So the Spanish Golden Visa is gone. If you were planning to buy a beautiful property on the Atlantic coast and get Spanish residency through that purchase, I'm sure you've heard the news by now. The program officially ended on April 3, 2025, and the Spanish government isn't accepting new applications for residency through property investment anymore. That's just the reality we're working with.
But here's what nobody seems to be saying loudly enough: the end of the Golden Visa doesn't mean the end of moving to Spain. It doesn't mean you can't buy that gorgeous house overlooking the Cantabrian Sea or that charming stone cottage in Galicia. It just means you need a different residency path if you want to spend more than 90 days at a time in your Spanish property.
And honestly? For a lot of people, especially those of you with stable foreign income, pensions, rental properties, investment dividends, or royalties, the alternatives to the Golden Visa might actually work out better anyway. They're less expensive, more straightforward, and in many ways better suited to people who actually want to live in Spain rather than just
hold a residency card as a backup plan.
Let me walk you through the main options for getting Spanish residency in 2025, with a particular focus on what makes sense for the kind of clients we typically work with on the Atlantic coast. People who have done well in life, who have passive income streams or solid retirement funds, who want to enjoy Spain's quality of life without necessarily working here.
Why the Golden Visa Ended and What It Means
First, let's quickly talk about why Spain killed the Golden Visa, because understanding the reasoning helps you understand what they're looking for now. The Spanish government, like governments in Portugal and other countries, decided that allowing wealthy foreigners to buy residency through real estate was driving up property prices and making housing less affordable for Spanish residents. Whether that was actually true or just convenient political narrative is debatable, but either way, the decision is made.
The Golden Visa required a 500,000 euro property investment, which is substantial but was accessible to a lot of international buyers. What it didn't require was actually living in Spain. You could maintain your residency by visiting just once per year. For people who wanted a European residency option as a backup or for Schengen travel rights, it was perfect. For Spain, it meant they were granting residency to people who weren't really contributing to Spanish society or the economy beyond the initial property purchase.
The alternatives Spain is promoting now all have one thing in common: they require you to actually live in Spain. That's the trade-off. Less money required upfront, but more commitment to being physically present in the country. If you were planning to buy Spanish property and actually spend significant time here anyway, this might not be a downside at all.
The Non-Lucrative Visa: Your Most Likely Option
For most of our clients who have passive income or are retired, the Non-Lucrative Visa is going to be the best alternative to the Golden Visa. This visa has been around forever, it's well-established, the process is clear, and it's designed exactly for people in your situation.
The Non-Lucrative Visa, sometimes called the retirement visa or the financially independent visa, allows non-EU citizens to live in Spain without working. The core concept is simple: you prove you have enough money to support yourself without needing a Spanish job, and Spain gives you residency. No massive property investment required. No business setup needed. Just financial independence.
Here's what you need to qualify. First, sufficient passive income or savings. For 2025, that means approximately 28,800 euros per year for the main applicant, which works out to about 2,400 euros per month. If you're bringing your spouse, add another 7,200 euros per year. For each dependent child, add another 7,200 euros per year. These numbers are based on Spain's IPREM calculation, which is 400 percent for the main applicant and 100 percent for each dependent.
Now, 28,800 euros per year is not a huge amount, especially compared to the 500,000 euro property investment the Golden Visa required. Most retirees with decent pensions easily exceed this. Anyone with rental properties generating steady income will qualify. People living off investment dividends or interest typically have no problem. If you're receiving royalties from intellectual property, that counts. Essentially, any passive income that's regular and documentable works.
You can also qualify based on savings alone, though this requires a larger sum. The general rule of thumb is having at least 12 times the annual requirement in liquid savings, so roughly 350,000 euros for a single person or around 430,000 euros for a couple. If you've got that sitting in the bank, you can get the Non-Lucrative Visa even without ongoing passive income.
Second requirement: comprehensive private health insurance. You need coverage valid in Spain with no deductibles or copayments. This isn't expensive, typically a few hundred euros per month depending on your age and health status, and plenty of insurance companies offer policies specifically designed for Non-Lucrative Visa applicants.
Third: a clean criminal record from your home country and any country where you've lived for the past five years. Fourth: proof of accommodation in Spain, either a rental contract or property ownership documents. And fifth: your NIE number, which is your Spanish tax identification number that every foreigner needs for official transactions in Spain.
The big catch with the Non-Lucrative Visa is that you cannot work in Spain. Not for a Spanish employer, not as a freelancer with Spanish clients, nothing. The visa is explicitly for people who don't need to earn Spanish income because they're financially independent. If you're retired, this is perfect. If you're living off passive income from sources outside Spain, this is perfect. If you need to actively work to support yourself, you need a different visa.
The other important requirement is physical presence. You need to spend at least 183 days per year in Spain to maintain your residency. This is half the year plus one day. Spain wants residents who actually live here, not people who show up for a week and disappear. If you're buying property on the Atlantic coast because you genuinely want to spend your time here, this shouldn't be a problem. If you were hoping to maintain residency while living elsewhere most of the year, the Non-Lucrative Visa won't work.
