Spain digital nomad visa for Mexicans in 2026: requirements, consulates and citizenship in two years

Mexicans 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. Mexicans enter Spain without a visa, so they can apply either at the Spanish consulate for their state — Mexico City, Guadalajara or Monterrey — or online from inside Spain, and after two years of residence they can apply for Spanish citizenship without giving up Mexican nationality.

Below: the requirements in 2026, which consulate covers your state, the criminal record certificate and the apostille, social security, how to stop being a Mexican tax resident with the SAT, and the two-year route to a Spanish passport. General rules for all residence permits are in our guide to Spanish residence permits.

1. Spain digital nomad visa: requirements for Mexicans

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 Mexicans employed by a company in Mexico, the United States or elsewhere outside Spain, 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 pesos 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.

Mexico City, Guadalajara or Monterrey: which consulate covers your state

• Consulate General in Mexico City — 18 states, including Mexico City, the State of Mexico, Yucatán and Quintana Roo. Documents are lodged through BLS International (mexico.blsspainvisa.com).
• Consulate General in Monterrey — nine northern states; applications are lodged at the consulate itself, by appointment requested by email.
• Consulate General in Guadalajara — Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, Aguascalientes and Zacatecas; check the place of submission on its website.

In Mexico City the consulate asks you to obtain an NIE before applying. The legal deadline for a decision is 10 days, and the visa is valid for one year; in Spain you then apply for a residence permit. The visa fee is about 1,900 MXN plus a 358 MXN BLS service charge, and there is no reciprocity fee for Mexicans. Official information: Consulate General of Spain in Mexico City — digital nomad visa.

Applying from inside Spain

Mexicans can stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa and need no airport transit visa. While in Spain legally on this stay, 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. The EU’s ETIAS travel authorisation is not yet running; the EU will announce its start in advance.

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 Mexico: criminal record, apostille, no translation

• Criminal record. The federal Constancia de Antecedentes Penales is issued online by the federal prevention and rehabilitation agency (OADPRS) using your CURP. For the digital nomad visa the Mexico City consulate wants it apostilled and no older than 180 days.
• Apostille. The Apostille Convention has applied between Mexico and Spain since 14 August 1995. Federal documents, including the criminal record certificate, are apostilled by SEGOB — the certificate online since 1 October 2025; civil registry and notarial documents are apostilled by the government of the state that issued them. Mexican consulates in Spain do not issue apostilles.
• No translation. Mexican documents are in Spanish, so they need no translation — one of the simplest document packages for Spain.
• 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 agreement covers pensions

Spain and Mexico have a social security agreement in force since 1 January 1995. It covers pensions only, not health care, and allows postings of up to two years with the ESP/MEX.1 form; there is no separate certificate for remote workers. A digital nomad is therefore 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: leaving Mexico with the SAT and arriving in Spain

• Stopping Mexican residence. A Mexican national is presumed to be a Mexican tax resident. Under Article 9 of the Federal Tax Code you must file a notice of change of tax residence with the SAT no later than 15 days before the change and prove your new residence; without the notice you remain a Mexican resident. If you plan to use the Beckham Law in Spain, check with a Mexican adviser how the SAT treats it.
• The treaty. Spain and Mexico have had a double taxation agreement since 6 October 1994, amended by a protocol in force since 27 September 2017 (text, protocol). It covers wealth tax as well as income tax, but not inheritance or gift tax. Mexico keeps the right to tax gains on shares for the years you were resident there if you lived in Mexico for five years or more (Article 13.9).
• 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 Mexican nationality

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 Ibero-American countries, including Mexico. Mexicans are exempt from renouncing their previous nationality (Article 23 b together with Article 24.1), and under Article 37 A of the Mexican Constitution no Mexican by birth can be deprived of Mexican nationality. No separate dual nationality treaty is needed. The two years count from the start of legal residence, so a Mexican can apply while still on a first three-year digital nomad permit — see fast-track citizenship for Ibero-Americans.

The benefit is for Mexicans by birth: naturalised Mexicans fall under the general ten-year rule, and Mexican law withdraws their nationality when they acquire another.

Community, cities and driving

• Community. 39,650 Mexican citizens lived in Spain on 1 January 2025 (INE annual census), 48% more than in 2021. 32% live in the province of Madrid and 20% in Barcelona, followed by Valencia and Málaga. Compare the best cities to live in Spain and Madrid.
• Driving licence. Mexico is not on the DGT list of countries whose licences can be exchanged. A Mexican licence can be used for the first six months of residence; 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, Chinese citizens, Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Nigerians, Ghanaians, Moroccans, Egyptians, Bangladeshi citizens, Iranians; and from Saudi Arabia, from Qatar, from Singapore.

Frequently asked questions

Can Mexicans get the Spain digital nomad visa?

Yes. Mexicans who work remotely for a company outside Spain or serve foreign clients can apply at the Spanish consulate for their state or online from Spain during a visa-free stay. They need income of at least 200% of the Spanish minimum wage and a degree or three years of experience.

Can a Mexican move to Spain without a visa?

A Mexican can enter Spain without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180, but living there requires a residence permit. Remote workers can request the digital nomad permit from inside Spain during that stay.

Which Spanish consulate do I apply to in Mexico?

The one for your state: Mexico City covers 18 states including Mexico City and Quintana Roo, Monterrey nine northern states, and Guadalajara Jalisco, Colima, Nayarit, Aguascalientes and Zacatecas.

Do Mexican documents need an apostille for Spain?

Yes. Federal documents such as the criminal record certificate are apostilled by SEGOB and civil documents by the state that issued them. Because they are in Spanish, no translation is needed.

Do I have to tell the SAT that I am moving to Spain?

Yes. To stop being a Mexican tax resident you must file a notice of change of tax residence with the SAT at least 15 days before the move; without it you remain resident in Mexico.

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

Two years of legal and continuous residence for Mexicans by birth, instead of the usual ten, and without renouncing Mexican nationality.

Can I exchange a Mexican driving licence in Spain?

No. Mexico is not on the exchange list, so after six months of residence you need to pass the Spanish driving tests.

Sources

• Consulate General of Spain in Mexico City — digital nomad visa
• BLS International Mexico — digital nomad visa
• Law 14/2013 (digital nomads, entrepreneurs)
• Immigration Regulation RD 1155/2024
• Spanish Civil Code, Articles 22–24 (nationality)
• HCCH — Apostille Convention status table
• Spain–Mexico social security agreement (BOE)
• Spain–Mexico double taxation agreement
• Mexican Federal Tax Code (CFF), Article 9
• DGT — countries with licence exchange agreements
• INE — population by nationality, 1 January 2025