Schengen short stay (tourist): US citizens are visa exempt for Schengen short stays. The official EU ETIAS page, checked 2026-10-15, states that ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications are collected at this point, shows a fee of EUR 20 for when the system starts, and says the EU will announce the start date several months in advance. News reports during 2026 said the earlier late 2026 target had slipped; no new start date was confirmed on the official page.
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Living in Spain long term
Spain has two main long stay routes for US passport holders who do not have a Spanish job offer: residence without work, and residence for international telework. The investor residence route often called the Golden Visa closed to new applicants on April 3, 2025. Short stays are limited by the Schengen 90 in 180 day rule.
Numbers on this page apply to holders of a US passport. Page last verified: 2026-10-15
Rules change. Confirm the current rules with the official source or the consulate for Spain before you apply, pay a fee, or book travel around a date in this table.
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| Route | Income required | Investment required | Total cost | Processing time | Days allowed | Renewal rules | Tax residency trigger | Years to permanent residency | Years to citizenship | Last verified | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schengen short stay (tourist) Tourist allowance | Not applicable | Not applicable | No fee as of October 2026. Entry is visa free and ETIAS was not yet in operation, so no authorization fee was charged. The official EU ETIAS site lists a fee of EUR 20 for when the system starts. | No advance application as of this check. ETIAS is not yet in operation. | 90 days in any 180 day period across the Schengen area | Not renewable. Time outside the Schengen area does not reset the rolling 180 day window. | More than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or the center of economic interests in Spain. See the tax note in the research file. | Not a residence status. Short stays do not count toward the 5 years of legal and continuous residence required for long term residence. | Not a residence status. Short stays do not count toward the 10 years of legal residence required for citizenship. | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| Non-lucrative residence visa Passive income | EUR 2,400 per month (EUR 28,800 per year) for the main applicant, plus EUR 600 per month (EUR 7,200 per year) for each family member. The legal test is 400% of IPREM for the main applicant plus 100% of IPREM for each family member (Art. 62, Royal Decree 1155/2024). IPREM is EUR 600 per month, and Spanish consulates state the resulting euro amounts directly. | None. | USD 153 in consular fees for US nationals, split into a USD 140 visa fee and a USD 13 initial residence authorization fee, per the Spanish Consulate in Houston. The initial authorization fee is EUR 10.94 in the official fee order (Orden PJC/617/2025, form 790 code 052, section 2.1.1). After arrival, the first Foreigner Identity Card costs EUR 16.08 (form 790 code 012, section 4.2 of the same order). The renewal authorization fee is EUR 16.40 (section 2.2.1). | The official US consulate page states a legal decision term of 1 month counted from the day after the favorable residence authorization is received. Art. 63.4 of Royal Decree 1155/2024 sets the same 1 month term for the residence authorization decision. Renewal decisions have a 3 month legal term and count as approved if it passes without an answer (Art. 64.8). | Visa valid for 365 days. A Foreigner Identity Card must be requested within 1 month of entering Spain. The initial residence authorization runs 1 year (Art. 61.4, Royal Decree 1155/2024). | Renewable in 2 year periods (Art. 64.7, Royal Decree 1155/2024). Apply during the 2 months before the authorization expires, or within 3 months after expiry with a possible sanction process. Renewal requires the same means as the initial grant (400% of IPREM plus 100% per family member), health insurance kept in force, the renewal fee paid, and real and effective residence in Spain of more than 183 days during the calendar year (Art. 64.2). One 1 year grant plus two 2 year renewals reaches the 5 years needed for long term residence. | More than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or the center of economic interests in Spain (Art. 9 of the Personal Income Tax Law, per the Agencia Tributaria). | 5 | 10 | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
