Spain digital nomad visa for Filipinos in 2026: requirements, income and applying from the Philippines

Filipinos 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 from the Philippines go to the Consulate General of Spain in Manila through the BLS visa centre, and the consulate decides within 10 days. The permit can also be requested from inside Spain.

Below: the requirements in 2026, how and where to apply from the Philippines, which documents to prepare, what happens with social security and taxes, and why Spain is unusually generous to Filipinos on citizenship — two years of residence instead of ten, without giving up the Philippine passport. General rules for all residence permits are in our guide to Spanish residence permits.

1. Spain digital nomad visa: requirements for Filipinos

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 Filipinos who work for a foreign employer or serve foreign clients as freelancers — including those already working for companies in the United States, Australia or Singapore.

• 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 pesos, rupees or dollars, 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.

How to apply from the Philippines

1. Apply for an NIE first. The Consulate General in Manila asks applicants to request the foreigner’s identity number before submitting the visa application.
2. Gather and apostille the documents — the NBI clearance, the degree, the employment contract or client contracts, marriage and birth certificates for the family (see the documents section below).
3. Book an appointment through BLS International (ph.blsspainvisa.com), the visa centre that works for the consulate, with offices in Makati and Cebu. You must be legally resident in the consulate’s district.
4. Pay the fees in pesos. BLS lists 6,240 PHP per adult for the visa plus a 1,170 PHP service charge and further fees for this visa type; check the current table on the BLS page before the appointment.
5. Wait for the decision. The legal deadline is 10 days from submission, longer if the consulate asks for more documents or an interview. The visa is valid for one year; in Spain you then apply for a residence permit.

Official requirements and the current document list are on the Consulate General of Spain in Manila page for the digital nomad visa.

Applying from inside Spain

Filipinos need a Schengen visa to enter Spain, but once in Spain legally — for example on a Schengen visa — they can apply online to the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE). The UGE 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 but means planning the trip around the Schengen visa’s validity. A Philippine passport does not need an airport transit visa for a connection in Spain.

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 the Philippines: apostille, NBI clearance, translations

• Apostille. The Philippines has applied the Hague Apostille Convention since 14 May 2019, and Spain did not object, so Philippine public documents are accepted in Spain with an apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). HCCH status table.
• NBI clearance. The criminal record certificate is the National Bureau of Investigation clearance. The consulate asks for it apostilled by the DFA and issued no more than six months before the application. If you already live abroad, the NBI accepts a mailed application: Form No. 5 from a Philippine embassy or consulate, fingerprints taken there or by the local police, and the file sent by post.
• Translations. Documents not in Spanish need a sworn translation (traducción jurada); plan for the degree, contracts, company documents, the NBI clearance and civil registry certificates.
• 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.
• Tax documents (BIR). Spain does not list Philippine tax documents as a separate requirement; what you need depends on how you work. An employee of a company outside Spain proves the job with the employer’s documents, and BIR papers are usually not needed. A freelancer has to show a real professional activity, with client relationships of at least three months: in the Philippines the usual proof of registered self-employment is the BIR Certificate of Registration (Form 2303), and a BIR-stamped income tax return (Form 1701 or 1701A), together with bank statements and client contracts, supports the income. Like other Philippine official documents, they may need a DFA apostille and a sworn translation.

Social security: the agreement covers posted workers

Spain and the Philippines have a social security agreement, in force since 1 August 2012 (BOE-A-2012-8848). It lets contributions in both countries count towards a pension, but it keeps you in the Philippine system only when a Philippine employer posts you to Spain — up to five years for an employee and two for the self-employed. We found no SSS certificate for remote workers under this agreement, so a digital nomad should plan to be registered in Spanish Social Security: an employee by 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 when moving from the Philippines

• In the Philippines. Under Section 23 of the National Internal Revenue Code, a Philippine citizen living abroad (a nonresident citizen) is taxed only on income from Philippine sources — for example rent from a condo in Manila or dividends from Philippine companies. The status must be shown to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, so keep proof of residence in Spain.
• The treaty. Spain and the Philippines have a double taxation agreement in force since 12 September 1994 (BOE-A-1994-27626). It covers income taxes only — not wealth, inheritance or gift tax. Pensions paid by a Philippine social security agency are taxed only in the Philippines.
• 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.

