Spain Startup Entrepreneur Visa (2023 Act)

Spain’s Startup and Entrepreneur Visa is the route for non-EU founders who want to launch or run an innovative business in Spain, not just visit it. It sits under the Startup Act, Ley 28/2022, which updated the older Entrepreneurs’ Act and pushed the country to make startup migration a little less clunky.

This isn't a tourist visa with a fancy name. A Schengen short-stay visa only lets you visit, meet people or scout locations for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. It doesn't give you a right to work on your own project or live in Spain as a founder.

The entrepreneur route is built for startups with real growth potential, not for a standard café, shop or other small business with no innovation angle. The project has to be certified as innovative and scalable, usually through ENISA, the state-backed body that reviews startup eligibility. If you’re outside Spain, you normally apply for a startup visa to enter first. If you’re already legally in Spain, you can apply for the residence permit for entrepreneurial activity.

• Who it’s for: Non-EU founders starting, developing or managing an innovative business in Spain.
• What it covers: A residence route, not a tourist stay.
• What the business needs: Innovation, scalability and special economic interest for Spain.
• Who checks it: ENISA and, in some cases, the Spanish Economic and Commercial Office tied to your consular area.

Ley 28/2022 also changed the timing. The entrepreneur residence permit was extended from 2 to 3 years for the initial authorisation, with 2-year renewals after that. Under the current framework, this route can also lead toward long-term residence after 5 years of legal stay.

The official rules are clearer on the structure than on every practical detail. The documents, financial thresholds and exact filing steps can vary depending on where you apply and the consulate or UGE-CE can ask for more than the bare minimum. That’s annoying, but it’s the system.

Spain’s startup entrepreneur route is for non-EU founders with a real business, not people trying to dress up a normal side hustle. The project has to be innovative and of clear economic interest to Spain and it needs a favorable report from ENISA before the residence file moves forward.

That approval is the gatekeeper. The official framework sits under Law 14/2013, updated by the Startup Law and the permit is tied to the business plan itself, so a weak or generic project usually gets nowhere.

Who can apply: non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationals. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens don’t need this route to live and work in Spain.

Family members who can be included:

• Spouse or registered partner: eligible through the main applicant.
• Children: minor children and adult children if they’re financially dependent and haven’t formed their own family unit.
• Parents or grandparents: possible if they’re in the applicant’s care and the dependence can be shown.

Business requirements: the company or project should be innovative, with potential for growth, investment or job creation. This isn’t the right route for a standard cafe, shop or freelance service business. Spain wants to see something with a clear startup angle.

Background and paperwork: applicants of legal age must show criminal-record certificates for the countries where they’ve lived during the past 5 years. Those certificates need apostille or consular legalization and a sworn Spanish translation. Official guidance also expects sufficient financial means, but it doesn't publish a fixed euro amount for this visa.

That missing number annoys people, but it’s the reality. Specialist practice often uses savings targets based on Spain’s minimum wage, yet those figures aren't written into the official entrepreneur-visa page, so treat them as practical benchmarks, not a legal guarantee.

Where you apply:

• From abroad: apply for the entrepreneur visa at the Spanish consulate that covers your legal residence.
• From inside Spain: if you’re already legally in the country, you can usually apply for the residence authorisation through the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit.

The consular visa itself is issued for 1 year. The residence authorisation is the piece that actually lets founders build the startup in Spain.

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Spain’s entrepreneur route is paperwork-heavy and the consulates are picky about the order. You’ll need a favorable report on your project, proof of funds tied to IPREM, a clean criminal record, valid health insurance and foreign documents that are legalized or apostilled and translated into Spanish when required.

What the main applicant needs

• National visa application form: Completed and signed by the applicant or a representative.
• Passport: Original and photocopy of the bio-data page. It must be valid for at least 1 year, have at least 2 blank pages and can’t be more than 10 years old.
• Photo: One recent passport-size color photo with a light background.
• Favorable project report: Issued by the relevant Spanish Economic and Commercial Office or the Directorate-General for International Trade and Investments. This is the part that decides whether your startup looks innovative enough for Spain.
• Proof of funds: Evidence of sufficient own financial resources or regular income. The minimum is 100% of IPREM for the main applicant, plus 50% of IPREM for each family member joining you.
• Criminal record certificate: From every country where you’ve lived during the past 5 years. Foreign records need legalization or apostille and, where needed, an official Spanish translation.
• Health insurance: Public or private coverage from an insurer authorized to operate in Spain.
• Proof of residence in the consular district: You have to show you legally live there or meet the local consulate’s residence rules.
• Visa fee: Paid in local currency when you submit the application.

