Spain digital nomad visa for South Africans in 2026: requirements, Pretoria or Cape Town, exit tax and the RA

South Africans 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. South African citizens need a Schengen visa, so most apply at the Spanish consulate for their province — the Embassy in Pretoria or the Consulate General in Cape Town — through BLS; the visa costs 1,775 rand plus a 333 rand BLS fee, with no reciprocity fee.

Below: the requirements in 2026, which consulate covers your province, the SAPS police clearance and the apostille, social security, and the South African side of leaving — the section 9H exit charge, notifying SARS and your retirement annuity. General rules for all residence permits are in our guide to Spanish residence permits.

1. Spain digital nomad visa: requirements for South Africans

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 South Africans employed by a company outside Spain — including a South African one — and freelancers and consultants 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 rand, keep a wide 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.

Pretoria or Cape Town: which consulate covers your province

Files are lodged at the BLS International centres in Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban (sa.blsspainvisa.com). The digital nomad visa costs 1,775 rand (the same for children) plus a 333 rand BLS service charge; South Africans pay no reciprocity fee. 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: Embassy of Spain in Pretoria — digital nomad visa.

Applying from inside Spain

South African citizens are on the EU visa-required list, so the route of entering visa-free and applying in Spain is not open to them; no airport transit visa is needed. Applying from Spain is possible only during a lawful stay, for example on a Schengen visa. 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 South Africa: SAPS clearance, apostille, translations

• Police clearance. The SAPS Police Clearance Certificate is based on fingerprints, costs R190 according to SAPS and takes about 15 working days; it is issued on paper only. DIRCO apostilles it only if it is no older than six months — order it in step with the application. SAPS clearance
• Apostille. The Apostille Convention has applied between South Africa and Spain since 30 April 1995. Home Affairs documents and the police clearance are apostilled by DIRCO in Pretoria, free of charge and by appointment only; other documents by the High Court. Birth and marriage certificates must be the full (unabridged) versions.
• Translations. Documents in English need a sworn Spanish translation (traducción jurada) for a residence application in 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: no agreement with Spain

Spain has no social security agreement with South Africa, so there is no coverage certificate to keep you in the South African system. A digital nomad is registered in Spanish Social Security — an employee by the foreign employer, a freelancer as autónomo — and needs private health insurance. Without registration the permit can be terminated for the whole family — see residence permit cancellation in Spain.

Taxes: leaving South Africa and arriving in Spain

• Exit charge. When you stop being a South African tax resident, section 9H of the Income Tax Act treats your worldwide assets — except South African immovable property and a few other assets — as sold at market value on the day before residence ends. Plan the timing and the cash for this tax with a South African adviser.
• Ceasing residence. Residence ends on the facts (ordinarily resident) or under the physical presence test, including the 330-day rule; you notify SARS on the RAV01 form.
• Retirement annuity. An RA can be withdrawn in full before retirement once you have been non-resident for three consecutive years and stopped contributing; the old route of emigration recognised by the Reserve Bank was removed from 1 September 2024.
• The treaty. Spain and South Africa have had a double taxation agreement since 28 December 2007 (BOE-A-2008-2672), modified by the MLI from 2024. It covers Spanish wealth tax as well as income tax. Private pensions are taxed in the country of residence.
• 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 in Spain

Spanish citizenship by residence takes ten years for South African citizens (Civil Code, Article 22.1), and the applicant signs a declaration renouncing their previous nationality (Article 23 b). Since 6 May 2025 South Africa no longer removes citizenship automatically when a citizen acquires another one, following the Constitutional Court ruling; whether the Spanish renunciation declaration counts as a voluntary renunciation under South African law is worth checking with a South African lawyer — see Spanish citizenship.

Community, cities and driving

• Community. 2,324 South African citizens lived in Spain on 1 January 2025 (INE), 49% more than four years earlier, most of them in Barcelona, the Balearic Islands, Madrid, Málaga and Alicante. Compare the best cities to live in Spain, Málaga and Mallorca.
• Driving licence. South Africa is not on the DGT list of countries whose licences can be exchanged. A South African 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, Chinese citizens, Australians, New Zealanders, Mexicans, Nigerians, Ghanaians, Moroccans, Egyptians, Bangladeshi citizens; and from Saudi Arabia, from Qatar, from Singapore.

Frequently asked questions

Can South Africans get the Spain digital nomad visa?

Yes. South Africans who work remotely for a company outside Spain or serve foreign clients can apply at the Spanish consulate for their province or from Spain during a lawful stay. They need income of at least 200% of the Spanish minimum wage and a degree or three years of experience.

Do South Africans need a visa for Spain?

Yes, a Schengen visa for short trips, but no airport transit visa. Because a visa is needed to enter, applying for the digital nomad permit from Spain is possible only during a lawful stay, for example on a Schengen visa.

Do I apply in Pretoria or Cape Town?

It depends on your province. Pretoria covers Gauteng, Free State, Limpopo, North West, Mpumalanga and Lesotho; Cape Town covers the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Files are lodged at BLS in Pretoria, Cape Town or Durban.

How much does the Spain digital nomad visa cost in South Africa?

1,775 rand for the visa, the same for children, plus a 333 rand BLS service charge. South Africans pay no reciprocity fee.

Which police clearance do I need?

The fingerprint-based SAPS Police Clearance Certificate, apostilled by DIRCO while it is no older than six months, and translated into Spanish.

What happens to my retirement annuity if I move to Spain?

You can withdraw it in full once you have been non-resident for three consecutive years and stopped contributing. The withdrawal is then taxed under the rules of both countries and the treaty.

Will I pay exit tax when I leave South Africa?

Yes, potentially. Under section 9H your worldwide assets, except South African property and a few others, are treated as sold at market value when you cease to be resident, so the gain is taxed in South Africa.

Sources

• Embassy of Spain in Pretoria — digital nomad visa
• Spanish consular districts in South Africa
• BLS International South Africa
• Law 14/2013 (digital nomads, entrepreneurs)
• Immigration Regulation RD 1155/2024
• Spanish Civil Code, Articles 22–24 (nationality)
• HCCH — Apostille Convention status table
• Spanish Social Security — bilateral agreements
• Spain–South Africa double taxation agreement (BOE)
• SAPS — police clearance certificate
• DGT — countries with licence exchange agreements
• INE — population by nationality, 1 January 2025