Spain digital nomad visa for Chinese citizens in 2026: requirements, consulates by province and moving money

Chinese citizens can get the Spain digital nomad visa on the same terms as other non-EU citizens: remote work for a company or clients outside Spain, income of at least €2,849 a month and a degree or three years of experience. Applications go through BLS to the Spanish consulate general for your province — Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, with Hong Kong for Hong Kong and Macao; in Beijing the national visa costs 705 yuan plus a 117 yuan BLS fee, and since 7 November 2023 Chinese documents are accepted with an apostille.

Below: the requirements in 2026, which consulate covers your province, applying from Spain, the apostille and notarial documents, the 2018 social security agreement and the 2021 tax treaty, the SAFE limit on buying foreign currency, and the citizenship question — China does not recognise dual nationality. General rules for all residence permits are in our guide to Spanish residence permits.

1. Spain digital nomad visa: requirements for Chinese citizens

The digital nomad permit (teletrabajo de carácter internacional, Law 14/2013) lets you live in Spain and work remotely for companies located outside Spain. It fits Chinese citizens employed by a company outside Spain — including a Chinese company — and freelancers serving foreign clients.

• Who qualifies: employees of a company outside Spain that has operated for at least a year, with at least three months of working relationship; freelancers with contracts with foreign clients, where Spanish clients may account for no more than 20% of the work.
• Qualification: a university degree or vocational qualification, or at least three years of professional experience in the field.
• Income: at least €2,849 a month for the applicant (200% of the Spanish minimum wage), plus €1,068 for the first family member and €356 for each additional one. With pay in yuan, keep a margin for exchange-rate swings.
• Family: a spouse or registered partner and children can apply together with you, or join later — see a digital nomad’s family in Spain.
• Health insurance with full cover and no co-payments, and a clean criminal record.
• Duration: applied for from Spain, the permit is issued for up to three years at once and then renewed for two years. Applied for at the consulate, you first receive a one-year visa, then a residence permit in Spain.

Which consulate covers your province

The digital nomad visa is lodged through BLS International by appointment; the Beijing and Shanghai consulates link to different BLS sites (web.blscn.cn and china.blsspainvisa.com), so book through the one your consulate names. You must prove legal residence in the consular district. In Beijing the fees for the fourth quarter of 2026 are 705 yuan for the national visa, 117 yuan for BLS and 81 yuan for the NIE; there is no reciprocity fee for Chinese citizens. The legal deadline is 10 days; the visa is valid for one year, and in Spain you then apply for a residence permit. Official information: Consulate General of Spain in Beijing — digital nomad visa.

Applying from inside Spain

Chinese citizens need a Schengen visa to enter Spain but no airport transit visa. Once in Spain legally on a Schengen visa, you can apply online for the digital nomad permit. The UGE (Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit) decides within 20 working days, and if it does not reply in time the application counts as approved. This route gives a three-year permit straight away. It means planning the trip around the Schengen visa’s validity.

2. Startup visa: for founders of an innovative business

The startup visa (residence for entrepreneurs, Law 14/2013) is for founders who move to Spain to develop an innovative business with growth potential. The key document is a favourable report from ENISA, the state innovation agency, on the business plan. The permit is first granted by the UGE and is then collected as a visa at the consulate, or the whole procedure is done from Spain. It runs for up to three years and is renewed for two if the business really operates — after approval the company must be set up and registered with Social Security, see startup visa renewal.

3. Non-lucrative permit: living on capital without working

The non-lucrative permit is for those who live on savings, rental or investment income and do not plan to work in Spain, including remotely.

• Funds: at least €2,400 a month for the applicant and €600 for each family member, for the whole period of the permit.
• Where: only at the Spanish consulate for your place of residence — it cannot be applied for from Spain. The residence permit fee is form 790 code 052.
• Restrictions: no work; private health insurance; to renew, you need to spend most of the year in Spain.

For people with significant capital, Spain no longer has a golden visa: the investor residence was abolished on 3 April 2025 — see residence after the golden visa.

Documents from China: apostille and notarial certificates

• Apostille. China joined the Apostille Convention with effect from 7 November 2023, and Spain did not object, so Chinese public documents are accepted with an apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Foreign Affairs Office of the province where the document was issued; consular legalisation is no longer needed. HCCH status table.
• Notarial documents. Many civil status documents and the certificate of no criminal record are issued in China as notarial certificates; the apostille goes on the notarial document. Order them close to the application date.
• Translations. Documents in Chinese need a sworn Spanish translation (traducción jurada).
• Degree. For the digital nomad permit a foreign degree does not have to be homologated; for regulated professions in Spain, see degree homologation in Spain.

Social security: the 2018 agreement covers employees

Spain and China have a social security agreement in force since 20 March 2018 (BOE-A-2018-3691). It applies to employees and to pension and unemployment contributions only: an employee posted by a Chinese employer can stay in the Chinese system for up to 72 months with the CN/ES.1 form, but periods in the two countries are not added together. A digital nomad who moves on their own usually registers in Spanish Social Security — an employee through the foreign employer, a freelancer as autónomo. Without registration the permit can be terminated for the whole family — see residence permit cancellation in Spain.