How the Non-Lucrative Visa Actually Works
The initial visa is granted for one year. You apply at a Spanish consulate in your home country, they review your documents, and if approved, you get a visa that allows you to enter Spain and begin your residency. Once you're in Spain, you apply for your actual residence card, which is called a TIE.
After that first year, you can renew for two years, then again for two more years. After five years of continuous residence, you become eligible for permanent residency, which no longer requires renewals and gives you essentially the same rights as Spanish citizens except voting in national elections. After ten years of legal residence, you can apply for Spanish citizenship if you want.
There's a special accelerated path for citizens of Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Portugal, and Equatorial Guinea, as well as people of Sephardic Jewish origin. If you're from one of these places, you can apply for citizenship after just two years of residence instead of ten. That's a huge advantage if it applies to you.
The application process takes a few months from start to finish. You gather all your documents, get everything properly translated into Spanish by a sworn translator, some documents need apostilles to certify they're legitimate, and then you submit everything to the Spanish consulate. Processing times vary by consulate but generally run anywhere from two to four months. Once approved, you have a limited time to actually move to Spain and register your residence.
The financial requirements for renewal are important to understand. When you renew after the first year, you need to prove you still meet the income thresholds. Some people worry about this, but if your income is from pensions or stable investments, it's not usually an issue. The consulates want to see that your financial situation hasn't drastically changed and that you can still support yourself.
One question people always ask: can you buy property on a Non-Lucrative Visa? Absolutely yes. The visa doesn't require property ownership, but it also doesn't prohibit it. Many people on Non-Lucrative Visas buy homes in Spain. You're not getting residency through the property purchase the way the Golden Visa worked, but owning property certainly helps your case because it proves you have strong ties to Spain and a place to live.
The Digital Nomad Visa: If You Have Active Remote Income
Now, if you have income that requires some active work on your part, but that work is done remotely for clients or employers outside Spain, the Digital Nomad Visa might fit better than the Non-Lucrative Visa. This visa was introduced in 2023 specifically for remote workers.
The Digital Nomad Visa is perfect for people who work remotely for foreign companies or who are freelancers with international clients. You can be employed by a company based outside Spain, as long as your work can be done remotely from Spanish territory. Or you can be self-employed, providing services to clients, with the restriction that no more than 20 percent of your income can come from Spanish clients.
The income requirement for the Digital Nomad Visa is 2,763 euros per month for 2025, which works out to about 33,000 euros per year. That's slightly higher than the Non-Lucrative Visa requirement. For a couple, you need 3,797 euros per month combined. For each child, add 346 euros per month.
This income must come from your remote work or freelance activities. You need to prove you've been working in your current capacity for at least three months before applying. For employees, that means showing your employment contract and recent pay slips demonstrating remote work. For freelancers, you need contracts or invoices showing you have stable clients and regular income.
You also need either a university degree or at least three years of professional experience in your field. Spain wants to ensure Digital Nomad Visa holders are skilled professionals, not people who might struggle to find work if their remote income dries up.
The visa is initially granted for one year, renewable up to three years, then renewable again for two more years. Like the Non-Lucrative Visa, you can eventually get permanent residency after five years and citizenship after ten years.
One significant advantage of the Digital Nomad Visa is tax treatment. Under Spain's Beckham Law, Digital Nomad Visa holders can qualify for special tax treatment where you pay a flat 24 percent tax rate on income up to 600,000 euros per year, instead of the progressive Spanish income tax that can reach much higher rates. This is a substantial benefit for high earners.
The downside is that the Digital Nomad Visa requires you to actually continue working. If you're trying to retire and stop working, this isn't the right visa. It's specifically for people whose lifestyle involves ongoing remote work or freelance income generation.
For people receiving royalties or licensing income, the Digital Nomad Visa might or might not fit depending on how the Spanish authorities view your situation. If you actively manage licensing deals, negotiate contracts, create new intellectual property, it could qualify as remote work. If you're purely receiving passive royalty payments from work you did years ago, that's more suited to the Non-Lucrative Visa. This is an area where professional advice helps.
Other Options Worth Knowing About
Beyond the Non-Lucrative and Digital Nomad visas, there are a few other residency paths, though they're less likely to fit most of our clients' situations.
The Entrepreneur Visa is for people starting businesses in Spain or making significant investments in Spanish companies. You need a solid business plan, proof that your venture will create jobs or contribute to Spain's economy, and sufficient capital. This is a real commitment to establishing a business operation in Spain, not just buying property and living here.
The Startup Visa is similar but specifically for innovative tech-focused startups. You need approval from ENISA, Spain's national innovation company, certifying that your project is genuinely innovative and has growth potential. Most people looking to buy property on the Atlantic coast and enjoy Spanish life aren't interested in launching Spanish startups.
