Residency Routes for Gulf and Non-EU High-Net-Worth Buyers

Residency routes for Gulf and non-EU high-net-worth buyers changed fundamentally in 2025. For a decade, a property purchase of 500,000 euros or more opened a fast track to Spanish residency through the investor visa. That door is now closed. This guide explains what remains open to Emirati and other non-EU buyers eyeing a home on the Costa del Sol, how residency and ownership are now two separate things, and the tax framework (from IVA and AJD on purchase to IRNR, IBI and the Spain-UAE treaty) that governs a high-value acquisition across Andalusia’s coast.

The end of the golden visa: what changed in 2025

Spain abolished its investor residency visa (the «golden visa») through Ley Organica 1/2025, de 2 de enero, published in the Boletin Oficial del Estado and taking effect on 3 April 2025.¹ The measure removed the entire investor route, including the property-purchase threshold that had drawn so many Gulf and international buyers. Anyone who already held a valid golden visa, or applied before the cut-off, keeps their rights and renews under the rules in force when the permit was first granted.¹ For everyone else, the simple equation of buying property to obtain residency no longer exists. Housing affordability was the government’s stated rationale, given how concentrated foreign purchase demand had become in coastal and metropolitan markets.¹

Residency routes still open to non-EU buyers

A Costa del Sol purchase remains fully possible for non-EU buyers, and several residency routes continue to serve high-net-worth applicants who want to live in Spain. None is tied to a property investment, but a home purchase strengthens the practical case for settling.

Non-lucrative visa (NLV)

The non-lucrative visa suits buyers who can support themselves from passive income or capital without working in Spain. The financial requirement is set at 400% of the IPREM. With the IPREM held at 600 euros per month for 2026, that means roughly 2,400 euros per month, or about 28,800 euros per year, for the main applicant, plus a further 600 euros per month (7,200 euros per year) for each dependent.² Proof can come from pensions, dividends, rental income or substantial savings. It is a natural fit for retirees and investors, though it does not permit local employment.

Digital nomad visa (DNV)

Introduced by Spain’s startups law (Ley 28/2022), the digital nomad visa lets remote workers and freelancers live in Spain while working for companies or clients based abroad. The income threshold is tied to 200% of the national minimum wage, which for 2026 works out at roughly 2,849 euros per month (about 34,188 euros per year), with additional amounts for dependents.³ No more than 20% of income may come from Spanish sources, and applicants must show an established professional relationship (generally at least three months with an employer, or one year for the self-employed).³ The DNV can be applied for at a consulate or from within Spain, where it is granted as a three-year residence permit.³

Other qualifying routes

High-net-worth buyers who intend to run or invest in a Spanish business can look at the highly qualified professional permit or the entrepreneur route, both also governed by Ley 28/2022. These involve a genuine economic activity or job offer rather than a passive property investment, and are worth exploring with an immigration lawyer where a family office or operating company is part of the plan.³

Buying without residing: ownership and the NIE

Because residency is now decoupled from purchase, most Gulf buyers will complete a Costa del Sol acquisition as non-residents. Every foreign buyer needs a NIE (Numero de Identidad de Extranjero), the tax identification number required to sign the deed, open utilities and file tax returns. Ownership as a non-resident is straightforward, but it carries recurring Spanish tax duties even when the home is used only a few weeks a year, as set out below. If you later spend more than 183 days a year in Spain, you become a Spanish tax resident and your worldwide income and wealth come into scope, which is where the treaty and residency planning matter.

Purchase taxes on a Costa del Sol new build

A brand-new home bought from a developer in Andalusia is taxed under IVA (VAT) plus AJD (stamp duty), not the ITP transfer tax that applies to resale property. The residential IVA rate is 10% nationally, and Andalusia’s general AJD rate is 1.2%.⁴ Note that the tax base is the higher of the price paid or the Cadastre’s reference value (valor de referencia).⁴

In practice, buyers should budget around 13% to 15% on top of the purchase price for a new build once professional costs are added.⁴ Stamp duty on the mortgage deed itself is paid by the lender, not the buyer, since Real Decreto-ley 17/2018.⁴ For a fuller breakdown, see our guide on buying costs and taxes.

