Spain digital nomad visa for Indians in 2026: requirements, New Delhi or Mumbai, and tax

Indian 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. In India the visa is handled by the Embassy of Spain in New Delhi or the Consulate General in Mumbai, depending on your state, with appointments through BLS International; the legal deadline for a decision is 10 days.

Below: the requirements in 2026, which consulate covers your state, the documents and the apostille, social security, what happens with Indian tax residence and the LRS when you move capital, and the citizenship question — India does not allow dual nationality. General rules for all residence permits are in our guide to Spanish residence permits.

1. Spain digital nomad visa: requirements for Indians

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 Indian professionals employed by a foreign company — including an Indian company, since only Spanish clients are limited — and freelancers serving clients abroad.

• 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.

New Delhi or Mumbai: which consulate covers your state

So applicants from Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune go to Mumbai, and those from Gurugram, Noida and Kolkata to New Delhi. The honorary consulates do not accept visa applications. You must prove legal residence in the district where you apply.

How to apply from India

1. Gather and apostille the documents — the police clearance certificate, degree, employment contract or client contracts, and civil documents for the family (see the documents section).
2. Book an appointment through BLS International (india.blsspainvisa.com). The New Delhi embassy page names the BLS offices as the place of submission; in Mumbai’s district check the consulate’s page for where the file is lodged.
3. Pay the fees. The embassy’s 2026 price list sets the national visa at 9,599 INR plus 1,802 INR for the BLS service. There is no reciprocity fee for Indian citizens.
4. Wait for the decision. The legal deadline is 10 days, longer if more documents or an interview are requested. The visa is valid for one year and you collect it within a month of approval; in Spain you then apply for a residence permit.

Official requirements are on the Embassy of Spain in New Delhi page for the digital nomad visa.

Applying from inside Spain

Indians need a Schengen visa to enter Spain, but no airport transit visa. Once in Spain legally, for example on a Schengen visa, you 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 gives a three-year permit straight away but 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.

In New Delhi the non-lucrative and entrepreneur visas are not lodged at BLS: you book directly with the consular section by email (emb.nuevadelhi.vis@maec.es). The embassy also expects health insurance for at least a year — as a guide, cover of at least USD 500,000 — and not travel or worldwide expat insurance.

Documents from India: apostille, police certificate, translations

• Apostille. Indian public documents are accepted in Spain with an apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). India joined the Apostille Convention in 2005; Spain objected at first and withdrew the objection on 12 February 2008, so the apostille has worked between the two countries since then. MEA apostille service.
• Police clearance certificate. The PCC is issued by the passport authorities (Passport Seva / Regional Passport Office) and apostilled by the MEA. If you already live outside India, note the advice of the Embassy of India in Madrid: Spanish authorities usually insist on a PCC from the police authorities in India rather than a consular PCC.
• Language. The New Delhi embassy accepts documents in English or bilingual English and a local language; Mumbai’s pages ask for a Spanish translation for some visa types, and documents filed in Spain may need a sworn translation (traducción jurada). Check the list for your route.
• 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: no agreement with Spain

Spain has no social security agreement with India — India is not among the 26 countries on the Spanish Social Security list. A digital nomad cannot stay in the Indian system with a certificate: an employee must be registered in Spanish Social Security by the foreign employer, and a freelancer registers as autónomo. Without registration the permit can be terminated for the whole family — see residence permit cancellation in Spain.

Taxes: leaving Indian tax residence and moving capital

• Indian residence after the move. From 1 April 2026 residence is set by section 6 of the new Income-tax Act, 2025. You are resident in India if you spend 182 days there in a tax year; for an Indian citizen on a visit the threshold drops to 120 days when Indian income exceeds 15 lakh rupees, and a citizen with such income who is not liable to tax in any other country is deemed resident.
• The treaty. Spain and India have had a double taxation agreement since 12 January 1995 (BOE-A-1995-3165), updated by a protocol in force since 29 December 2014. Unlike many treaties it covers wealth tax as well as income tax. Tax at source on dividends and interest is capped at 15%; private pensions are taxed in the country of residence.
• Moving money out of India. Under the RBI’s Liberalised Remittance Scheme a resident individual can send up to USD 250,000 abroad per financial year, and tax is collected at source on LRS remittances above 10 lakh rupees, at 20% for most purposes. For larger capital, plan transfers over several years and keep the paper trail — Spanish banks will ask for the source of funds.
• 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 India does not allow dual nationality

Spanish citizenship by residence takes ten years for Indian citizens (Civil Code, Article 22.1), and the applicant declares the renunciation of their previous nationality (Article 23 b). On the Indian side, section 9 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 ends Indian citizenship when a citizen voluntarily acquires another one. What remains is the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI): a lifelong multiple-entry visa and general parity with non-resident Indians in economic and financial matters, but without voting rights or public office. Many Indian families therefore stay on long-term residence in Spain rather than naturalise — see Spanish citizenship.

Community, cities and driving

• Community. 63,015 Indian citizens lived in Spain on 1 January 2025 (INE annual census), up 12% in a year. 41% of them are in the province of Barcelona, followed by Girona, Valencia and Madrid. Compare the best cities to live in Spain and Madrid.
• Driving licence. India is not on the DGT list of countries whose licences can be exchanged. An Indian licence can be used for up to six months after you become resident; after that 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 India and abroad, you plan to move capital under the LRS 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 Filipinos, 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 Indians get the Spain digital nomad visa?

Yes. Indian citizens who work remotely for a company outside Spain or serve foreign clients can apply at the Embassy in New Delhi or the Consulate General in Mumbai, depending on their state, 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.

What is the income requirement for Indian applicants in 2026?

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

Do I apply in New Delhi or in Mumbai?

It depends on your state. Mumbai covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry; New Delhi covers the north, east and north-east, including Delhi NCR, Punjab, Rajasthan and West Bengal.

Do Indian documents need an apostille for Spain?

Yes. Indian public documents need an apostille from the Ministry of External Affairs, which has been valid between India and Spain since 12 February 2008.

Does India have a social security agreement with Spain?

No. A digital nomad from India must be registered in Spanish Social Security, by the foreign employer for employees or as autónomo for freelancers.

Will I still pay tax in India after moving to Spain?

Only on Indian-source income once you stop being resident in India under section 6 of the Income-tax Act, 2025: fewer than 182 days a year, or fewer than 120 days if your Indian income exceeds 15 lakh rupees. The Spain–India treaty credits tax paid in one country against the other.

Can an Indian keep Indian citizenship after becoming Spanish?

No. India ends citizenship when another one is acquired voluntarily, and Spain asks Indian applicants to renounce their previous nationality. Former Indian citizens can apply for OCI.

Sources

• Embassy of Spain in New Delhi — digital nomad visa
• Spanish consular districts in India
• Embassy of Spain in New Delhi — consular fees
• Law 14/2013 (digital nomads, entrepreneurs)
• Immigration Regulation RD 1155/2024
• HCCH — Apostille Convention status table
• Spanish Social Security — bilateral agreements
• Spain–India double taxation agreement (BOE)
• Income-tax Act, 2025 — section 6
• RBI — Liberalised Remittance Scheme
• MEA — Overseas Citizenship of India
• INE — population by nationality, 1 January 2025