Moving to Spain from Uzbekistan in 2026: visas, residence permits, documents and taxes

To move to Spain, a citizen of Uzbekistan needs a national D visa or a residence permit on one of the general grounds: remote work, living on capital, employment, study, business or family reunification. There is no special regime for Uzbek passport holders: the requirements are the same as for other foreigners.

Spain has no embassy in Uzbekistan. Visas for Uzbek citizens are issued by the Consulate General of Spain in Moscow, and applications for most national visas are accepted by the BLS visa centre in Tashkent. The digital nomad visa can only be filed in person in Moscow, so many people enter Spain on a Schengen visa and apply for this permit from inside the country.

Documents from Uzbekistan need an apostille. For the consulate in Moscow, the Uzbek text is first translated into Russian and the translation is certified at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Moscow, then it is translated into Spanish. The criminal record certificate is ordered on my.gov.uz and is ready in two working days.

Do Uzbek citizens need a visa, and where do they apply

Citizens of Uzbekistan need a visa to enter the Schengen area: the country is listed in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806. To move, you need not a Schengen C tourist visa but a national D visa, or a residence permit obtained in Spain. How the short-stay visa works is covered in our article on the Schengen visa.

• Spain has no embassy in Tashkent. The ambassador is accredited from Moscow (Embassy of Spain in Moscow). Since October 2025 a diplomatic “antenna” of the embassy has operated in Tashkent (BOE-A-2025-20355), but it does not handle visas. The honorary consulate of Spain in Tashkent does not issue visas either.
• The consular district is the Consulate General of Spain in Moscow. It covers Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (consular district).
• The BLS visa centre in Tashkent (5A Shakhrisabz Street, Seoul Plaza business centre) accepts Schengen visas and most national visas: study, family reunification, highly qualified professionals and intra-company transfers, employment, non-lucrative, internships and research (BLS FAQ). The decision is taken by the consulate in Moscow.
• The digital nomad visa is filed only at the Consulate General in Moscow, in person and by appointment (consulate page). It is not on the BLS Tashkent list.
• Connections in Spain. Since 15 September 2023, Uzbek citizens need an airport transit visa to change planes at a Spanish airport (consulate notice).

Which residence route to choose

The route depends on where your income comes from, not on your citizenship. For Uzbek citizens the conditions are the same as for everyone else; only the place of filing differs. All routes and their conditions are collected in our overview of the Spanish residence permit.

The golden visa for buying property no longer exists: it was abolished from 3 April 2025. What remains for investors is covered in our article on residence by investment.

Digital nomad visa: why applying from Spain is easier

From Uzbekistan there is only one way to apply for the digital nomad visa: book an appointment at the Consulate General of Spain in Moscow and go there in person. That means a trip to Russia and time spent waiting for a slot.

The second route is expressly allowed by law. Under Article 74 quinquies of Ley 14/2013, a foreigner staying lawfully in Spain can apply for the remote worker permit on the spot. A citizen of Uzbekistan enters on a Schengen C visa and, while the visa is valid, applies to the UGE, the unit that handles these cases online. The application extends your lawful stay until the decision, and the deadline for a reply is 20 days (Article 76). The permit is granted for up to three years and renewed for two.

• Income threshold for 2026: €2,849 a month for the main applicant, €1,068 for the first family member and €356 for each additional one. A family of three, the applicant with a spouse and a child, needs €4,274 a month.
• Criminal record. The consulate in Moscow requires a certificate from the countries where you lived in the last two years and a declaration of no convictions for five years. The Uzbek certificate needs an apostille.
• Taxes. A digital nomad can opt for the Beckham Law: 24% on Spanish income up to €600,000 a year instead of the progressive scale. The choice is made within six months of registering with Social Security and cannot be made later.

Conditions, documents and renewal are covered in detail in our article on the digital nomad visa.

Non-lucrative residence: for people with capital

The non-lucrative permit suits those who live on income from capital: renting out flats in Tashkent, dividends, deposit interest or a pension. You cannot work in Spain on this permit. It is filed through BLS in Tashkent and decided by the consulate in Moscow (consulate page).

• How much money you need: €2,400 a month, or €28,800 a year, for the main applicant, plus €600 a month for each family member. A family of three needs €3,600 a month. The funds are proven by income or by a bank balance.
• Insurance: a private policy from a Spanish insurer with no co-payments and no waiting periods, paid for a year; which companies qualify is covered in our article on health insurance.
• A criminal record certificate covering five years from every country where you lived, with an apostille.