Ongoing taxes for non-resident owners

Once you own, three annual obligations apply. The first is IBI, the municipal property tax charged by the town hall, generally between roughly 0.4% and 1.1% of the cadastral value depending on the municipality, and due from whoever owns the property on 1 January.⁵ The second is IRNR, non-resident income tax, filed on Modelo 210. Where the home is not let, Spain imputes a deemed income of 1.1% or 2% of the cadastral value (depending on when that value was last revised).⁶ As UAE and other non-EU residents, buyers pay the non-EU rate of 24% on the gross figure, with no deductions, and file annually.⁶ If the property is rented out, the same 24% applies to gross rental income for non-EU owners (a July 2025 National Court ruling has begun to challenge the no-deductions position, so take current advice).⁶ The third is wealth tax, covered below. See also our guides on non-resident income tax and on wealth and solidarity tax.

Wealth tax and the solidarity tax

Andalusia applies a 100% allowance (bonificacion) on regional wealth tax, so neither residents nor non-residents pay the regional Impuesto sobre el Patrimonio on assets in the region.⁷ However, a national top-up, the Impuesto Temporal de Solidaridad de las Grandes Fortunas, was designed precisely to reach large fortunes in regions that had eliminated wealth tax. It applies above a net wealth threshold of 3,000,000 euros, at rates of 1.7% (from 3,000,000 to about 5,347,998 euros), 2.1% (up to about 10,695,996 euros) and 3.5% above that, with any regional wealth tax paid credited against it.⁸ Originally temporary, it has been extended indefinitely.⁸ A general exempt allowance of 700,000 euros applies to the underlying wealth tax base, with up to 300,000 euros of a main residence also exempt.⁹ Non-residents are assessed by real obligation, meaning only Spanish-situated assets count, so a very high-value Costa del Sol portfolio can bring the solidarity tax into play. The precise reach of the solidarity tax on non-residents is debated among advisers, so a high-value buyer should confirm their exposure before purchase.⁸⁹

Selling later: the 3% retention and capital gains

When a non-resident sells Spanish property, the buyer must withhold 3% of the sale price and pay it to the Agencia Tributaria on Modelo 211 as an advance against the seller’s capital gains tax.¹⁰ The seller then files Modelo 210 within four months to settle the actual gain, taxed at 19% for EU/EEA residents and 24% for others; if the 3% overshoots the real liability, the balance is refundable, and where there is a loss the whole retention can be reclaimed.¹⁰ Our guide on capital gains and the 3% retention covers the mechanics for sellers.

The Spain-UAE tax treaty

The Convention between Spain and the United Arab Emirates for the avoidance of double taxation entered into force on 2 April 2007.¹¹ It resolves dual-residency conflicts through OECD-style tie-breaker rules applied in order: permanent home, then centre of vital interests, then habitual abode.¹¹ Critically for property, gains from the sale of immovable property (and income from it) remain taxable in the country where the property sits, so a Costa del Sol home is always within Spanish tax reach regardless of the owner’s UAE residence.¹¹ The treaty prevents the same income being taxed twice, but it does not exempt Spanish-situated real estate from Spanish tax. Emirati buyers who become Spanish tax residents should map their position against the treaty carefully, since the UAE levies no personal income tax and the tie-breaker outcome can materially change the overall bill.

Financing a purchase as a non-resident

Non-EU buyers can obtain Spanish mortgages, though loan-to-value limits are tighter than for residents. In 2026, lenders typically cap non-resident borrowing at around 50% to 60% of value for non-EU applicants (60% to 70% for EU buyers), meaning a substantial cash deposit plus all transaction costs must be available before approaching a bank.¹² Fixed rates for non-EU buyers ran roughly 4.3% to 5.2% in early 2026.¹² Many Gulf buyers purchase outright, but a mortgage can be a useful planning tool. See our guide on mortgages for non-residents for lender criteria and documentation.

A note on the Beckham Law

Buyers who take up Spanish tax residency through qualifying employment may be able to elect the special impatriate regime known as the Beckham Law: a flat 24% on Spanish-source income up to 600,000 euros for six tax years, with most foreign income outside Spanish scope and wealth tax limited to Spanish assets.¹³ Eligibility requires not having been Spanish tax resident in the previous five years and generally a work-based move, so it fits an executive relocation rather than a purely passive property buyer.¹³ It is worth weighing where employment or a startup founder profile is part of the relocation.

The headline for Gulf and non-EU high-net-worth buyers is simple: a Costa del Sol home is still one of Europe’s most attractive lifestyle and investment assets, but it no longer comes with residency attached. Plan the residency route and the tax structure as separate, deliberate decisions, and take qualified Spanish legal and tax advice before signing.