Residency for high-net-worth investors placing qualifying capital in Spanish financial assets. The real estate Golden Visa is closed, but the financial investment routes remain open.
Spain’s investor residency program, commonly called the Golden Visa, granted residency to non-EU nationals making qualifying investments in Spain. On April 3, 2025, Spain officially closed the real estate route that had been the most popular pathway. New applications based on property purchases are no longer accepted.
What remains open is a set of financial investment routes targeting investors placing significant capital directly into Spain’s financial markets or economy. These routes still provide residency, renewable permits, and the right to include your family, but the qualifying investment categories are narrower than they were before April 2025.
If you had a real estate-based application in process before April 3, 2025, or if you already hold investor residency on that basis, your existing status continues under the rules that applied when you applied. If you were planning to apply through real estate after that date, that specific route is no longer available.
Capital investment residency is designed for non-EU nationals with the financial capacity to invest meaningfully in Spain’s economy through one of the qualifying routes listed below. You are likely a candidate if you:
The real estate route is closed. The following categories of investment remain qualifying under current Spanish law:
Purchase of Spanish government bonds or treasury instruments. This is the highest threshold but involves the most secure underlying asset class.
Investment in shares or equity stakes of Spanish companies not listed on regulated markets (private equity), or in listed Spanish companies. The investment must be in Spanish-incorporated entities.
Funds deposited in Spanish banks or placed into investment funds domiciled in Spain. This category covers a range of financial instruments and is often the most accessible route for investors with existing relationships with Spanish financial institutions.
Investment in a business project in Spain that is assessed as being of general economic interest, typically because it creates jobs, contributes to technological or scientific innovation, or generates socioeconomic impact in a designated priority area.
All qualifying investments must be maintained in their qualifying form for the duration of your residency. If you liquidate or transfer the investment out of the qualifying category, your residency basis is affected. This is an area where legal oversight throughout the residency period matters.
Before any application begins, you need to confirm that your planned investment qualifies under current rules, verify the investment structure, and understand the tax implications of Spanish residency. We work with tax and financial advisors on this step. The interaction between Spanish resident tax obligations and your investment structure is material.
The process starts with an investor visa application at the Spanish consulate in your country of residence. This visa allows you to enter Spain and apply for the formal residency permit from within the country.
Once in Spain, you apply for the investor residency permit (autorización de residencia para inversores). We prepare your complete application file, coordinate with any required financial institutions for documentation, and submit to the competent immigration authority.
The initial permit is valid for three years. We advise on the timing and preparation required to keep the permit in good standing through each renewal cycle.
If your spouse, partner, or dependent children are joining you, their applications run alongside yours. We coordinate the full family application as a single managed process.
Capital investment residency is legally and financially more complex than most other Spanish visa routes. The investment must be structured correctly, the documentation must match the legal category exactly, and the tax implications of Spanish residency are material for most investors at this level.
Here is what our role looks like:
We tell you upfront if there are issues with your planned investment structure. Getting that advice before you commit capital is where legal guidance pays for itself.
If your primary goal is to live in Spain without working and your capital does not meet the investor thresholds, the Non-Lucrative Visa is the right alternative. It requires demonstrating passive income or savings rather than a qualifying investment.
If your preferred route is investing in a business that creates jobs or drives economic activity in Spain, the Business Project Visa covers that pathway under Law 14/2013.
For financially independent individuals whose situation does not fit the capital investment thresholds, the passive income residency route offers a clear legal path to living in Spain on dividends, savings, or investment returns.
If you are evaluating investor residency in Spain after the April 2025 changes, the landscape has changed. The real estate route is gone, but the financial investment routes remain. Whether you are considering Spanish public debt, equity in Spanish companies, or a qualifying business project, the application process requires careful legal preparation from the first step.
Book a free consultation. We will assess your investment structure, confirm it meets the current qualifying criteria, and map out the full application timeline and costs before you commit to anything.
The real estate-based Golden Visa is not. Spain officially terminated new applications through property purchases on April 3, 2025. If you had an active application before that date, or you already hold investor residency under the previous rules, your status is unaffected. The remaining routes include €2 million in Spanish public debt, €1 million in Spanish company shares or investment funds, and €1 million in a qualifying business project.
There is no mandatory minimum stay requirement for most investor residency categories. However, if you spend more than 183 days in Spain during a calendar year, you become a Spanish tax resident and your worldwide income may become subject to Spanish taxation. Tax planning is therefore essential.
Yes. Your spouse or registered partner and dependent children can apply alongside you as part of the same application process. Each family member receives their own residency permit linked to the main investor’s qualifying investment. We coordinate family applications together to avoid delays.
From the point of a complete and correctly structured application, the investor visa stage at your Spanish consulate typically takes four to eight weeks. The in-country residency permit is generally processed within two to three months after arrival. Most applicants complete the process in four to six months, depending on consular processing times and documentation.
The qualifying investment must be maintained throughout your residency. If you sell or liquidate it, your basis for residency renewal is affected. Reinvesting into another qualifying investment may be possible, but these decisions should be planned with legal guidance before making changes.
Yes. Investor residency counts as legal residence in Spain for citizenship purposes. Most applicants become eligible after ten years of continuous legal residence. Shorter qualifying periods apply in certain situations, including one year for spouses of Spanish citizens and two years for nationals of many Spanish-speaking countries.
