For permanent residency through investment, a minimum of EUR 500,000 investment must be made into real estate. However, a Spanish Golden Visa may not be necessary for your needs and you could be able to get by with an entrepreneurial visa or a digital nomad visa that has much more lenient demands to be granted residency.

The Spanish civil residence does not automatically lead to tax residence. In principle, tax residence is triggered based on effective residence in Spain of at least 183 days per year. Investors are taxed on the basis of their assets in Spain, through the Non-resident Annual TaxReturn at 24% of their annual income. However, if the property is not rented, to stimulate rentals, the Spanish government will still apply a “fictitious rent” equal to 1-2% of the property’s cadaster value. For investors planning to effectively live in Spain, the risk of high taxation may be avoided by using local corporate vehicles, registering in nearby low-tax jurisdictions (e.g. Andorra, Gibraltar), or by applying for the “Beckham Rule” for expatriates (which guarantees a tax cap for 6 years). A customized international tax plan is strongly encouraged in such cases.

The benefits include the right to live, work, and study in Spain, access to public healthcare and education systems, visa-free travel within the Schengen Area, and the opportunity to apply for Spanish citizenship after 10 years. (2 years only for particular cases and nationalities).