Moving to Spain after Brexit: which visa fits you?
A British passport gets you 90 days in any 180 in Spain. To live there you need a residence visa. These are the routes British people actually use, with the figures checked against the Spanish government's own pages.
Updated 24 Oct 2026
Start here
The rules every British passport holder starts from
- Visiting: you can spend up to 90 days in any 180 in Spain and the rest of the Schengen area without a visa. Days in France, Portugal or Italy count towards the same 90.
- Living there: staying longer, or making Spain your home, needs a residence visa or permit. For most routes you apply at the Spanish consulate in London or Edinburgh before you go.
- After you arrive: every route ends in the same paperwork: register on the padrón at the town hall, then get your TIE residence card at the police station within a month of arriving.
- Already living in Spain before 2021? You are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and don't need any of these visas.
Find your route
Which route fits you?
Pick the line that sounds most like you.
- You're retiring, or living off pensions, savings or investments, and won't workNon-lucrative visa
- You work remotely for a UK or other non-Spanish employer, or for your own clientsDigital nomad visa
- Your spouse, partner, parent or child is Spanish or an EU citizenFamily of a Spanish or EU citizen
- You've got a job offer from a Spanish employer, or want to start a business in SpainWork visas: a Spanish job or your own business
- You want to study in Spain, including a long Spanish courseStudent visa
- You want long holidays, a recce trip or winters in Spain without moving thereVisiting: the 90/180-day rule
- You were already living in Spain before 1 January 2021Living in Spain before 2021: the Withdrawal Agreement
- You were planning to buy property in Spain to get residenceGolden visa (closed)
Side by side
The main routes compared
Every route on one table. Tap the routes you're weighing up to see just those side by side.
| Route | Non-lucrative visa | Digital nomad visa | Family of a Spanish or EU citizen | Work visas: a Spanish job or your own business | Student visa | Visiting: the 90/180-day rule | Living in Spain before 2021: the Withdrawal Agreement | Golden visa (closed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who it suits | Retirees and people with passive income | Remote employees and freelancers with clients outside Spain | Partners and close family of Spanish or EU citizens | Job offers in Spain, senior professionals, and people setting up a business | Degree students and long language courses | Recce trips, holidays and second-home owners | Brits resident in Spain by 31 December 2020 | Nobody new: closed on 3 April 2025 |
| Income or money needed | €2,400 a month (€28,800 a year), plus €600 a month per family member | €2,849 a month (200% of the 2026 minimum wage), plus more per family member | No set figure for Spaniards' families; EU citizens must show work or means | A real job offer; €41,356 a year for highly qualified roles | 100% of IPREM: €600 a month | None set, but border staff can ask | No new income test | Was €500,000 in property |
| Can you work? | No work at all, in Spain or remotely | Yes, remotely for non-Spanish companies; up to 20% of freelance work for Spanish clients | Yes, employed or self-employed | Yes, for the employer or business on the permit | Up to 30 hours a week | No work in Spain | Yes, employed or self-employed | Not applicable |
| How long it lasts | 1 year, then 2-year renewals | Visa 1 year, or 3 years if you apply in Spain; renewals of 2 years | 5-year residence card | 1 year, then 4-year renewals (employees) | Length of the course | 90 days in any rolling 180 | TIE for 5 years, or 10 once you're permanent | Existing holders can renew |
| Bringing family | Yes: partner, children and dependent parents, with €600 a month more for each | Yes: €1,068 a month more for the first, €356 for each after | Yes: this route is for family, including children and dependent parents | Yes: highly qualified permits bring family at once; employees usually after a year | Yes, showing more money for each family member | Each person counts their own 90 days | Family join you as family of a Withdrawal Agreement beneficiary | No new applications |
| Health cover | Private Spanish insurance with full cover, or an S1 for UK state pensioners | Private insurance with no co-payments, or Spanish social security | None set for Spaniards' families; EU citizens not working must show cover for everyone | Spanish social security through your job or business | Private insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain | Travel insurance; your GHIC covers necessary state treatment | Your cover carries on: work, an S1 or Spain's public system | No new applications |
| Path to permanent residence | Long-term residence after 5 years; citizenship after 10 | Long-term residence after 5 years | Permanent residence after 5 years | Long-term residence after 5 years, then you can work freely | Switch to a job-search or work permit after you graduate | None: visiting never leads to residence | Permanent after 5 years, with a 10-year TIE | Existing holders can keep renewing while they keep the investment |
| Tax | Spanish tax resident after 183 days a year, taxed on worldwide income | Can opt into the Beckham law: a flat 24% on work income for up to 6 years | Spanish tax resident after 183 days a year, like any route | Spanish income tax and social security; the Beckham law may apply | Spanish tax and social security only on what you earn in Spain | Non-resident income tax (IRNR) every year if you own a home | Spanish tax resident if you live in Spain; the card changes nothing | Property taxes apply whatever visa you hold |
| Where you apply | Spanish consulate in London or Edinburgh, before you go | Consulate in the UK, or from Spain while you're there legally | Usually in Spain, after you arrive | Employer applies in Spain; you collect the visa at the consulate | Consulate in the UK, before you go | No application: you just travel | In Spain: extranjería office, then the police for the TIE | No new applications |
| Read the guide → | Read the guide → | Read the guide → | Read the guide → | Read the guide → | Read the guide → | Read the guide → | Read the guide → |
Every route
Read the full guide to each route
Live in Spain without working
Work in Spain
Digital nomad visa
For British people who work remotely for employers or clients outside Spain and want to live in Spain while they do it.
Read the guideWork visas: a Spanish job or your own business
To work for a Spanish employer or run a business in Spain you need a work permit. The routes, the salary thresholds and how hard each one is for British applicants.
Read the guideVisiting, studying or already resident
Student visa
For British people taking a full-time course in Spain, from a degree to a long Spanish language course, with the right to work up to 30 hours a week.
Read the guideVisiting: the 90/180-day rule
No visa needed for short stays: British passport holders can spend up to 90 days in any 180 in Spain and the Schengen area. Here's how the count works and what's changing at the border.
Read the guideLiving in Spain before 2021: the Withdrawal Agreement
If you were living in Spain before 1 January 2021, your rights are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement. You need a TIE, not a new visa.
Read the guideQuestions British people ask
Can I just move to Spain and stay longer than 90 days?
No. Since 1 January 2021 British citizens count as non-EU nationals. Without a visa or residence permit you can stay 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. Overstaying can lead to a fine, an entry ban and problems with any later visa application.
Which is the most common visa for British retirees?
The non-lucrative visa. It suits people who live off pensions, savings or investment income and won't work in Spain. You need around €2,400 a month for the main applicant (400% of IPREM) plus €600 a month for each family member, and private Spanish health insurance.
Can I keep working for my UK employer from Spain?
Yes, on the digital nomad visa (the international teleworker route), not on the non-lucrative visa. Your employer or clients must be outside Spain, and the company must have existed for at least a year.
Is the golden visa still available?
No. Spain closed the investor (golden) visa to new applications on 3 April 2025. Buying property no longer gives you residence.
Do I apply in the UK or in Spain?
For the non-lucrative visa and most work visas you apply at the Spanish consulate that covers where you live in the UK (London or Edinburgh), before you travel. The digital nomad route can also be applied for from inside Spain while you're there legally as a visitor. Family members of Spanish citizens usually apply in Spain.
What happens after five years?
After five years of continuous legal residence you can apply for long-term residence (larga duración), which no longer depends on the route's income test. Spanish citizenship normally takes ten years of residence for British nationals.