| International telework visa (digital nomad visa) Digital nomad | At least 200% of the Spanish minimum wage (SMI) per month for the main applicant: EUR 2,442 per month, EUR 34,188 per year. Plus at least 75% of SMI for the first family member (EUR 915.75 per month, EUR 12,820.50 per year) and at least 25% of SMI for each additional family member (EUR 305.25 per month, EUR 4,273.50 per year). Amounts computed from the official 2026 SMI of EUR 1,221 per month in 14 payments, EUR 17,094 per year, set by Royal Decree 126/2026. | None. | USD 190 consular visa fee for US nationals, per the Spanish Consulate in Washington DC (fee schedule from January 1, 2026; the consulate notes that visa fees are revised quarterly and can change). An NIE assignment fee also applies before applying; the official fee order lists it at EUR 9.84 (Orden PJC/617/2025, section 5.12), collected by consulates in local currency. The separate fee for the in-Spain residence authorization (form 790 code 038) is not included because no officially published amount could be verified. | The official consulate page checked states a legal decision term of 10 days from the day after filing, extendable if more documents or an interview are required. Art. 75.5 of Ley 14/2013 sets the same 10 working day term for these visas. The in-Spain residence authorization is decided by the UGE within 20 days at most and counts as approved if that term passes without a decision (Art. 76.1). | Consular visa valid for up to 1 year. A residence authorization applied for while legally in Spain can be granted for up to 3 years (Art. 74 quinquies, Ley 14/2013). | Within the 60 days before the consular visa expires, the holder may apply for the residence authorization for international remote workers (Art. 74 quater, Ley 14/2013). The authorization runs up to 3 years and can be renewed for periods of 2 years while the conditions that created the right still hold (Art. 74 quinquies and Art. 76.3). | More than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or the center of economic interests in Spain (Art. 9 of the Personal Income Tax Law, per the Agencia Tributaria). | 5 | 10 | 2026-10-15 | Official source |
Route notes
Non-lucrative residence visa: Residence without carrying out any work or professional activity. The visa does not authorize work. Health insurance must cover all risks covered by the Spanish public health system, from an insurer authorized to operate in Spain. Euro amounts verified 2026-10-15: official consulate pages state IPREM at EUR 600 per month and give the non lucrative amounts directly as EUR 2,400 per month and EUR 28,800 per year plus EUR 600 per month per family member. Renewal and duration terms are from arts. 61 to 64 of Royal Decree 1155/2024 (BOE, https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2024-24099). Fees are from Orden PJC/617/2025 (BOE, https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2025-12056) and the Houston consulate page; dollar fees are Houston figures for US nationals and vary by consulate. Long term residence after 5 years of legal and continuous residence is stated on the Ministry of Inclusion long term residence information sheet. Citizenship after 10 years of legal residence is stated by the Ministry of Justice; the US is not on the 2 year reduced list.
International telework visa (digital nomad visa): For remote work for companies outside Spain, using only computer, telematic, or telecommunications means. Employees may work only for companies outside Spain. Self employed applicants may also work for Spanish companies only up to 20% of total activity. Requires a degree from a recognized institution or at least 3 years of professional experience, a work or professional relationship of at least 3 months, and a foreign company active for at least 1 year. An NIE must be requested at the same time as the visa. The 200, 75, and 25 percent tests are stated on the official Houston consulate telework page, and the euro amounts are computed from the 2026 SMI in Royal Decree 126/2026 (BOE, https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-3815). Authorization length, conversion, and renewal terms are from arts. 74 quater, 74 quinquies, 75, and 76 of Ley 14/2013 (BOE, https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2013-10074). The consular visa fee for US nationals is USD 190 per the Spanish Consulate in Washington DC telework page (https://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/washington/en/ServiciosConsulares/Paginas/Consular/Telework-visa.aspx), fee schedule from January 1, 2026. The in-Spain residence authorization fee (form 790 code 038, section 7.1 for Ley 14/2013 international mobility authorizations) is real, but no officially published euro amount could be verified in this pass; secondary sources put it near EUR 73, and that figure was not used.