Spain digital nomad visa from Saudi Arabia in 2026: for Saudi citizens and expats on iqama

Saudi citizens and expats living in Saudi Arabia on an iqama can get the Spain digital nomad visa: 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. The Embassy of Spain in Riyadh covers the whole kingdom, with BLS visa centres in Riyadh and Jeddah; the visa costs 528.10 riyals per adult with the BLS fees, the decision takes 10 days, and Saudi citizens can also enter on a five-year Schengen visa and apply from inside Spain.

Below: the requirements in 2026, what changes for expats on iqama, applying from Spain, the apostille and the Absher police certificate, social security, the tax treaty and what Spanish tax residence means after the Gulf. For the UAE, see our guide to moving from Dubai to Spain. General rules for all residence permits are in our guide to Spanish residence permits.

1. Spain digital nomad visa: requirements for applicants from Saudi Arabia

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 Saudi citizens and expats employed by a company outside Spain — including in Saudi Arabia — 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 riyals, 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.

Applying in Riyadh or Jeddah

• One embassy. The consular section of the Embassy of Spain in Riyadh covers the whole of Saudi Arabia; Jeddah and Al Khobar have only honorary consulates. Files are lodged at the BLS International centres in Riyadh and Jeddah (saudi.blsspainvisa.com).
• Expats on iqama. The embassy accepts applicants legally resident in Saudi Arabia, not only Saudi citizens. Expats add a copy of the iqama with a Spanish translation and a printout of their status from Absher; family members also need an exit/re-entry visa.
• Before booking. Request an NIE from the embassy by email before the BLS appointment. The BLS checklist is stricter than the embassy page — a passport valid for 15 months, police certificates for the last five years and a medical certificate — so prepare to the checklist.
• Fees and decision. 396 riyals for the visa, 47 riyals for form 790 and an 85.10 riyal BLS service charge — 528.10 riyals per adult. 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 Riyadh — digital nomad visa and the BLS checklist.

Applying from inside Spain

Saudi Arabia is on the EU visa-required list, but since 22 April 2024 Saudi citizens living in the kingdom receive a five-year multiple-entry Schengen visa on their first application; expats follow the usual sequence of one-, two- and five-year visas. No airport transit visa is needed. Once in Spain legally, within the 90 days of a 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.

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 Saudi Arabia: apostille, Absher certificate, translations

• Apostille. Saudi Arabia has applied the Apostille Convention since 7 December 2022, with no objections, so Saudi documents are apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (30 riyals per the HCCH entry) — no consular legalisation, unlike the UAE. HCCH status table.
• Police certificate. The criminal record certificate is issued by the police through Absher; the embassy expects it apostilled and translated by a sworn translator. Expats also need certificates from the countries where they lived in the last five years, per the BLS checklist.
• Translations. Documents in Arabic — and the apostille itself — 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: no agreement with Spain

Spain has no social security agreement with Saudi Arabia, so GOSI contributions cannot replace Spanish ones. An employee must be registered in Spanish Social Security by the foreign employer, and a freelancer registers as autónomo; as for applicants from Dubai, the autónomo route is often the practical one, because few Gulf employers register staff in Spain. Without registration the permit can be terminated for the whole family — see residence permit cancellation in Spain.

Taxes: from the Gulf to Spanish tax residence

• The treaty. Spain and Saudi Arabia have had a double taxation agreement since 1 October 2008 (text). Tax at source is capped at 5% on dividends and interest and 8% on royalties. Its protocol limits wealth taxation only where both countries levy such a tax, so it does not shield you from Spanish wealth tax, and it lets Spain tax income that Saudi Arabia does not.
• Not a tax haven for Spain. Saudi Arabia is not on Spain’s list of non-cooperative jurisdictions, so income from Saudi companies is treated under the ordinary rules and the treaty.
• Plan before the move. After the Gulf, Spanish residence is the big change: worldwide income and worldwide wealth. Wealth tax applies above the €700,000 allowance, with the main home exempt up to €300,000; decide the region and the timing of asset sales before you arrive.
• 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 (Civil Code, Article 22.1), and the applicant declares the renunciation of their previous nationality (Article 23 b). Under Saudi nationality rules a citizen may not acquire another nationality without government permission. Many families from the Gulf therefore stay on long-term residence, available after five years — see Spanish citizenship.

Community, cities and driving

• Community. 1,058 Saudi citizens were registered in Spanish municipal registers on 1 January 2022, mainly in Madrid (358), Málaga (188) and Cádiz (178). Compare the best cities to live in Spain, Marbella and Madrid.
• Driving licence. Saudi Arabia is not on the DGT list of countries whose licences can be exchanged. A Saudi 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, South Africans, Mexicans, Nigerians, Ghanaians, Moroccans, Egyptians, Bangladeshi citizens; and from Qatar, from Singapore.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for the Spain digital nomad visa from Saudi Arabia?

Yes, both as a Saudi citizen and as an expat legally resident on an iqama. Files are lodged at BLS in Riyadh or Jeddah for the Embassy of Spain in Riyadh; you need income of at least 200% of the Spanish minimum wage and a degree or three years of experience.

Can expats on iqama apply in Riyadh?

Yes. The embassy accepts applicants legally resident in Saudi Arabia. Add a copy of the iqama with a Spanish translation and an Absher status printout; family members also need an exit/re-entry visa.

How much does the Spanish digital nomad visa cost in Saudi Arabia?

396 riyals for the visa, 47 riyals for form 790 and an 85.10 riyal BLS service charge — 528.10 riyals per adult.

Do Saudi documents need an apostille for Spain?

Yes. Since 7 December 2022 Saudi documents are apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and need no consular legalisation; they are then translated into Spanish.

Do Saudi citizens get a long Schengen visa?

Since 22 April 2024 Saudi citizens living in the kingdom receive a five-year multiple-entry Schengen visa on their first application. Expats follow the usual one-, two- and five-year sequence.

Is there a tax treaty between Spain and Saudi Arabia?

Yes, since 1 October 2008. It caps tax at source at 5% on dividends and interest, but it does not shield residents from Spanish wealth tax.

Does the Beckham Law apply to digital nomads from Saudi Arabia?

Only to digital nomads employed by a company. Freelancers registered as autónomos cannot opt for the Beckham regime.

Sources

• Embassy of Spain in Riyadh — digital nomad visa
• BLS International Saudi Arabia — digital nomad checklist
• 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–Saudi Arabia double taxation agreement
• Spanish Wealth Tax Law 19/1991
• DGT — countries with licence exchange agreements