The business plan matters even if the visa checklist doesn’t always spell it out line by line. The favorable report looks at job creation, your professional background, training, financing, market analysis and the project’s added value for Spain. If the plan looks vague or recycled, expect problems.

If family members are applying too

• Family relationship proof: Marriage certificate, birth certificate, civil registry record or proof of partnership.
• Dependence documents: For adult children, proof they’re financially dependent and single. For parents or other ascendants, proof they’re in your care.
• Separate core documents: Each family member also needs their own form, photo, passport, criminal record, health insurance, residence proof and fee payment, where applicable.

If a representative files for you, include their ID or passport plus the power of attorney or similar authorization. The main trap here is sloppy paperwork, not the visa rule itself. Missing translations, missing apostilles or an expired passport will slow everything down fast.

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The startup entrepreneur route doesn’t have one neat national price tag. Spain’s consulates charge their own visa fee and the amount can change by consular district and nationality, so the official number you need to check is the one tied to where you apply.

For the entrepreneur visa used under the Startup Law framework, the Consulate General of Spain in San Francisco lists the fee as an amount equivalent to €190. That’s the cleanest official figure available, though applicants from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom can face different reciprocity-based rates. Another consulate, Miami, says its entrepreneur visa fee is equivalent to $94 or $270 for U.S. citizens.

The practical takeaway is simple, if annoying: don’t budget from a generic Spain visa guide. Budget from your own consulate’s fee schedule, because that’s the number that actually applies.

• Visa fee: Consulate-specific, with official examples ranging from €190 equivalent in San Francisco to $94 or $270 for U.S. citizens, in Miami.
• Health insurance: Required, but the government doesn’t publish a standard premium. The price depends on the insurer, age and coverage.
• Translations and apostilles: Required for foreign criminal records and other supporting documents, but Spain doesn’t set a fixed price for either.
• Legal help: Optional and not standardized. If you hire a lawyer or consultant, the cost is entirely market-based.
• Family members: Each dependent generally needs their own visa fee and supporting documents, so family applications get expensive fast.

If you apply from inside Spain through the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit, there may be additional administrative costs at the residence stage, but Spain doesn’t publish a single official fee sheet for that part of the startup entrepreneur process. That makes it hard to quote a true end-to-end budget with confidence.

So the honest answer is this: the visa fee itself is known, but the rest of the bill is mostly consulate-dependent and document-dependent. If you want a realistic total, ask your consulate for the current fee list first, then add your insurance, translations, apostilles and any legal support you plan to use.

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Spain’s startup route sits under Law 14/2013, not a separate visa category with a flashy label. In practice, consulates use the entrepreneur visa, while people already in Spain usually file online for the entrepreneur residence authorization through UGE-CE. If your project qualifies as innovative and of special economic interest, that’s the path.

Where to apply

If you’re outside Spain, you start at a Spanish consulate in your country of residence. If you’re already legally in Spain, you can usually skip the consulate and apply directly online for the 3-year residence authorization. The consular visa is the entry route, the UGE-CE permit is the stay route.

What you need

• Application form: National long-stay visa form for the consulate or the residence form for UGE-CE.
• Passport: Valid for at least 1 year, with 2 blank pages.
• Project report: A favorable report on your business plan from the Economic and Commercial Office or the Directorate-General for International Trade and Investments.
• Proof of funds: Enough money to support yourself and any dependents. The official checklist doesn’t give one single fixed amount.
• Criminal record check: From the country or countries where you’ve lived during the last 5 years, properly legalised or apostilled and translated into Spanish if needed.
• Health insurance: Public or private coverage from an insurer authorized to operate in Spain.
• Proof of residence: A document showing you live in the consular district, if you’re applying abroad.

For family members, you’ll also need proof of the relationship, plus separate forms, photos, passports and criminal records where applicable. Adult dependents have to show financial dependence, which can get tedious fast if your paperwork is messy.

