Golden visa (closed)
Spain's investor visa closed to new applicants on 3 April 2025. Buying property no longer gets you residence. Here's what replaced it for most people.
- Status
- Closed
- To new applicants
- Closed on
- 3 Apr 2025
- Organic Law 1/2025
- Old threshold
- €500,000
- Property investment
- Existing holders
- Can renew
- Permits already granted
Updated 24 Oct 2026 · Figures checked 12 Oct 2026
In short
The golden visa gave residence to people who invested at least €500,000 in Spanish property (or larger sums in shares, bonds or business projects). Spain abolished it for new applications from 3 April 2025. Buying a home in Spain is still open to British buyers, but it no longer gives you a right to live there. Most people who were considering it now use the non-lucrative visa or the digital nomad visa.
Is this route for you?
Who it suits
- People who already hold a golden visa or residence permit granted under it, who can keep renewing it
- Anyone who wants to understand what changed before buying property in Spain
Who it doesn't suit
- New applicants: the route is closed
- Anyone told by an agent that buying property still leads to a visa: it doesn't
What you need
There are no requirements for new applicants because there is no route. If you are buying property in Spain and want to live there, you need one of the other residence routes, and the property can count as your accommodation or, through rental income, towards the money you show.
Money: income and costs
Your property can still help on other routes:
- Rental income from a Spanish or UK property counts towards the non-lucrative visa income test
- Owning your home in Spain shows the consulate where you'll live
But no amount of property investment gives residence on its own any more.
After you arrive, and renewing
If you already hold a golden visa permit, check the renewal rules for your permit with the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE), which handles them. Permits granted before 3 April 2025 can be renewed while you keep the investment.
Tax
Buying property in Spain brings purchase taxes (transfer tax on resale homes or VAT on new builds), annual IBI property tax and, for non-residents, non-resident income tax on the property. These apply whatever your visa.
Common mistakes
- Buying property on the strength of old articles or sales pitches promising a visa
- Assuming a mortgage-financed purchase ever counted: only the part paid without borrowing did, and now none does
- Waiting for the golden visa to return instead of applying on a route that exists
When to get professional advice
- You hold a golden visa and need to renew or change your investment
- You're buying property and want residence: plan the visa route and the purchase together
Questions people ask
Is Spain's golden visa still available?
No. It closed to new applications on 3 April 2025 under Organic Law 1/2025.
I already have a golden visa. What happens to me?
Permits already granted stay valid and can be renewed as long as you keep meeting the conditions, including keeping the investment.
Can I still buy property in Spain as a British citizen?
Yes. Anyone can buy property in Spain. It just doesn't give you the right to live there for more than 90 days in any 180.
Official sources
We check every figure on this page against these pages. Rules and amounts change, so check them again just before you apply.