Non-lucrative visa documents or a digital nomad visa: what needs translating and apostilling

Which documents need translating for the non‑lucrative and digital nomad visas?

The non-lucrative visa and the digital nomad visa both ask for a criminal record certificate, proof of money or income, health insurance and, for family members, civil-status certificates, and any of these not issued in Spanish needs an apostille and a translation into Spanish.

Spanish consulates ask for a sworn translation for some of them, such as police and medical certificates. The non-lucrative visa adds a medical certificate; the digital nomad visa adds proof of your remote job or clients and of the company's track record.

Two visas, two document files

The two visas suit different lives, and their files overlap only in part.

The non-lucrative visa (visado de residencia no lucrativa) lets you live in Spain without working. Article 62 of the Reglamento de Extranjería (Real Decreto 1155/2024) sets the money test: a monthly amount equal to 400% of the IPREM (Spain's public income index) for you, plus 100% for each family member in your care, over the period of the authorisation. The Spanish Consulate General in London lists what goes with it:

• health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain that covers all the risks insured by Spain's public health system (or, for UK pensioners, proof that an S1 form is registered);
• a criminal record certificate covering the past five years, no older than six months;
• a medical certificate issued within the three months before you apply;
• proof of income or savings, and proof of family ties for relatives who come with you.

The digital nomad visa is the visa for international teleworkers (teletrabajo de carácter internacional), created by articles 74 bis to 74 quinquies of Ley 14/2013. It is for remote work for companies based outside Spain; freelancers may also take Spanish clients for up to 20% of their work.

You need a degree or at least three years of professional experience, a company that has been active for at least a year, and a working relationship of at least three months.

The visa lasts up to one year; in Spain you can then apply for a residence authorisation of up to three years, renewable for two-year periods.

Family members can apply with you under both visas. Each one needs most of the same documents as the main applicant, plus proof of the relationship.

The London consulate asks for a birth or marriage certificate issued by the civil registry for a spouse, and a certificate of registration as an unmarried couple, or another document proving the partnership, for a partner.

These certificates are public documents, so they need an apostille and a translation into Spanish, which is often the largest part of a family file.

Article 62 of the same law adds the general conditions: no criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you lived in the last two years, a sworn statement covering the last five years, health insurance and sufficient means. The income threshold is set in the ministries' joint instructions, so check the current figure on your consulate's page.

Background checks: FBI and ACRO

The criminal record certificate is the document that most often causes delays, because it has a short shelf life and needs an apostille before it can be translated.

• From the US: the Spanish Consulate in Chicago asks for an FBI certificate with the federal apostille from the Department of State in Washington DC, no more than six months old on the application date. It states that local state background checks and state apostilles are not valid. If you lived in other countries in the last five years, you need their certificates too.
• From the UK: the London consulate asks for an ACRO police certificate. The apostille comes from the Legalisation Office; GOV.UK lists ACRO certificates among the documents that cannot get an e-Apostille, so plan for the paper route. See our page on ACRO criminal record translation to Spanish.

The timing pitfall is simple: the six months run from the date of issue to the date you file, and the apostille and translation have to fit inside that window. Book your consulate appointment first, then work backwards: order the certificate, apostille it, and send it for translation as soon as it comes back.

Proof of income and bank statements

For the non-lucrative visa, the money must be shown in original documents. The London consulate asks foreign bank documents to show the bank's name and address, the full account identification, the balance on 31 December of the previous year and the previous year's average balance.

Pension statements, investment reports and rental contracts also count if they prove regular income.

For the digital nomad visa, the focus shifts to the work itself. The Spanish Consulate General in Sydney lists a certificate from the employer or clients showing at least three months of relationship, a letter from the employer authorising remote work from Spain, a company registry certificate proving at least one year of activity, and proof of your degree or three years of experience.

These files can run to dozens of pages. Partial translations are possible: confirm with the consulate which pages it needs translated, and we translate only those. Our page on UK financial document translation for a Spanish visa covers bank statements, P60s and pension letters.

Certificates issued in a language different from Spanish must be accompanied by a sworn translation into Spanish.

Spanish Consulate General in London, Non-working residence visa, medical certificate requirementSource: Spanish Consulate General in London, Non-working residence visa

Apostille and sworn translation, in the right order

Public documents, such as police certificates, birth and marriage certificates and court decrees, need an apostille from the country that issued them. The UK, the US, Canada and Australia are all parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, according to the HCCH status table.

The London consulate adds that the apostille must authenticate the signature of the person who issued the certificate, such as the doctor or police officer, not that of a notary who did not issue it.

Once apostilled, the document goes for translation, with the apostille translated as part of it. The London consulate asks for a sworn translation of the criminal record and medical certificates and an official translation of other foreign documents where applicable; consulates in the US publish their own wording, and some accept other translators.

A translation by a sworn translator appointed by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC) is the format offices in Spain are used to, which matters when you renew. Our post on sworn translation for your NIE or TIE explains the difference between a certified and a sworn translation.

Renewing in Spain

Renewals are filed in Spain, at the oficina de extranjería, and bring a new round of documents.

• Non-lucrative residence: article 64 of Real Decreto 1155/2024 asks you to apply in the two months before your authorisation expires. You must still have sufficient means and health insurance, have schooled any children of compulsory school age, and have lived in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year.
• Teleworker residence: Ley 14/2013 allows renewals for two-year periods as long as the conditions that gave you the right are still met.

Updated bank statements, pension certificates or employer letters issued abroad need translating again. If your Spanish is not yet up to an extranjería appointment, an interpreter can come with you in person; accompanying an individual usually costs 60–100 € per hour. Americans planning the whole move can read our article on moving from the US to Spain.

Frequently asked questions