"Do I earn enough?"
If you're thinking about Spain's digital nomad visa, that's the question keeping you up at night. Not the paperwork, not the appointments. The number.
I get some version of this message almost every week, usually with a screenshot of a different blog quoting a different figure. So let's settle it. These are the Spain digital nomad visa income requirements for 2026, with the actual math behind them, so you can stop comparing random numbers on the internet and start planning.
The short answer: €2,849 gross per month, or about €34,188 per year, if you're applying alone.
Bringing family? The thresholds go up:
And yes, it's gross income, before taxes. That surprises people in the best way possible.
This is the part most blogs skip, and it's exactly why they all quote different figures.
The requirement is set at 200% of Spain's minimum wage, the SMI (Salario Mínimo Interprofesional). In February 2026, Spain raised the SMI to €1,221 per month. But here's the twist: in Spain, the minimum wage is paid in 14 installments a year, not 12 (two extra pagas in summer and Christmas, a lovely Spanish tradition).
So the immigration office, the famous UGE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas), does the math on the annual figure: €1,221 × 14 = €17,094 per year. Double it and divide by 12 months, and you land on €2,849 per month.
If you see a site quoting €2,762 or some other number, it's last year's figure. The SMI went up 3.1% in 2026, and the visa threshold went up with it. It quietly rises almost every year, which leads to a practical tip: if you're close to the number today, applying sooner is cheaper than applying later.
The UGE doesn't take your word for it, and this is where applications actually win or lose. What they want to see depends on how you work.
If you're an employee:
If you're a freelancer or contractor:
One thing I always tell people: the documents need to agree with each other. If your contract says $4,000 a month but your bank statements show irregular deposits of $2,500, expect questions. Consistency convinces more than volume.
Also, anything not in Spanish will need an official sworn translation. I wrote a full guide on sworn translations and apostilles in Spain, because that step catches almost everyone off guard.
Not really, and this is the myth I most often have to gently kill.
The digital nomad visa is built around active, ongoing remote income. That's the whole point of it. If your monthly income doesn't reach the threshold, a healthy savings account won't replace it (that's the logic of the non-lucrative visa, which is a different animal).
Where savings do help is at the margins. If your income is right at the line, or slightly irregular because you freelance, solid savings make your file look safer to the person reviewing it. Think of savings as the supporting actor, not the lead.
Here's what nobody tells you: getting approved is the beginning, not the end.
Once your visa or permit is granted, the Spanish admin chain begins. You'll need your fingerprint appointment (toma de huellas), then to collect your TIE card, get your empadronamiento sorted, and probably open a Spanish bank account. Each of those has its own quirks, queues and cita drama.
I moved to Madrid from Peru and went through this chain myself, appointment by appointment. It's all doable. It's just so much easier when someone who's done it fifty times is doing it with you.
At VA in Madrid we work with remote workers through the whole journey: reviewing that your income documents tell a coherent story, preparing the application with an immigration lawyer when your case needs one, and then handling the after-party (citas, huellas, TIE, padrón) once you're approved.
If you want a second pair of eyes on your numbers before you apply, tell us about your case here or just message us on WhatsApp. We'll tell you honestly whether your file is ready or what's missing.
Is the income requirement gross or net?
Gross, before taxes. The €2,849/month is measured before your tax man takes his share.
My income is in dollars or pounds. Does that work?
Yes. Foreign currency income is fine; it's converted to euros when your file is reviewed. Just remember exchange rates move, so leave yourself a cushion rather than landing exactly on the minimum.
My partner also works remotely. Can we combine incomes?
The threshold applies to the main applicant's income. If you both earn remotely, the usual route is for each of you to apply as a main applicant in your own right, which also means each of you only needs the solo amount.
Will the requirement go up again in 2027?
Almost certainly. The threshold follows the SMI, and the SMI has gone up every year for the past decade. The number in this post is current as of July 2026; if you're reading this later, check whether a new SMI has been published.
Do I need to keep earning this amount after I get the visa?
Yes. You'll show income again at renewal, against whatever the SMI is at that time. The visa rewards steady remote income, not a one-time good month.
The 2026 numbers are public, fixed and honestly quite reachable for most remote workers: €2,849 a month for one person, with clear add-ons for family.
So the real question isn't whether you earn enough. You probably already know. The real question is whether your paperwork can prove it in the way the UGE wants to see it.
That part, tranquila, is fixable. And you don't have to figure it out alone.
Written by Layla, a Peruvian VA living in Madrid who has done every one of these trámites in person, so you don't have to learn the hard way.