For a family with capital this is the main route: it requires neither a job nor a business in Spain, and after five years it leads to permanent residence. More on the non-lucrative residence page.

Study, work and startups

According to Eurostat, in 2025 Uzbek citizens received 284 first residence permits in Spain, almost twice as many as in 2024 (147). More than half were for work (141), followed by family (91) and study (33) (Eurostat).

• Study. You need admission to a university or course and means of support. The student visa allows part-time work, and after your studies you can switch to a work permit. Details in our articles on the student visa and studying in Spain.
• Employment. The Spanish employer requests the authorisation, and once it is approved you apply for the visa at BLS. For well-paid specialists the highly qualified professional route is faster. More in our article on the work visa.
• Startup. ENISA approves the business plan, after which a visa or permit is issued. Conditions on the startup visa page.

Moving with your family

With the digital nomad, non-lucrative and highly qualified routes, the family can apply together with the main applicant. If one spouse already lives in Spain, the others come through family reunification, filed at BLS in Tashkent.

The key detail is the marriage certificate and the children’s birth certificates. They are apostilled by the justice department and then translated. The consulate will not accept a document without an apostille, and redoing it from Spain takes a long time.

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Documents from Uzbekistan: apostille, criminal record, translation

Uzbekistan has been a party to the Hague Convention since 15 April 2012, and Spain raised no objection. Uzbek documents for Spain are therefore certified with an apostille; consular legalisation is not needed.

The list of authorities comes from the Hague Conference (HCCH). A document can be submitted for an apostille online through my.gov.uz, usually within two working days.

• The criminal record certificate is ordered online on my.gov.uz and is ready in two working days. Spanish law does not set its validity, but in practice it is treated as valid for three months from the date of issue, so order it last. General rules in our article on the criminal record certificate.
• Translation for the consulate in Moscow. Documents in Uzbek are first translated into Russian, the translation is certified at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Moscow, and then they are translated into Spanish (consulate legalisation section).
• Translation for applications in Spain. You need an official translation into Spanish; how to get one is covered in our article on sworn translation.

Taxes: what to decide before the move

Spain and Uzbekistan have a double taxation treaty: signed on 8 July 2013, in force since 19 September 2015 (BOE-A-2015-9736). It covers taxes on income and on capital. Tax paid in Uzbekistan is credited in Spain rather than paid twice.

• Residence. More than 183 days in Spain in a year makes you a tax resident on your worldwide income. How days and the centre of interests are counted is covered in our article on tax residency.
• Assets abroad. Flats, accounts and shareholdings in Uzbekistan worth more than €50,000 per category are declared on Modelo 720. The first return covers the year in which you became resident.
• Large transactions. Selling a business or property in Uzbekistan is better planned before the year of the move: after it, the income goes into your Spanish return, and Uzbek tax can only be credited within the limits of the treaty.
• Family and inheritance. Spain taxes gifts and inheritances, and the reliefs depend on the region. See our article on inheritance and gift tax.
• Contributions. There is no social security agreement with Uzbekistan (list of agreements): Uzbek work years are not added up for a Spanish pension.

Money: cards, cash and a bank account

• Cards. Domestic Humo and Uzcard cards do not work abroad. Co-branded Visa-HUMO, UzCard-MasterCard and UzCard-UnionPay cards do. Cards from Uzbek banks can also be used to pay by QR through the bank’s app wherever Alipay+ is accepted (HUMO Alipay+).
• Cash when leaving. Foreign currency worth up to 100 million soums can be taken out without restriction (lex.uz explanation). Raising the threshold to $10,000 is only planned under a decree of 27 August 2026; there is no law yet.
• Cash when arriving. Amounts of €10,000 or more per person are declared at Spanish customs; thresholds and forms in our article on declaring cash.
• A Spanish account. With a D visa or residence permit, opening an account is easier; the bank will check the source of funds. Details in our article on opening a bank account in Spain.

Driving licence and diploma

Spain and Uzbekistan do not exchange driving licences: the country is not on the DGT list (countries with an agreement). You can drive on an Uzbek licence for six months from the date you obtain residence (RD 818/2009, Art. 21); after that you need a Spanish licence, with the theory and driving tests from scratch. How to get one is covered in our article on driving licences in Spain.

