Article 76.3 of Ley 14/2013). Within the same period you can also apply for a modification, a switch to another permit such as cuenta propia; how it works is covered in our article on switching to autónomo residence.
• More than 90 days late. Both the renewal and the modification are refused. After that you have no lawful status: you cannot file a new application from inside Spain, only through a new visa at a consulate.

Why a permit can be terminated even before it expires is covered in our article on residence permit cancellation.

After approval: a new TIE card

Within a month of the renewal you apply for a new TIE card, in person at the police station where you live, with an appointment for fingerprinting (Article 209 of RD 1155/2024). The card fee on renewal is €19.30 on form 790-012. You hand in the old card. How the appointment and the card work is covered in our article on the TIE.

Renewal and the path to permanent residence

The digital nomad permit is lawful residence, and it counts towards permanent residence: you need five years of lawful continuous residence in Spain (Article 176 of RD 1155/2024). Here the days do count: you may be absent for no more than six months in a row and no more than ten months in total over the five years.

You can apply for permanent residence in the last two months of your permit or within three months after. If by the fifth year you mostly live outside Spain, the renewal will go through but permanent residence will not. More in our article on permanent residence in Spain. The conditions of the visa and the first application are collected in our article on the digital nomad visa, and you can entrust the renewal to us along with the rest of the digital nomad permit process.

Spanish terms such as resguardo, silencio administrativo and TIE are briefly explained in the Spanish residence glossary.

Frequently asked questions

When should I apply to renew a digital nomad residence permit?

60 calendar days before the permit expires, or within 90 days after. If you miss those 90 days too, the renewal and a switch to another permit are refused.

How long is a digital nomad permit renewed for?

For two years, if the conditions on which it was granted still hold: a foreign employer or clients, income at or above the threshold, social security and insurance.

How long does a renewal decision take?

20 working days from filing. If the UGE does not reply, the renewal is deemed approved, and your status is kept while the application is pending.

Does silence still work at renewal if there was a request for documents?

Yes. A request for documents does not cancel silence; it pauses the 20 working days, from the notification of the request until your reply, or until the end of the time given to reply (art. 22.1.a of Law 39/2015). After you reply the count resumes, and if there is still no decision, the renewal is deemed approved. How to count the days is covered in the article on UGE silence.

What if the UGE does not issue a certificate of silence?

Approval by silence is valid without the certificate: in law it is a full decision and can be proved by any admissible evidence, while the administration issues the certificate itself within 15 days or at your request at any time (art. 24 of Law 39/2015). How to request it, and what to do if the UGE stays silent for months, is covered in the article on UGE silence.

Do I need a criminal record certificate to renew?

No. It is not required from those who already hold a residence permit of more than six months.

Can a digital nomad D visa be renewed?

No. In the last 60 days of the visa you file an initial residence application with the UGE. Once the visa has expired, you can no longer apply from inside Spain.

What happens if I am late with the renewal?

Within 90 days after expiry, an application for renewal or modification is still accepted, but a penalty for late filing is possible. Later, it is refused, and you cannot apply from inside Spain, only for a new visa through a consulate.

Can I leave Spain while the renewal is pending?

Yes, with a return authorisation (autorización de regreso, form EX-13). It is valid for up to 90 days, and you must re-enter through a Spanish border post.

What is the gap in a digital nomad permit renewal?

The period between the permit’s approval and registration with Spanish social security for the self-employed. With a gap of more than three months, in practice the UGE asks you to move the registration date back and pay the contributions, so register in RETA right after approval.

What tax documents are needed for renewal?

Your income tax return for the last year — Modelo 100, 151 under the Beckham Law, or the non-resident Modelo 210 declaring your income from work in Spain, with gross amounts — and a tax clearance certificate. If you are self-employed, also your vida laboral and a social security clearance certificate. They are not in the UGE renewal guidance, but the UGE may require them and in practice in 2026 it does, so attach them upfront.

Can I change the basis of my digital nomad permit without waiting for renewal?

Yes. While you are legally in Spain, an application on another option or for a modification — for example, switching from employment to freelancing — can be filed at any time, not only in the renewal window. Your current status is kept while it is processed.

What if illness pushed my income down for the year?

First work out the annual total: the threshold is measured over the year, and months at zero are often covered by the rest. If the total still falls short, attach the parte de baja and parte de alta, a medical report, proof of any temporary incapacity benefit and a one-page explanation. Sick leave does not break your social security record — it confirms you stayed in the system.

Can savings make up for low income at renewal?

Officially, savings to cover a shortfall are provided for in the first application. In practice at renewal they have covered the shortfall for family members, but if the nomad’s own tax returns show almost no income, savings do not make up for it.

Sources

• Ley 14/2013: Articles 74 bis – 76, Additional Provision 7; RD 1155/2024: Articles 5, 176, 209; Ley 39/2015: Articles 24.4 and 30.2
• UGE: remote workers; UGE FAQ on digital nomads, April 2026; UGE: applicant documents; UGE: guidance on renewing permits under Law 14/2013
• Joint instruction on remote workers, 2023; DGGM criterion 2/2025 on permit duration; Police: autorización de regreso