What triggers one
The UGE issues a requerimiento when it cannot decide your application based on the file as submitted. That can mean a document is missing, a submitted document has expired, a translation is incomplete, or a piece of evidence is ambiguous enough that the officer wants clarification before ruling.
Common triggers in Digital Nomad Visa cases:
- Health insurance that doesn't explicitly state "no copays" or "no deductibles" — the UGE wants language that mirrors the legal standard
- Employer letters that authorize remote work generically but don't name Spain specifically
- Income evidence that shows amounts but doesn't clearly link them to the declared employment relationship
- An apostille on the wrong document or from the wrong issuing authority (federal documents need a federal apostille)
- A sworn translation that references a different version of the document than the one submitted
What happens to your timeline
Under the Startup Law (Ley 28/2022), the UGE normally has 20 business days to resolve a Digital Nomad Visa application. When a requerimiento is issued, that clock stops. It restarts from the date you submit your response. If the UGE doesn't respond within 20 business days of that restart, positive administrative silence applies — your application is deemed approved.
In practice, a requerimiento adds 2–6 weeks to your total timeline, depending on how quickly you can gather the requested documentation and how fast the UGE resumes after your response.
How to respond
The notification specifies exactly what the UGE is asking for and the deadline to respond. The response is filed electronically through the same UGE portal as the original application. Because a requerimiento notification comes in Spanish, and the response carries legal consequences if mis-handled, it is the one moment where having a lawyer on file pays for itself immediately — we receive it, translate it, and answer it within hours, not days.
When I represent a client, every UGE notification — including requerimientos — comes to me first. You find out when there's a decision or a specific action needed from you, not when there's a document request to decode.
How a good file avoids them
Most requerimientos are predictable and preventable. The five most common document problems that generate them — expired background checks, insurance with copays, wrong apostille type, income documented the wrong way, employer letters that don't name Spain — are the same ones a thorough pre-filing review catches.
The goal of careful preparation isn't to make the file longer; it's to make it unambiguous. A UGE officer reading a well-built file should find every question answered before they ask it.
If you want to understand your specific file's risk areas before anything is filed, the free assessment is where that conversation starts.
Frequently asked questions
Ten business days, as a rule — though the UGE will state the exact deadline in the notification itself. Missing that window is treated as abandonment of the application. Respond immediately.
No. It means the UGE wants more information. A thorough, timely response resolves most requerimientos; applications that receive one and respond well still get approved routinely.
Yes — that is the explicit legal effect. The clock pauses from the date the UGE sends the requerimiento and resumes when you submit your response. The countdown to positive administrative silence restarts from your response.
The UGE can treat the application as abandoned and close it. If that happens, you must start again from the beginning — new application, new fees, new documents. Missing the deadline is among the most expensive mistakes in this process.
Mostly yes. Requerimientos cluster around predictable gaps: expired documents, missing apostilles, insurance that doesn't fully meet the criteria, income evidence that isn't self-explanatory. Building the file correctly the first time is the best insurance.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Deadlines and procedures are subject to change — confirm current rules with your lawyer. Last updated: July 2026.