Moving from Turkey to Spain: with a Turkish residence permit or a Turkish passport

Moving from Turkey to Spain starts with the fact that a Turkish residence permit gives you nothing in Spain. Turkey is neither in the European Union nor in the Schengen Area, so neither an ikamet (Turkish residence permit) nor the years you have lived there allow visa-free entry or count towards Spanish time periods. You obtain a ground from scratch: most often the digital nomad visa for those who work remotely, and the non-lucrative residence permit (no lucrativa, no right to work) for those who live on a pension, rental income or savings. Applications for Spanish visas in Turkey are accepted by the BLS visa centres in Istanbul and Ankara. Unlike many neighbouring countries, Spain has a tax treaty with Turkey, and a Turkish driving licence can be exchanged without exams.

What your status in Turkey is and what it means for Spain

With a Turkish residence permit: you get a Spanish ground from scratch

A Turkish ikamet is a national permit of a country outside the European Union and the Schengen Area. It does not give the right to live in Spain and does not allow visa-free entry: Russians and Belarusians with a Turkish residence permit need a Schengen visa to travel to Spain. Who travels visa-free and who needs a visa is determined by your passport, not your country of residence — the lists are in the annexes to EU Regulation 2018/1806.

Years in Turkey do not count towards Spanish permanent residence or citizenship; the count starts from your first Spanish card. A resident of Turkey does not have EU long-term resident status or an EU Blue Card, through which previous years could be taken into account when moving from Bulgaria — just as when moving from Montenegro.

Remote work: the digital nomad visa

If you work for a company or clients outside Spain, the main route is the digital nomad residence permit. Income: from €2,849 a month, which is 200% of the Spanish minimum wage. For a second family member add €1,069, and for each additional one €356.

There are two ways to apply. From Turkey — a national visa through the BLS visa centre: it operates in Istanbul for the Consulate General of Spain and in Ankara for the Embassy, and accepts the digital nomad visa alongside other national visas. Which of the two centres is yours depends on your province of residence. The visa is issued for a year, and in Spain it is exchanged for a three-year card. Or from within Spain: if you are there legally, for example on a valid Schengen visa, the application is filed with the UGE (Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit), and the permit is issued straight away for three years.

A Turkish company through which you work is not a problem in itself: the company or client must have existed for at least a year, your relationship with them must have lasted at least three months, and no more than 20% of your income may come from Spanish clients. But there is no social security agreement with Turkey, so you cannot stay in the Turkish system on a certificate, and you will have to pay contributions in Spain — the options are covered in the nomad visa guide, in the section on what to do without a social security agreement.

Pension, rental income or savings: the non-lucrative residence permit

Many people obtained a Turkish residence permit by renting or buying a flat and live on a pension, property income or savings. The right option for them is the non-lucrative residence permit (no right to work). Income: €2,400 a month for the applicant and a further €600 for each family member, plus private health insurance with no excess. You may not work, either in Spain or remotely.

This ground cannot be applied for from within Spain: applications go only through a consulate, and from Turkey with an appointment via BLS. The first card is issued for a year. A Turkish flat does not count in itself, but only through rental income or savings, and the income must actually arrive in your account and be backed by bank statements.

With a Turkish passport: a visa is needed even for a trip

Turkey is on the list of countries whose citizens need a visa to enter the Schengen Area. So a Turkish citizen needs a Schengen visa even for a short trip to Spain, and to move there, a Spanish ground on the same terms as other non-EU foreigners. The law makes no concessions for Turkish citizens obtaining a Spanish residence permit for the first time.

This also applies to those who obtained Turkish citizenship by investment. If you have a second passport that gives visa-free entry to Schengen, such as a Ukrainian one, it is easier to rely on it for Spain: with it you can apply for the digital nomad visa from within Spain.

For Ukrainians living in Turkey

Ukrainian citizens with a biometric passport enter Spain without a visa wherever they live. A Turkish residence permit is not needed for this, and a Ukrainian can apply for the digital nomad visa from within Spain and immediately receive a three-year permit.

Temporary protection is more complicated. European temporary protection covers people displaced from Ukraine since 24 February 2022, and there is no direct guidance on how it applies to those who have lived in a third country for several years — the decision depends on your history. In addition, since August 2026 new applicants must prove they have fulfilled their military service obligations to Ukraine or are exempt from them. The current procedure is published on the Ucrania Urgente portal, and switching from protection to an ordinary residence permit is covered in our article on modifying temporary protection under SEM 2/2026.

Documents from Turkey: apostille and criminal record certificate

Turkey has been party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 1985, so Turkish documents for Spain are not legalised at a consulate but apostilled and translated into Spanish by a sworn translator.

The criminal record certificate — adli sicil kaydı — is issued by the Turkish Ministry of Justice. A foreigner with a Turkish identification number can get it on the e-Devlet portal; without one, at the criminal records office at a court. The apostille on this certificate is affixed at the provincial or district governor’s office. For the digital nomad visa the certificate must come from the country where you have lived for the last two years, and all countries of residence in the five years before applying are checked.