The Highly Qualified Professional Visa is for people with job offers from Spanish companies for high-level technical or management positions. The salary threshold is around 40,000 euros per year for technical roles or 54,000 euros for executive positions. If you're being recruited by a Spanish company, this works, but it requires having that job offer.
There are also student visas if you're enrolling in Spanish educational programs, and various work permits if you have a Spanish job offer, but again, these don't typically match the profile of people who were considering the Golden Visa.
How to Actually Make This Work
Let's talk practically about what you should do if you want to buy property on the Atlantic coast and live in Spain now that the Golden Visa is gone.
First, figure out which visa matches your situation. If you're retired or have passive income and don't need to work, the Non-Lucrative Visa is almost certainly your answer. If you actively work remotely or freelance internationally, look at the Digital Nomad Visa. If neither quite fits, consult an immigration lawyer who specializes in Spanish residency to explore alternatives.
Second, start organizing your financial documentation months before you plan to apply. The biggest reason visa applications get delayed or rejected is inadequate financial documentation. You need bank statements showing your income or savings, pension statements if applicable, rental agreements if you have rental income, investment statements showing dividends, whatever applies to your situation. Everything needs to be recent, typically within the last three to six months, and everything needs to be translated into Spanish by an official sworn translator.
Third, get your health insurance sorted. Don't wait until the last minute. Apply for coverage from a Spanish provider or an international company offering Spanish-compliant policies. Make sure the policy explicitly states it covers all risks with no deductibles or copayments, because that's what the consulates require.
Fourth, secure your accommodation before applying. You can rent initially if you're not ready to buy, but you need a rental contract or a property deed showing where you'll live in Spain. Some people worry about committing to property before their visa is approved, but you can usually structure rental agreements with contingencies, or you can go ahead and buy property knowing that owning Spanish real estate strengthens your visa application even though it's no longer the pathway to residency itself.
Fifth, be prepared for bureaucracy. Spanish immigration processes involve paperwork, translations, apostilles, appointments at consulates that might be booked months in advance. Start early. Be patient. Follow up regularly but politely. The system works, it's just not always fast.
Why the Atlantic Coast Makes This Easier
One advantage of buying property in Pais Vasco, Cantabria, Asturias, or Galicia compared to the overrun southern coasts is that you genuinely get a better quality of life here, which makes the residency requirements easier to meet. Remember, these visas require you to actually spend significant time in Spain. That's not a burden when you're living somewhere beautiful with authentic culture, excellent food, manageable cost of living, and space to breathe.
The Atlantic coast isn't overrun with expats and tourists the way parts of the Mediterranean coast are. You can actually integrate into Spanish life here. You can learn Spanish through daily interactions with neighbors who aren't themselves foreigners. Your kids can go to local schools where they'll be surrounded by Spanish children, not international students. You'll experience real Spain, not the sanitized tourist version.
The cost of living is also more reasonable, which helps with the financial requirements for visas. The same budget that gets you a small apartment on the Costa del Sol gets you a beautiful house with land in Galicia. Your monthly expenses will be lower, which means the passive income thresholds are easier to meet comfortably with money left over for enjoying life.
And frankly, the lifestyle here suits people who are retired or working remotely better than the party atmosphere of places like Marbella or Ibiza. The Atlantic coast is about quality of life, not nightlife. It's about morning walks along the coast, long lunches with local wine, reading books in your garden, exploring medieval villages, eating incredible seafood. If that's what you want from Spain, you'll have no problem meeting the 183-day residency requirement because you'll want to be here.
The Bottom Line
The Golden Visa is dead, and it's not coming back. Crying about it or waiting for policy changes won't help. What helps is understanding the alternatives and choosing the one that fits your situation.
For most people with the financial means to have considered the Golden Visa in the first place, the Non-Lucrative Visa or Digital Nomad Visa will work fine. Yes, you need to actually live in Spain instead of just holding a residency card. But if your goal was to buy property here and spend significant time enjoying it, that's not a downside, that's the whole point.
The financial requirements are lower than the Golden Visa was. The process is well-established and predictable. The path to permanent residency and eventual citizenship is clear. You still get to buy your dream property on the Atlantic coast. You still get to live in Spain and travel throughout the Schengen area. You just do it through a different administrative pathway.
Work with professionals who understand Spanish immigration law. A good lawyer who specializes in residency applications will save you months of headaches and ensure your application is complete and correct the first time. The legal fees are modest compared to the overall cost of relocating internationally and buying property.
And remember that Spain wants foreign residents who contribute to the country, spend money in local economies, integrate into communities, and actually live Spanish life. If that's what you want too, the new system is actually designed for you. The people it weeds out are those who wanted a European residency card for convenience without any real connection to Spain.
Buy the property you love on the Atlantic coast. Gather your financial documentation. Apply for the appropriate visa. Move to Spain and start your new life. The Golden Visa might be gone, but Spain itself is still here, still beautiful, still welcoming people who want to make it their home. You just need a slightly different stamp in your passport to make it official.