Diplomas are recognised through the Valida-TE portal: homologation for regulated professions such as doctors, engineers and teachers, and equivalence for the rest (ministry). You need an apostille from the State Testing Centre and an official translation. Timelines and costs in our article on degree homologation.

Your first weeks in Spain

• The flight. Since spring 2025 Uzbekistan Airways has flown Tashkent–Madrid once a week, on Mondays (airline); check the current schedule. Otherwise, connect via Istanbul, Doha, Abu Dhabi or Frankfurt. A connection in Spain requires a transit visa.
• TIE. With a D visa, apply for your foreigner’s card, the TIE, within a month of arrival.
• Registration. Empadronamiento at the town hall is needed for the TIE, school and the doctor.
• The NIE comes with your visa or permit; how it works is explained in our article on the NIE.

Permanent residence and citizenship: with an Uzbek passport you will have to choose

After five years of legal residence you can obtain permanent residence, which lets you keep Uzbek citizenship. Spanish citizenship is granted after ten years of residence (Civil Code, Article 22); the shorter periods do not apply to Uzbekistan. On naturalisation you must renounce your previous citizenship (Article 23 of the Código Civil).

Uzbekistan does not recognise dual citizenship either: Article 12 of the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and under Article 25 citizenship is lost on voluntarily acquiring another one (Law ZRU-610 on lex.uz). The choice between passports is therefore unavoidable, and a family with assets in Uzbekistan should think it through in advance. The procedure is covered in our article on Spanish citizenship.

Uzbeks in Spain: how many and where they live

The Uzbek community in Spain is small. INE statistics have no separate line for Uzbekistan, but according to Eurostat, at the end of 2025 Uzbek citizens held 909 valid residence permits, and 450 people had long-term resident status (Eurostat). On 1 January 2025, 278 Uzbek citizens lived in Catalonia (Idescat).

Most live in Madrid and Barcelona. The Embassy of Uzbekistan is in Madrid. For comparison with a neighbouring diaspora, see our article on Kazakhs in Spain.

Frequently asked questions

Do Uzbek citizens need a visa for Spain?

Yes. A trip requires a Schengen visa, and a move requires a national D visa or a residence permit. A connection at a Spanish airport also requires a transit visa.

Where can an Uzbek citizen apply for a Spanish visa?

At the BLS visa centre in Tashkent or at the Consulate General of Spain in Moscow. Spain has no embassy in Uzbekistan.

Can I apply for the digital nomad visa in Tashkent?

No. This visa is accepted only by the Consulate General in Moscow, in person and by appointment. The other option is to enter on a Schengen visa and apply for the digital nomad permit with the UGE from inside Spain.

How much money do I need to move in 2026?

For the digital nomad visa, €2,849 a month; for non-lucrative residence, €2,400 a month for the main applicant. The threshold rises for each family member.

How do I get a criminal record certificate from Uzbekistan?

Order it on my.gov.uz; it is ready in two working days. The apostille is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan and can also be requested through my.gov.uz. The consulate in Moscow requires an intermediate translation into Russian.

Can I exchange an Uzbek driving licence for a Spanish one?

No, there is no exchange agreement. You can drive on an Uzbek licence for six months from the date you obtain residence, after which you take the tests for a Spanish licence.

Will I keep Uzbek citizenship if I become a Spanish citizen?

No. Spain requires you to renounce your previous citizenship, and Uzbekistan revokes citizenship for voluntarily acquiring another. Spanish permanent residence lets you keep Uzbek citizenship.

Sources

• Consulate General of Spain in Moscow: consular district; digital nomad visa; non-lucrative visa; legalisation and apostille; transit visa from 15.09.2023
• BOE-A-2025-20355: diplomatic antenna in Tashkent; BLS Spain Visa, Tashkent: FAQ
• Ley 14/2013, Art. 74 quinquies and 76; Código Civil, Art. 22–23; RD 818/2009, Art. 21
• Spain–Uzbekistan double taxation treaty, BOE-A-2015-9736; Seguridad Social: bilateral agreements
• HCCH: apostille authorities in Uzbekistan; my.gov.uz: apostille; my.gov.uz: criminal record certificate; Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Uzbekistan
• DGT: licence exchange countries; Valida-TE; Eurostat: residence permits; Idescat; Uzbekistan Airways