Taxes when moving from Turkey

A double taxation treaty is in force

Income tax in Turkey is progressive, from 15 to 40%, and the band thresholds are indexed in lira every year. You become a Spanish tax resident if you spend more than 183 days a year in the country or your centre of economic interests is here — details in our article on Spanish tax residence.

In the year of your move both countries may consider you their resident. Such a conflict is resolved by the Spain–Turkey double taxation treaty, signed in Madrid in 2002: first the permanent home is considered, then the centre of vital interests. The treaty also determines which country taxes income from Turkish property, dividends and interest, and how tax paid in Turkey is credited.

A Turkish company and property

• Company. If you have moved but actually run your Turkish company from Spain, the Spanish tax authority may consider the company itself a Spanish resident, based on its place of effective management. The structure is worth reviewing before the move.
• Rental income in Turkey. A Spanish tax resident declares worldwide income, including Turkish rent, and tax paid in Turkey is credited under the treaty.
• Asset reporting. Accounts, securities and property outside Spain worth more than €50,000 in any category are reported on Modelo 720.
• The Beckham regime. The flat 24% rate is available if you move for work and have not been a Spanish tax resident in the previous five years. Whether it suits you is covered in our article on the Beckham Law in Spain.

Contributions, driving licence and car

Social security record. There is no social security agreement between Spain and Turkey — Turkey is not on the list of bilateral agreements of the Spanish Seguridad Social. Turkish contribution periods are not aggregated for a Spanish pension, and while living and working in Spain you pay contributions under Spanish rules.

Driving licence. Turkey is one of the countries with which Spain has a licence exchange agreement. Categories A and B are exchanged without exams; you only need a medical certificate from a driver testing centre. There are two conditions: the licence must have been obtained in Turkey before you became a Spanish resident, and not by exchanging a licence from another country. If you exchanged a Russian licence for a Turkish one, that licence will not be exchanged in Spain. You can drive on a Turkish licence for six months from the time you obtain Spanish residence — so start the exchange straight away.

Car. Turkey is outside the EU customs territory, so bringing a car with Turkish plates counts as an import from a third country, with customs clearance and subsequent registration in Spain.

Spanish citizenship: Turkish years do not count

Spanish citizenship by residence is granted after ten years of legal residence in Spain itself; years in Turkey are not included. The reduced two-year period applies only to nationals by origin of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and to Sephardic Jews, under article 22 of the Civil Code.

On naturalisation Spain requires you to declare that you renounce your previous citizenship, and Turkey is not on the list of countries for which an exception is made. How this works in practice is covered in our article on dual citizenship in Spain.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Turkish residence permit give the right to enter Spain?

No. Turkey is in neither the EU nor Schengen, so a Turkish residence permit gives no right either to enter Spain without a visa or to live there. Whether you need a visa depends on your passport: Russians and Belarusians do, Ukrainians with a biometric passport do not.

Where do I apply for a Spanish visa if I live in Turkey?

Through the BLS visa centres in Istanbul and Ankara: they accept both Schengen and national visas, including the digital nomad visa. Which centre is yours depends on your province of residence. The nomad visa can also be applied for from within Spain if you are there legally.

Do years in Turkey count towards Spanish permanent residence or citizenship?

No. Turkey is not in the EU, so neither a Turkish residence permit nor Turkish contributions carry over to Spanish time periods. The count starts from your first Spanish card.

Can I exchange a Turkish driving licence for a Spanish one?

Yes, if the licence was obtained in Turkey before the move and not by exchanging a licence from another country. Categories A and B are exchanged without exams. You can drive on a Turkish licence for six months from the time you obtain Spanish residence.

Does a Turkish citizen need a visa to move to Spain?

Yes, both to visit and to move. To live there you need a Spanish ground on general terms. A Turkish citizen can apply for the digital nomad visa through BLS or from within Spain after entering on a Schengen visa.

Will I have to pay taxes in both Turkey and Spain?

The two countries have a double taxation treaty from 2002. It decides which country treats you as resident in the year of the move and allows tax paid in Turkey to be credited against Spanish tax.

Sources

• Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 — lists of countries whose citizens do or do not need a visa for Schengen. EUR-Lex.
• BLS International — Spanish visa centres in Turkey.
• Convenio entre el Reino de España y la República de Turquía para evitar la doble imposición, Madrid, 5 de julio de 2002. BOE-A-2004-1013.
• Seguridad Social — bilateral social security agreements.
• DGT — exchanging a Turkish licence.
• Hague Conference — status table of the Apostille Convention.
• Real Decreto 1155/2024, de 19 de noviembre — the regulation on foreigners. BOE-A-2024-24099.
• Código Civil, articles 22 and 23. BOE-A-1889-4763.

Article updated in September 2026. Laws and official requirements change — check official sources before applying.