Guides

Guides — the honest paperwork answers.

What I explain on every call, published free. If you’d rather have it done for you, you know where I am.

Start here

If you are new to this, read these first.

Start Here · 9 min read

Which Spain Visa Is Right for You? A Remote Worker’s Honest Comparison

DNV vs Non-Lucrative vs the options that ended: which Spanish residence path actually fits a U.S. remote worker, and why.

Start Here · 14 min read

Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa for U.S. Citizens: the 2026 Guide

Requirements, documents, timeline, and the route I recommend: the whole application, explained honestly in one place.

Start Here · 12 min read

Can I Work Remotely from Spain for a U.S. Company?

Yes, with the right legal route. Visa options, W‑2 vs. 1099 differences, employer letters, Social Security and tax, all in one map.

Start Here · 8 min read

You Don’t Need a Degree for Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa

Three years of professional experience opens the same door. Who qualifies, what proves it, and the experience-letter formula the UGE accepts.

Start Here · 14 min read

How to Think Like the UGE When Preparing Your Application

The legal framework and practical standards behind UGE reviews: statutory law vs. administrative practice, what makes a file credible, and where discretion actually applies.

Start Here · 9 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa from California: What Changes and What Doesn’t

The California-specific layer: SF vs. LA consulate jurisdiction, equity compensation documentation, the federal apostille trap, and what the FTB does after you leave.

If you are a W‑2 employee

Your employer, the Certificate of Coverage and PEOs.

All 26 guides →

W‑2 Employees · 9 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa with Justworks: the PEO Problem, Solved

Your employer of record is a PEO. Here is why that complicates the Certificate of Coverage, and the sequence that fixes it.

W‑2 Employees · 8 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa with TriNet: What Changes and What Doesn’t

TriNet is your co-employer on paper. What that means for your employer letter, your Certificate of Coverage, and your timeline.

W‑2 Employees · 7 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa with Rippling: PEO vs. Payroll-Only

Rippling can be a PEO or just software. Which one you have decides who signs your paperwork. Here is how to tell, fast.

If you freelance or own a company

1099 income, your own LLC or S-corp, and the 20% Spanish client cap.

All 29 guides →

Freelancers · 11 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa for U.S. 1099 Contractors

Contracts, invoices, RETA registration, the 20% Spanish-client rule: how contractor files differ, and how to build yours right.

Freelancers · 10 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa for U.S. Consultants: W‑2, 1099 and Everything in Between

Management, strategy, finance and IT consultants: how to qualify for Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa whether you’re W‑2, 1099, or billing through your own LLC.

Freelancers · 10 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa for Freelance Designers

UX, graphic, brand and motion designers: how your freelancer or W‑2 case works, what documents you need, and the 20% Spanish-client rule that catches people late.

The paperwork

FBI check, apostilles, translations and what the UGE asks for.

All 35 guides →

Documents · 9 min read

The 90-Day Clock: Timing Your Arrival in Spain

The rolling 180-day window, the margin you really need, the 72-hour entry declaration when nobody stamps your passport: timed for the 3-year permit.

Documents · 9 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa from Inside Spain vs. the Consulate

Two doors into the same visa: a 3-year permit filed from Spain, or a 1-year visa from a U.S. consulate. How to choose your route.

Documents · 9 min read

The Health Insurance That Gets You Denied (and the Policies That Don’t)

Travel insurance fails, copays fail, waiting periods fail. Which policies pass, by name, and how to read the fine print before paying.

Money and taxes

Income thresholds, costs, Beckham Law and the tax calendar.

All 11 guides →

Money & Taxes · 9 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa Income Requirements 2026 (with Real Math)

The exact euro thresholds for singles, couples, and families: converted to dollars, with the evidence Spain actually accepts.

Money & Taxes · 8 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa Cost for Americans: the Honest Breakdown

Legal fees, apostilles, sworn translations, insurance, government fees: every line item, with realistic ranges and no surprises.

Money & Taxes · 10 min read

Do RSUs and Stock Options Count as Income for Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa?

Half your tech comp is equity. What the UGE counts, how to document vested RSUs, and what to do when your base sits under the bar.

Moving with family

Spouse, partner and children on the same application.

All 8 guides →

Family · 12 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa with Family: the 2026 Guide

Moving with a partner and kids? The visa covers your whole family in one application. Income thresholds, documents per person, school enrollment, and the full timeline.

Family · 8 min read

Adding Your Family Later Costs You the Whole Income Proof Again

Filed together, your family rides on one income proof. Filed later, the UGE asks for your contract, three months of payslips and a stamped bank certificate again, per person. The difference, document by document, and when waiting is still right.

Family · 7 min read

Can My Spouse Work in Spain on the Digital Nomad Visa?

Yes, for anyone, employed or self-employed, with no restriction. Where the right comes from, what your spouse needs to be included, and the two things that keep it alive at renewal.

After approval

TIE, Social Security and the road to long-term residency.

All 25 guides →

After Approval · 8 min read

Your First 30 Days in Spain After Visa Approval

Approval is not the finish line. Padrón, TIE fingerprints, bank account, Beckham election, autónomo registration: the exact order and what unlocks what.

After Approval · 11 min read

Spain Digital Nomad Visa to Long-Term Residency: the 5-Year Path

The DNV is a beginning, not a ceiling. Five years of continuous residence leads to EU long-term status, and at ten, to Spanish nationality. How the progression works, and the Beckham Law timing question.

After Approval · 9 min read

Healthcare in Spain for Digital Nomad Visa Holders

Private health insurance is required to apply. After approval, you can access Spain’s public healthcare system. What qualifying insurance looks like, which providers work, and how to transition to the SNS after you land.

If you will not work in Spain

The Non-Lucrative Visa: money, documents, consulates and renewals.

All 11 guides →

Non-Lucrative Visa · 6 min read

Can You Work Remotely on Spain’s Non-Lucrative Visa?

No, and it usually surfaces at renewal or in your tax return. What counts as work, what does not, and the visa built for remote workers.

Non-Lucrative Visa · 7 min read

From the Non-Lucrative Visa to Long-Term Residence and Citizenship

Two renewals to five years, long-term residence and its absence limits, then ten years, the DELE, the CCSE and the U.S. passport question.

Non-Lucrative Visa · 6 min read

Health Insurance for Spain’s Non-Lucrative Visa: What Consulates Accept

An insurer authorised in Spain, full cover, no copays, no waiting periods. What the certificate must say, what gets refused and when to buy.

All 132 guides, A to Z