The international telework visa and residence permit allow foreign professionals who work remotely for companies or clients based mainly outside Spain to live in the country.
Residence for international telework is designed for third-country nationals who wish to settle in Spain and continue working remotely, using computer, online or telecommunication tools, for companies or clients located outside Spain.
Unlike non-lucrative residence, this route does allow you to carry on a professional activity or employment. The key is that this activity must be linked mainly to other countries. In an employment relationship, the employer must be located outside Spain and the company must authorise remote work. For self-employed professionals, some activity with Spanish clients is possible, but it must be limited and properly documented, as explained below.
It should not be confused with a general permit to work in Spain. The essential element is that the activity can be carried out remotely and that the main economic centre of the work lies outside the Spanish market.
International telework suits people who already have a stable professional activity before coming to Spain. It is not designed for those who wish to move first and look for work later, but for those who can prove a prior, genuine and documented employment or professional relationship.
Employees must prove their employment relationship with a foreign company and that company's authorisation to work remotely from Spain. Independent professionals must prove a commercial relationship with one or more companies not located in Spain, as well as the terms of the service.
Qualifications must also be proven: a university degree, vocational training, a programme at a business school of recognised standing, or at least three years' professional experience in the sector.
The financial threshold is calculated on the basis of the Salario Mínimo Interprofesional (SMI, the Spanish national minimum wage). Taking the 2026 SMI (€1,221/month) as a reference, the indicative amounts would be:
| Family composition | Calculation | Monthly minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Single applicant | 200% SMI | €2,442 |
| Applicant + spouse | 200% + 75% SMI | €3,357.75 |
| Applicant + spouse + 1 child | 200% + 75% + 25% SMI | €3,663 |
| Applicant + spouse + 2 children | 200% + 75% + 25% + 25% SMI | €3,968.25 |
These amounts are a minimum reference. In practice, the financial documentation must show that the income comes from a genuine, stable professional activity or employment that is compatible with international telework. The analysis is not limited to a monthly figure: it also considers the stability of the income, the currency in which it is paid, the length of the contracts and the overall consistency of the professional model.
This is one of the points that causes the most confusion. In an employment relationship, the work must be performed for companies based outside Spain. For self-employed professional activity, however, the regulations allow work for a company located in Spain, provided that this work does not exceed 20% of the total professional activity.
This means that a self-employed or independent professional may have some activity with Spanish clients, but the main centre of their invoicing and activity must remain outside Spain. And simply declaring that the 20% limit is met is not enough: it must be provable through contracts, invoices and income forecasts.
This route can be pursued in two ways. A person who is outside Spain can apply for the international telework visa at the competent Spanish consulate in their country of residence; a person who is legally in Spain can apply directly for the residence permit to the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE, the government's Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit), electronically.
Choosing between the consular route and the UGE-CE route is not a mere formality. It changes the processing authority, the practical documentation, the timeframes and the timing strategy of the application. It is advisable to analyse the person's current immigration status, the deadlines, the country of residence and when the person wishes to settle in Spain.
Both routes allow people with sufficient financial means to live in Spain, but they are designed for different profiles. Non-lucrative residence is designed for those who can live in Spain without working during the initial period of residence: people living off investment income, retirees, families with substantial assets. International telework, by contrast, is designed for those who do work, but do so remotely for companies or clients that are mainly foreign. If you wish to live in Spain without working, non-lucrative residence is the natural choice. If you wish to keep working remotely from Spain, international telework is probably the better fit.
Moving to Spain can have significant tax consequences. In some cases, international teleworkers may consider the possible application of special tax regimes — including the one known as the regime for workers posted to Spanish territory — provided that the applicable legal conditions are met.
It should not be assumed that this regime applies automatically. Administrative residence and tax residence are separate matters. A person may obtain a residence permit and, at the same time, need a specific analysis of taxation, length of stay, foreign income and professional structure. Where the profile requires it, we coordinate the review with specialist tax advisers.
Not every online activity automatically qualifies for this permit. You must prove that the work is performed remotely for companies or clients that are mainly foreign, and that there is a genuine, prior and documented employment or professional relationship.
For independent professionals, one of the most frequent mistakes is not reviewing the proportion of Spanish clients. If invoices, contracts or activity forecasts cannot show that work for Spanish companies stays within the permitted limit, the application may be weakened.
A generic letter from the foreign company may not be enough. It is advisable to provide documents explaining the employment relationship, length of service, duties, authorisation to telework from Spain, salary, expected duration and the genuine possibility of carrying out the activity remotely.
Moving to Spain to telework may change your tax residence or create new obligations. Making decisions solely from an immigration standpoint, without reviewing the tax impact, can be a mistake for profiles with high income, foreign companies, dividends or complex international activity.
We analyse whether the applicant's profile genuinely fits this permit, and review the employment or professional relationship, the country of the paying companies, the client structure, income, qualifications and the documentation available. We also assess whether it is preferable to apply through the consulate or electronically to the UGE-CE from within Spain. Where there are significant tax implications, we coordinate the review with specialist tax advisers.