Spain opened an English-language path on Plataforma ONE on 16 September 2026 for digital nomad residence filings. Remote workers who used to fight Spanish-only screens now complete initial visa steps, in-country residence requests, and renewals through the same bilingual portal.
The upgrade sits on Law 14/2013, Spain's Startup Law framework for international remote workers. Your application goes to the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE). Official guidance lists a fastest resolution time of 20 business days when your file is complete.
What the English portal covers
Plataforma ONE now publishes English pages for the residence application for digital nomads. You file while already in a regular situation in Spain for the three-year residence authorisation. A separate digital nomad visa track also appears in English for applicants who still need entry clearance.
Authentication runs through Spain's Cl@ve system or a digital certificate. After you submit, the electronic headquarters issues a registration number plus an acknowledgment of receipt. Keep offline copies of every upload. Portal confirmations arrive as electronic receipts, so a local archive protects you if a later request for evidence arrives.
Who qualifies as a digital nomad
Spain treats you as an international remote worker when you live in Spain and perform work for companies based outside Spain through computer, telematic, or telecommunications tools alone. Employed remote workers and freelancers both fall under the route.
Freelancers hold one extra limit. Work for Spanish clients must stay at or under 20 percent of total activity. The rest of your professional income must come from foreign clients or employers.
- Prove a continuous employment or professional relationship of at least three months with the foreign company or companies named in your file.
- Show the foreign company or group has operated with real, continuous activity for at least one year.
- Provide a company letter authorising remote work from Spain, with job profile, salary, and remote terms.
- Attach a relevant qualification or proof of experience in similar functions.
- Document Social Security coverage through a bilateral agreement or Spanish registration plans before work starts.
- Submit a criminal record certificate covering the last two years of residence abroad, plus a sworn statement on the last five years when required.
Money thresholds and permit length
UGE guidance asks the main applicant for financial resources equal to 200 percent of Spain's national minimum wage (SMI). For 2026, public references put monthly SMI at €1,221 under the 14-payment calendar. Your planning target therefore sits near €2,442 per month on a 14-payment basis, or about €34,188 gross per year. First family members usually need an extra 75 percent of SMI. Each further dependant usually needs 25 percent of SMI.
A successful residence authorisation runs for up to three years. A shorter employment contract shortens the authorisation to match the contract end date. Visa holders who enter under Law 14/2013 often receive one year of stay linked to the visa before converting into the longer residence card process.
Fee payment uses Form 790 code 038 before you open the electronic filing. Banks, ATMs, or Cl@ve-backed account payments generate the Complete Reference Number (NRC) your submission needs.
Tax notes on the official page
Plataforma ONE flags three tax themes for movers under Law 14/2013. Workers, professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors who relocate to Spain seek the special personal income tax regime under Article 93 of Law 35/2006. Non-resident income tax access softens when the prior non-residency period drops from ten years to five. Wealth tax focuses on assets and rights located in Spain rather than global wealth declarations.
Tax outcomes still depend on your facts and Spanish Tax Agency practice. Treat the portal notes as orientation, then confirm numbers with a Spanish tax adviser before you move savings or company equity.
Documents to prepare before you click submit
Build a bilingual document pack even though the portal screens now appear in English. Spanish authorities still expect Spanish translations of foreign papers, plus Hague Apostille or diplomatic legalisation on public documents.
- Full passport copy of every page.
- Proof of fee payment under Form 790-038 with NRC.
- Employment or service contracts covering the three-month relationship test.
- Company activity proof for the one-year continuity test.
- Remote-work authorisation letter from the foreign employer or client.
- Degree certificate or experience letters matching the remote role.
- health insurance with a Spanish-authorised insurer when Social Security coverage is not yet active.
- Family form MI-F for each dependant filed with the main MI-T application.
How to use the filing sequence
Download and sign the MI-T residence form for yourself. Pay fee 038 and capture the NRC. Open the UGE-CE electronic procedure labelled for Law 14/2013 international mobility residence authorisations. Identify yourself with Cl@ve or a digital certificate, attach every mandatory file, consent to electronic processing, and sign.
Watch the electronic headquarters for status notices. Spain also sends an email to the address you entered during filing. Once residence is granted, apply in person for the Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) when the resolution instructs you to do so. Family members who receive authorisations under the same law also hold work rights for employed and self-employed activity.
Practical moves for your 2026 plan
Start with the English Plataforma ONE checklist, then mirror every file in Spanish translation. Confirm your income against the 200 percent SMI guidance with current payslips or invoices spanning at least three months. Ask your foreign employer for a remote-work letter dated after the portal upgrade so salary and location terms match the English form fields.
If you already hold another Spanish permit, review whether a switch into the digital nomad residence route fits your tax goals and remote-work pattern. Highly qualified professional holders sometimes move into the digital nomad regime when most duties serve entities outside Spain. Run both immigration and tax checks before you cancel an existing authorisation.
Schengen short trips remain limited to three months per six-month period for residence card holders, the same rule applied to other Spanish residence permits. Carry your passport and Spanish residence card for those trips.
Spain's English Plataforma ONE screens remove a language barrier for remote workers targeting the Law 14/2013 digital nomad residence route. Your next step is a complete bilingual file, a verified income pack at or above 200 percent of SMI, and a Cl@ve-ready submission to UGE-CE.
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