Spanish citizenship in two years — keeping your Philippine passport

This is where Filipinos have a real advantage. Spanish citizenship by residence normally takes ten years, but Article 22.1 of the Civil Code reduces it to two years for nationals of origin of the Philippines, as for Ibero-American countries, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal. The residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before the application. Filipinos are also exempt from renouncing their previous nationality (Article 23 b together with Article 24.1), and under Republic Act 9225 a natural-born Filipino who becomes a citizen of another country keeps Philippine citizenship by taking the oath of allegiance. The two years count from the start of legal residence, so a Filipino can apply for citizenship while still on a first three-year digital nomad permit — see Spanish citizenship.

The benefit is for Filipinos by birth: someone who became a Philippine citizen by naturalisation falls under the general ten-year rule.

Community, cities and driving

• Community. 42,571 Philippine citizens lived in Spain on 1 January 2025 (INE annual census), 43% of them in the province of Madrid and 28% in Barcelona, followed by Málaga and the Balearic Islands; Marbella alone has almost 2,000. Naturalised Filipinos are not in this count, so the real community is larger. Compare the best cities to live in Spain, Madrid and Marbella.
• Driving licence. Spain and the Philippines have a licence exchange agreement: a Philippine car licence (category B) is exchanged without tests after you become resident, for a DGT fee of €28.87. Until then a foreign licence is valid for six months of residence — 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 BLS appointment.

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

Frequently asked questions

Can Filipinos get the Spain digital nomad visa?

Yes. Filipinos who work remotely for a company outside Spain or serve foreign clients can apply, either at the Consulate General of Spain in Manila through BLS or online from Spain while staying there legally. They need income of at least 200% of the Spanish minimum wage, a degree or three years of experience, and a working relationship of at least three months.

What is the income requirement for Filipinos in 2026?

The same as for every applicant: 200% of the Spanish minimum wage a month for the main applicant, plus 75% of the minimum wage for the first family member and 25% for each further one. There is no separate amount in pesos, so keep a margin for exchange-rate changes.

How do I apply for the Spain digital nomad visa from the Philippines?

Request an NIE, gather and apostille your documents at the DFA, book an appointment through BLS International in Makati or Cebu and pay the fees in pesos. The Consulate General decides within 10 days and issues a one-year visa.

Do Philippine documents need an apostille for Spain?

Yes. Since 14 May 2019 the Philippines has applied the Apostille Convention, so documents need an apostille from the Department of Foreign Affairs and a sworn Spanish translation. The NBI clearance must be no older than six months.

Do I need BIR documents for the Spain digital nomad visa?

Not as a separate requirement. An employee proves the job with the employer’s documents. A freelancer usually shows the BIR Certificate of Registration (Form 2303) as proof of self-employment and a BIR-stamped income tax return with bank statements and client contracts as proof of income.

Does the Philippines have a social security agreement with Spain?

Yes, since 1 August 2012, but it keeps you in the Philippine system only when a Philippine employer posts you to Spain. A digital nomad should plan to be registered in Spanish Social Security, by the foreign employer or as autónomo.

How long does it take a Filipino to get Spanish citizenship?

Two years of legal and continuous residence for Filipinos by birth, instead of the usual ten, and without renouncing Philippine citizenship.

Can I exchange a Philippine driving licence in Spain?

Yes. Spain and the Philippines have an exchange agreement, so a category B licence is exchanged without tests for a DGT fee of €28.87.

Sources

• Consulate General of Spain in Manila — digital nomad visa
• BLS International Philippines — digital nomad visa fees
• Law 14/2013 (digital nomads, entrepreneurs)
• Immigration Regulation RD 1155/2024
• HCCH — Apostille Convention status table
• NBI — clearance for applicants abroad
• Spain–Philippines social security agreement (BOE)
• Spain–Philippines double taxation agreement (BOE)
• Spanish Civil Code, Articles 22–24
• Republic Act No. 9225 and National Internal Revenue Code, Section 23
• DGT — countries with licence exchange agreements
• INE — population by nationality, 1 January 2025