Updated: October 2026
The Spanish Golden Visa closed on 3 April 2025
Spain ended its Golden Visa on 3 April 2025. Final provision 21 of Organic Law 1/2025, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on 3 January 2025, repealed the investor visa and residence permit set out in Articles 63 to 67 of Law 14/2013. Every investment route went with it: the €500,000 property purchase, the €1 million in shares of a Spanish company, bank deposits or investment funds, and the €2 million in Spanish government bonds.
The government justified the decision by the pressure on housing affordability in Spain's large cities, and the European Commission had been urging member states to wind down investor residence schemes. No new Golden Visa applications are accepted, and buying property in Spain, at any price, no longer leads to residency on its own.
If you applied before 3 April 2025
Applications filed before the deadline are decided under the rules in force on the date they were submitted. If yours is still pending, the investment you made remains the basis of the application.
If you already hold a Spanish Golden Visa
- Your visa or residence permit remains valid for the period for which it was issued.
- Spain's migration authority has indicated that renewals are accepted, provided the original authorisation was lawfully granted. You still have to meet the conditions of the permit, including keeping the qualifying investment.
- Family members who already hold a permit can keep it, but new family applications based on a Golden Visa are no longer accepted.
- After five years of legal residence you can apply for long-term residency, and the usual road to Spanish citizenship remains open (see below).
Transitional rules depend on the details of each file, so confirm your renewal with a Spanish immigration lawyer before you act.
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Ways to live in Spain today
Spain still offers residence routes that do not depend on an investment:
- Non-Lucrative Visa: for retirees and financially independent people who can support themselves without working in Spain. See our Spain Non-Lucrative Visa guide.
- Digital Nomad Visa: for remote employees and freelancers whose income comes from outside Spain. See our Spain Digital Nomad Visa guide.
- Entrepreneur visa: Law 14/2013 still provides residence for founders of innovative businesses whose project is approved by ENISA, the state agency that assesses them.
- Citizenship by descent: people with Spanish ancestry may be able to claim nationality directly. See Spain citizenship by descent.
Residents who move to Spain for work may also qualify for the special tax regime for impatriates, known as the Beckham Law. For every route side by side, read our guide to residency and citizenship in Spain.
Golden Visa alternatives in Europe
If an investment-based residence permit is what you were looking for, these programmes remain open:
- Portugal: from €500,000 in qualifying investment funds, or a €250,000 cultural contribution, with only 7 days a year in the country. See Portugal Golden Visa investment funds.
- Greece: property from €250,000 for commercial-to-residential conversions and listed buildings, €400,000 in most of the country and €800,000 in Attica, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands of more than 3,100 residents. See our Greece Golden Visa 2026 guide.
- Italy: the Investor Visa, from €250,000 in an innovative startup, €500,000 in an Italian company, €1 million in a philanthropic donation or €2 million in government bonds. See Italy Golden Visa investments.
Compare thresholds, timelines and citizenship rules in our European Golden Visa comparison.
Spanish citizenship
Spain has no citizenship by investment programme. Naturalisation normally requires ten years of legal and continuous residence, reduced to two years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal and for people of Sephardic origin, and to one year in some cases, such as marriage to a Spanish national. Applicants must also pass the DELE A2 Spanish language exam and the CCSE test on the constitution and culture, unless they are exempt.
Spain only lets nationals of those same countries, and of France, keep their previous nationality. Everyone else is formally required to renounce it on naturalising.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Spanish Golden Visa still available?
No. Spain closed its Golden Visa on 3 April 2025, when Organic Law 1/2025 repealed the investor visa. No new applications are accepted under any of the former investment routes.
Can I still get residency in Spain by buying property?
No. You can still buy property in Spain, but the purchase no longer gives you a right to residency. To live in Spain you need another permit, such as the Non-Lucrative Visa or the Digital Nomad Visa.
What happens to my existing Spanish Golden Visa?
It remains valid for the period for which it was issued. Spain’s migration authority has indicated that renewals are accepted when the original authorisation was lawfully granted and you still meet its conditions, including keeping the investment. Check your own file with a Spanish immigration lawyer.
Can my family still join me on my Golden Visa?
Family members who already hold a permit can keep it. New applications for family members based on a Golden Visa are no longer accepted.
What are the best alternatives to the Spanish Golden Visa?
Within Europe, Portugal (from €500,000 in funds or a €250,000 cultural contribution), Greece (property from €250,000 to €800,000 depending on the area and type) and Italy (from €250,000 in an innovative startup) still offer investment-based residence. If you want to live in Spain itself, look at the Non-Lucrative Visa or the Digital Nomad Visa.
Does living in Spain make me a tax resident?
Residence permits and tax residency are separate. You become tax resident in Spain if you spend more than 183 days a year in the country or if your main economic interests are based there, and residents are taxed on their worldwide income. Confirm your position with a qualified tax adviser.
Last reviewed 15 October 2026.
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Programme terms are set by the relevant government and can change; confirm any figure with the authority, or with us, before acting on it.
