Key figures · 2026
The numbers that decide a file, with their sources.
The income threshold, the fee, the deadlines, the document rules. One table, each line with the law or the office it comes from. It is generated from the same rules file my tools and my clients' case pages run on, so none of them can drift apart.
How to read it. The figures are for an application filed inside Spain before the UGE, which is how I file. Consulates publish similar lists and sometimes a lower income figure; a file prepared to these numbers clears both.
Machine-readable copy: facts.json. Quote it, link it, build on it. If a figure ever looks stale, tell me and I will check it against the source the same day.
| What | Figure, 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Income, single applicant | €2,849 gross per month 200% of Spain’s minimum wage (SMI) for 2026, on the 12-payment monthly basis the UGE applies. Some consulates publish a lower figure; a file prepared to this one clears both. | Ley 28/2022 and the 2026 SMI |
| First dependant (partner or child) | +€1,068 per month 75% of the SMI, added to the applicant’s threshold. | Ley 28/2022 |
| Each further dependant | +€356 per month 25% of the SMI each. | Ley 28/2022 |
| Age of the paying company | At least 1 year The employer or client must have been genuinely operating for a year before you file. | UGE requirement list |
| Length of the working relationship | At least 3 months With the employer, or with the clients whose income you rely on. | UGE requirement list |
| Work for Spanish companies | 0% as an employee · up to 20% if self-employed An employee may work for no one in Spain. A self-employed applicant may take up to 20% of total income from Spanish clients, only as a professional relationship. | UGE FAQ |
| Qualification | A related university degree, or 3 years of experience The degree must relate to the job. Without one, three years of professional experience in the field. | Ley 28/2022 |
| Criminal record certificate | Where you lived in the last 2 years It follows residence, not citizenship. For U.S. residents: the FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille from the U.S. Department of State. A state apostille is not valid for it. Under-18s need none. | UGE requirement list |
| Documents that need a notary | One: the university degree You apostille a notarised true copy of the diploma, never the original. The employer letter, contracts and the Certificate of Coverage need no notary. | Practice rule, checked against every file |
| Sworn translations | By a translator on Spain’s MAEC register A regional appointment is not equivalent. The CV needs only a simple translation. Bilingual documents, the Certificate of Coverage among them, need none. | MAEC register of sworn translators |
| SSA Certificate of Coverage (W‑2 employees) | 4 to 13 weeks to obtain Requested by the employer from the SSA. It is what satisfies the Social Security requirement; an application for it is not accepted. Not available to 1099 contractors, who register with Spanish Social Security (RETA). | U.S.–Spain totalization agreement (SSA) |
| Health insurance | Spanish-authorised insurer, no copays, no waiting periods Not required for applicants who will register with Spanish Social Security (RETA, or registration by the employer). | UGE requirement list |
| Government fee (tasa 790 code 038) | €73.26 Paid before filing. Included in the practice’s flat fee. | Tasa 790/038, Spanish Public Administration |
| UGE decision time | 20 business days Counted from the day after a complete filing, excluding weekends and Madrid holidays. Silence past the deadline counts as approval. | Ley 14/2013, art. 76 |
| Length of the permit | 3 years when filed in Spain · 1 year from a consulate Filed from inside Spain before the UGE, the residence authorisation lasts three years. The consular visa lasts one year and is converted in Spain. | Ley 28/2022 |
| Renewal | 2 more years, filed up to 60 days before expiry After five years in total you may apply for long-term residence. | Ley 28/2022 |
| TIE appointment after approval | 1 to 2 months The residence card is collected at the police station after fingerprints. Appointment scarcity varies by city. | Practice experience |
| Entry declaration | Within 72 hours If you enter the Schengen area through another country, Spain’s declaración de entrada is made within 72 hours of arriving in Spain. Since 10 April 2026 the EES replaces passport stamps, so keep boarding passes as proof of entry. | Ley 39/2015 and EES |
| Beckham regime | 24% flat on work income up to €600,000, six tax years Elected with Form 149 within six months of registering with Spanish Social Security. Miss the window and it is gone. | AEAT |
| Attorney fee at this practice | $2,400 flat · $500 per dependant 50% on signing, 50% before filing. Government fee included. Apostilles, sworn translations and insurance are third-party costs. | Pricing |
Figures change when Spain updates the minimum wage, usually in the first weeks of the year, and when the law or the UGE’s lists change. The date on this page is the day the table was last rebuilt from the rules file. Last rebuilt: 3 October 2026.
What changed, and when
Each time a figure or a rule on this page moves, the change goes here with its date and its source. If a number you saw quoted elsewhere is older than the entry below it, the entry wins.
Entry/Exit System: no more passport stamps at Schengen borders
Since 10 April 2026 the EES records entries electronically and passports are no longer stamped. The UGE still has to see when you entered Spain, so keep the boarding pass and the ticket of the flight that brought you into Schengen. The practice now files them as proof of entry.
Source: EU Entry/Exit System · Rows #entry
2026 minimum wage published: the income threshold is €2,849 a month
Royal Decree 126/2026 (BOE 19 February 2026) sets the 2026 SMI at €1,221 in 14 payments, a 3.1% rise, with effect from 1 January 2026. On the 12-payment basis the UGE applies, 200% of the SMI is €2,849 gross a month for a single applicant, €3,917 with a first dependant and €356 more for each further one.
Source: Real Decreto 126/2026, BOE-A‑2026-3815 · Rows #income-single#income-partner#income-extra
Why a lawyer publishes the whole table.
Most of the cost of this visa is not the lawyer. It is the month lost when a document was ordered too early and expired, or the week lost when HR wrote a letter to the wrong standard. Knowing the figures before you start is what saves that time, whether or not you hire me.
If you want the figures applied to your own situation, the free assessment takes two minutes and I answer it myself.