Residency Options for Non-EU Buyers After the Golden Visa

Residency options for non-EU buyers after the Golden Visa

For a decade, buying a home worth EUR 500,000 or more was a shortcut to Spanish residency for non-EU buyers. That door closed. Spain abolished the property-linked Golden Visa through Organic Law 1/2025, with the scheme ending for new applicants on 3 April 2025 ¹². If you are a non-EU buyer looking at the Costa del Sol, the key point is simple: purchasing a property no longer grants residency, but your right to buy, own and let a home is completely unaffected. This guide sets out the residency routes that remain open, and the taxes and costs that come with owning property here as a non-resident.

What actually changed (and what did not)

The Golden Visa (formally the residency-by-investment route under Ley 14/2013) let non-EU nationals obtain residency by investing in Spanish real estate. Organic Law 1/2025 removed the real-estate investment option; the Spanish government framed the reform as a housing-affordability measure ¹². Two things are worth knowing:

• Existing Golden Visa holders keep their status and can continue to renew under the previous rules; the closure applies only to new applications ¹.
• Anyone with a complete application filed before 3 April 2025 is entitled to have it processed under the rules in force on the filing date ¹.

Owning Spanish property is unrelated to your immigration status. Non-EU citizens can still buy freely, and a purchase strengthens any later residency application because it demonstrates ties and accommodation. It simply is not, by itself, a residency permit anymore.

Visiting without residency: the 90/180 rule

If you only want a holiday home and short stays, you may not need residency at all. Non-EU nationals from visa-exempt countries can spend up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the Schengen area without a visa. If you want to stay longer, or make Spain your main home, you need one of the residency permits below.

Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV): the retiree and passive-income route

The Non-Lucrative Visa is the most common choice for buyers who do not need to work in Spain: retirees, the financially independent, and those living on investments or rental income. It is the natural successor to the Golden Visa for many, because a Costa del Sol property fits neatly alongside proof of means.

You must show sufficient passive income or savings. The threshold is pegged to the IPREM, which for 2026 remains EUR 600 per month (EUR 7,200 per year) because no new national budget was approved ³⁴. The requirements are:

• Main applicant: 400% of IPREM, that is EUR 2,400 per month or EUR 28,800 per year ³⁴.
• Each additional family member: 100% of IPREM, that is EUR 600 per month or EUR 7,200 per year ³⁴.

The income must be passive (pensions, rental income, dividends, interest, annuities), because the NLV does not permit you to work in Spain ³. You also need comprehensive private health insurance with a Spanish-authorised insurer and no serious criminal record. The visa is granted for one year initially, then renewed for two-year periods; after five years of legal residence you can apply for long-term (permanent) residency ⁴⁵.

Digital Nomad Visa (DNV): for remote workers and freelancers

Introduced under the 2023 Startups Law, the Digital Nomad Visa suits buyers who earn actively but work remotely for employers or clients outside Spain. Unlike the NLV, it lets you work legally.

The DNV income threshold is tied to the Spanish minimum wage (SMI), not the IPREM. For 2026 the requirement is 200% of the SMI, which is EUR 2,849 per month or EUR 34,188 per year ⁶. Add 75% of SMI for the first dependent and 25% for each further family member ⁶. No more than 20% of your income may come from Spanish sources ⁶. You will also need proof of professional or degree-level experience, a genuine remote-working relationship, private health insurance, and a clean criminal record. Applying from a Spanish consulate typically grants an initial year; applying from within Spain can grant a residence authorisation of up to three years, renewable to reach the five-year permanent-residency threshold ⁶⁵.

NLV vs DNV at a glance

Other routes worth knowing

Depending on your circumstances, you may also qualify for a student visa, a work or self-employment (autónomo) visa, or, after periods of continuous residence, an arraigo (rootedness) permit. EU family members open EU-citizen family routes. A local immigration lawyer should confirm the best fit before you commit, as these carry their own conditions.

The costs of owning as a non-resident on the Costa del Sol

Residency and ownership are separate matters, but both come with obligations. Whatever your immigration path, buying a new-build home in Andalusia carries the same purchase and running costs.

NIE and the purchase

Every foreign buyer needs an NIE (Numero de Identificacion de Extranjero) to sign the deed, open a bank account or take out a mortgage ⁷. Budget roughly 14% to 15% on top of the price for a new build once taxes and fees are included ⁸.

Purchase taxes on a new build in Andalusia

• IVA (VAT) on a new-build home: 10% of the price ⁸⁹.
• AJD (Impuesto sobre Actos Juridicos Documentados, stamp duty) in Andalusia: 1.2% ⁸⁹.

That is a combined 11.2% in tax on a new build, before notary, land registry and legal fees ⁸. Note that ITP (transfer tax) applies instead of IVA on resale homes, not new builds.

Financing as a non-resident

Spanish banks typically lend non-residents 60% to 70% of the price for EU buyers and around 50% to 60% for non-EU buyers, so plan for a deposit of 30% to 40% or more; income in a non-euro currency can tighten the limit further ⁷. Allow six to ten weeks from application to completion ⁷.

Annual non-resident taxes: IRNR and Modelo 210

If you spend fewer than 183 days a year in Spain you are a non-resident for tax, and you file the IRNR (Impuesto sobre la Renta de no Residentes) using Modelo 210 ¹⁰. Two situations arise:

• Property left for your own use: Spain taxes a deemed (imputed) income of 1.1% of the cadastral value if that value was revised within the last ten years, or 2% otherwise. Non-EU owners pay 24% on that figure; EU/EEA owners pay 19% ¹¹¹².
• Property let out: non-EU owners are taxed at 24% on gross rental income. A July 2025 Spanish National Court ruling confirmed non-EU owners may deduct rental expenses, a right previously limited to EU/EEA residents, though practice is still settling ¹¹.

IBI and local charges

Every owner, resident or not, pays IBI (Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles), the annual municipal property tax, set by each town hall at between 0.4% and 1.1% of the cadastral value ¹³. Community fees and rubbish charges are separate.

When you sell: the 3% retention and capital gains

When a non-resident sells, the buyer must withhold 3% of the sale price and pay it to the Agencia Tributaria within one month using Modelo 211, as an advance against your tax ¹⁴. Capital gains for non-residents are taxed at a flat 19% on the net gain, and you file Modelo 210 afterwards to settle or reclaim the balance ¹⁵.

Putting it together

The Golden Visa is gone, but the Costa del Sol remains fully open to non-EU buyers. Choose the residency route that matches how you earn (the Non-Lucrative Visa for passive income, the Digital Nomad Visa for remote work), buy the property on its own merits, and keep the tax obligations above in view. For deeper detail, see our related guides on new-build purchase taxes (IVA and AJD), getting an NIE and a Spanish bank account, non-resident mortgages, the annual IRNR and Modelo 210, capital gains and the 3% retention, and healthcare and schooling on the Costa del Sol. Given the money-and-legal stakes, confirm your figures with an immigration lawyer and a tax adviser before you sign.