Temporary residency in Spain: permit types, requirements and the appointment you need

Spain offers several temporary residence routes for third-country nationals, and choosing between them mostly comes down to how you earn your money. This guide summarizes the main permit types — the financial figures reflect the IPREM and SMI amounts in force as of 2026 — then walks through the application procedure and the step where most people get stuck: the cita previa for fingerprints that stands between an approved permit and the physical TIE card.

Main types of temporary residence permits

1. Non-lucrative visa (no work allowed)

The non-lucrative visa is aimed at people who live on passive income or savings — retirees, landlords, anyone who does not need to work in Spain.

Parameter	Requirement (as of 2026)
Minimum income	≥ 400% IPREM (€600 × 4 × 12 months = €28,800/year) + 100% IPREM per dependent
Card duration	1 year → renewable for 2 + 2 years
Tip	After 1 year, status can be changed to work or self-employed

2. Telework / digital nomad visa

Introduced by the Startup Law (2023) and refined by the 2024/2025 regulations, this route is for remote employees and freelancers whose clients are mostly outside Spain.

Income: ≥ 200% SMI, which in 2026 is €1,221 a month in 14 payments (€17,094 a year), + 75%/25% SMI per family member. Check with your consulate how it works out the monthly amount
Validity:
Consular visa — up to 1 year
Spanish residence permit — up to 3 years → renewable for 2 years
Requirements: remote work for a foreign company, ≤ 20% income from Spanish clients, university degree or ≥ 3 years relevant experience

3. Residency and employment (cuenta ajena)

This is the classic employment route: a Spanish employer sponsors your permit before you start working.

Requires a job offer from a Spanish employer.
First authorization — up to 1 year, tied to region and job.
From 2025, after the first renewal (4 years of work), job/region restrictions are lifted.

4. Highly qualified professionals, freelancers, entrepreneurs

For people who work for themselves — or qualify for the fast-track scheme created for talent and startups — there are two self-driven routes.

Cuenta propia — own business or freelance work.
Ley 14/2013 (UGE fast track):
highly qualified professionals,
intra-company transfers,
innovative startups.
Standard duration is 1 + 2 + 2 years, but with expedited processing.

5. Studies, research, internships

A study stay is formally an estancia rather than residency, and that distinction matters later on.

Estancia por estudios allows a stay > 90 days and up to 30 working hours per week.
After graduation, can switch to work residency within 3 months.
Time under student or other “estancia” regimes does not count toward naturalization residency requirements.

6. Arraigo (legalization based on exceptional circumstances)

Arraigo is the route to legal status for people who already live in Spain without a permit and can prove ties to the country. Since 20 May 2025 it is governed by Real Decreto 1155/2024, which as a rule requires two years of continuous stay and sets out five types:

Arraigo sociolaboral (work): one or more employment contracts adding up to at least 20 hours a week.
Arraigo social: family with residence in Spain and means of at least 100 % of the IPREM, or a favourable social integration report.
Arraigo socioformativo (training): being enrolled in one of the courses the regulation accepts, plus the social integration report.
Arraigo de segunda oportunidad (second chance): having held a residence authorisation in the previous two years that was not renewed.
Arraigo familiar (family): for people who care for a minor or a person with a disability from another EU or EEA country or Switzerland. No minimum stay.

All are granted for one year, except familiar, which lasts five. The requirements and how to get the appointment are in the arraigo guide.

7. Family reunification (reagrupación familiar)

A resident who meets the housing and income conditions can bring close family under the same status.

Spouses, children under 18, and dependent parents.
First card duration matches that of the sponsoring resident.

8. “Golden visa” (closed to new applicants)

The investor route was wound down in 2025.

As of April 3, 2025, applications based on €500,000+ real estate investments are no longer accepted.
Existing permits remain valid until expiration.

Application procedure — step by step

Whichever permit you apply for, the final stretch inside Spain looks the same.

Consular stage (if applying from abroad)
Obtain the NIE and enter Spain
Cita previa at the Oficina de Extranjería → biometrics → TIE card issued
Renewal online in the 2 months before expiry
After 5 years — apply for long-term residency and reach halfway to citizenship via naturalization

The fingerprint appointment after approval

On paper, step 3 is a single line; in practice it is where the process stalls. Once your permit is approved you need an appointment for toma de huellas (fingerprinting) to receive the TIE card, and in many provinces these appointments are released in small batches and vanish within minutes. Cita Ping watches availability for the fingerprint and TIE card procedure in your province and sends a notification by email or Telegram as soon as appointments appear — you then book yourself on the official website. Create an alert for your province, and read our guide on how to get an immigration appointment quickly so you know exactly what to do when the notification arrives. Nothing can guarantee an appointment, but you will at least stop refreshing the page by hand.