Taxes and moving money from China

• Chinese residence. Under the Individual Income Tax Law you are a Chinese tax resident if you have a domicile in China — habitual residence because of household registration (hukou), family or economic interests — or spend 183 days there in a year. The law requires a tax settlement before the hukou is cancelled on emigration; families who keep a hukou or a business in China should plan their residence with a Chinese adviser.
• Currency limit. Under SAFE rules an individual can buy up to USD 50,000 of foreign currency a year, and currency bought within this quota cannot be used to buy property or securities abroad. Plan the transfer of capital over several years and keep the paper trail — Spanish banks will ask for the source of funds.
• The treaty. A new Spain–China double taxation agreement, signed on 28 November 2018, has applied since 2 May 2021 (BOE-A-2021-4911). Unlike the 1990 treaty it no longer covers wealth tax; tax at source is capped at 10% on dividends (5% for companies holding at least 25%), interest and royalties.
• Spanish tax residence. You become a Spanish tax resident if you spend more than 183 days a year in Spain or your main economic interests are here; a resident declares worldwide income — see Spanish tax residency.
• Beckham Law. Employees moving for work, including employed digital nomads, may opt for a flat 24% rate on employment income up to €600,000 and exclude most foreign income for six years — see the Beckham Law. Freelancers registered as autónomos cannot.
• Wealth. Residents with large assets may owe wealth tax and the solidarity tax on large fortunes, depending on the region — see wealth tax and capital income in Spain. Accounts, securities and property abroad above €50,000 per block are reported on form 720.
• Source of funds. Spanish banks check where large transfers come from. Before moving capital, gather statements, sale contracts and tax returns that show its origin.

Citizenship: ten years, and China does not allow dual nationality

Spanish citizenship by residence takes ten years for Chinese citizens (Civil Code, Article 22.1), and the applicant declares the renunciation of their previous nationality (Article 23 b). The Nationality Law of the People’s Republic of China does not recognise dual nationality (Article 3), and a Chinese citizen who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality loses Chinese nationality automatically (Article 9). Many Chinese families therefore stay on long-term residence, available after five years — see Spanish citizenship.

Community, cities and driving

• Community. 238,372 Chinese citizens lived in Spain on 1 January 2025 (INE), one of the largest foreign communities, most of them in the provinces of Madrid (64,734) and Barcelona (58,783). Compare the best cities to live in Spain and Madrid.
• Driving licence. China is not on the DGT list of countries whose licences can be exchanged. A Chinese licence can be used for six months after you become resident; then you need to pass the Spanish tests — see driving licences in Spain.
• First steps after arrival: the TIE card within a month of arriving on a visa, a bank account and health insurance.

If your income comes from several countries, you plan to move capital or the family has different statuses, it is worth choosing the route and the order of steps in a consultation before booking the appointment.

Similar guides to the Spain digital nomad visa: for Indians, Filipinos, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Mexicans, Nigerians, Ghanaians, Moroccans, Egyptians, Bangladeshi citizens, Iranians; and from Saudi Arabia, from Qatar, from Singapore.

Frequently asked questions

Can Chinese citizens get the Spain digital nomad visa?

Yes. Chinese citizens who work remotely for a company outside Spain or serve foreign clients can apply through the Spanish consulate for their province or online from Spain while staying there legally. They need income of at least 200% of the Spanish minimum wage and a degree or three years of experience.

Which Spanish consulate do I apply to in China?

The one for your province: Beijing covers the north, north-east, centre and west, Shanghai covers Shanghai, Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Zhejiang, Guangzhou covers the south, and Hong Kong covers Hong Kong and Macao.

How much does the Spanish visa cost in China?

In Beijing in the fourth quarter of 2026: 705 yuan for the national visa, 117 yuan for the BLS service and 81 yuan for the NIE. There is no reciprocity fee for Chinese citizens.

Do Chinese documents need an apostille for Spain?

Yes. Since 7 November 2023 Chinese documents are apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the provincial Foreign Affairs Office, without consular legalisation, and then translated into Spanish.

Do Chinese citizens need a transit visa for Spain?

No. Chinese citizens need a Schengen visa to enter Spain, but no airport transit visa for connections in Spanish airports.

How much money can I transfer from China to Spain?

SAFE rules let an individual buy up to USD 50,000 of foreign currency a year, and currency bought within this quota cannot be used for property or securities abroad. Plan larger transfers over several years.

Can a Chinese citizen keep Chinese nationality and become Spanish?

No. China does not recognise dual nationality, and a Chinese citizen who voluntarily acquires a foreign nationality loses Chinese nationality automatically.

Sources

• Consulate General of Spain in Beijing — digital nomad visa
• Spanish consular districts in China
• Law 14/2013 (digital nomads, entrepreneurs)
• Immigration Regulation RD 1155/2024
• Spanish Civil Code, Articles 22–24 (nationality)
• HCCH — Apostille Convention status table
• Spain–China social security agreement (BOE)
• Spain–China double taxation agreement 2018 (BOE)
• DGT — countries with licence exchange agreements
• INE — population by nationality, 1 January 2025