How the process works

• 1. Get the project report. This is the gatekeeper step. Without it, the visa application goes nowhere.
• 2. Book and attend the appointment. Consulates usually require in-person submission, though some use BLS or email-based booking systems.
• 3. Pay the fee. The base fee is equivalent to €80, but reciprocity rates are higher for some nationalities. Miami lists $94 for the visa and $270 for U.S. citizens.
• 4. Wait for processing. The official guidance says visas are processed in 10 days, while residence permits are approved in 20 working days.

That fast-track timeline is nice on paper, but local consulate procedures still vary. Check the specific consulate’s checklist before you send anything, because a missing translation or expired certificate will slow the whole thing down.

The entrepreneur route is a little different from Spain’s other long-stay visas. If you apply through a consulate, the visa itself is normally valid for 1 year. That gets you into Spain and covers your first stretch of residence, without forcing you into the usual tourist-clock pressure.

Once you’re in Spain, the residence authorisation under the Law 14/2013 framework is typically granted for 3 years. In practice, that’s the stage most founders care about, because it gives you more breathing room than a short visitor stay and keeps you in the legal lane while the business is still proving itself.

• Initial consular visa: 1 year
• Residence authorisation in Spain: usually 3 years
• Renewals: generally 2-year blocks

Renewal isn’t automatic, though. You have to keep meeting the same basic conditions that got you approved in the first place, meaning the project still has to look like a real innovative business with economic value for Spain. If the startup stalls, the paperwork gets harder and that’s the trade-off with this visa.

The good news is that there’s no fixed maximum stay built into the entrepreneur category itself in the material reviewed here. If you keep renewing and staying legally in Spain, that time counts toward long-term residence after 5 years of continuous legal stay. For most non-EU applicants, 10 years of legal residence is the usual route to citizenship, though some nationalities qualify faster under separate rules.

For the initial visa stage, the consular checklist is fairly specific. The official guidance calls for:

• National visa application form: completed and signed
• Passport: valid for at least 1 year, with 2 blank pages and not issued more than 10 years ago
• Favourable project report: from the competent economic or trade authority
• Proof of financial means: the official page lists this, but the exact figure wasn’t clearly stated in the research provided
• Private health insurance: required

The same consular guidance says the visa covers residence during its validity, so you don’t need a Foreigner Identity Card just to rely on the visa itself, though you can still apply for a TIE if you want one. That’s one less errand, at least for the first year.

The Startup or Entrepreneur residence permit doesn’t give you a separate tax deal by default. If you become tax resident in Spain, you’re usually taxed under the normal Spanish rules unless you qualify for the special impatriate regime, better known as the Beckham regime.

That’s the part many people miss. Holding the visa or residence permit affects your immigration status, not your tax status and there’s no official source showing a visa-specific income tax scale or exemption tied automatically to Law 28/2022 or Law 14/2013.

When Spain treats you as tax resident

Spain uses standard residence tests and they’re blunt. You’re generally tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, if your main economic interests are in Spain or if your spouse and minor children habitually live there, unless you prove otherwise.

Spain doesn’t have a part-year resident category for income tax. For each tax year, you’re either resident or non-resident, which makes the 183-day count and where your business is centered pretty important.

What happens if you’re resident

If you’re tax resident and you don’t opt into the special regime, Spain taxes your worldwide income. That includes salary, freelance income, business income, pensions and investment income from both Spain and abroad.

Foreign tax credit relief can apply if the same income is taxed twice, but the credit is capped. Spain generally limits it to the lower of the foreign tax paid or the Spanish tax due on that income.

The Beckham regime, in plain terms

The special impatriate regime can be available to qualifying startup founders and workers who move to Spain and meet the legal conditions. Under that regime, income up to €600,000 is generally taxed at a flat 24%, with different treatment above that threshold.

That’s a big difference from ordinary progressive rates. It also means the Startup Law broadened access to an existing tax regime, it didn’t create a brand-new one just for entrepreneurs.

• Non-residents: generally pay Spanish tax only on Spanish-source income.
• Residents under normal rules: pay Spanish tax on worldwide income.
• Qualifying impatriates: may elect the special regime for a limited period.

If you’re planning to move, don’t assume the visa gives you tax relief. It doesn’t. The tax result depends on where you live, where your income comes from and whether you actually qualify for the impatriate regime.