Ley 14/2013 visas (Startups Law): digital nomad, entrepreneur, highly qualified and researcher, which one applies to you

Ley 14/2013 (the Spanish Entrepreneurs Act) opened a specific residency pathway for non-EU foreigners coming to Spain for reasons of economic interest. Ley 28/2022 (the Startups Law) reformed it: it created the digital nomad permit, left the entrepreneur report solely in the hands of ENISA and removed the old article 68. This is why they are known as Startups Law visas or UGE permits.

For those coming on their own, four remain: digital nomad, entrepreneur, highly qualified professional (with or without an EU Blue Card) and researcher. They are processed by the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE), share the general requirements of article 62.3 and do not apply to European Union citizens. Residency by investment (golden visa) can no longer be requested: Ley Orgánica 1/2025 abolished it with effect from 3 April 2025. Those already granted remain valid and, if renewed, are resolved under the regulations in force when the initial authorisation was granted.

This is decided by who you work for and who pays you.

Digital nomad: you work remotely, exclusively through telematics means, for companies outside Spain. If you are an employee, only for companies abroad. If you are self-employed, the law allows you to work for a company located in Spain provided it does not exceed 20% of your professional activity. The company needs 1 year of real activity and you need at least 3 months of relationship with it, plus a degree or 3 years of experience.

Entrepreneur: you are going to start, develop or manage an activity in Spain that is innovative and/or of special economic interest for Spain (one of the two is enough) with a favourable report from ENISA. There is no minimum investment or employment requirement, and you do not need to have the company incorporated.

Highly qualified professional: a company hires you in Spain for a highly qualified position. This can be with an EU Blue Card (higher education of at least 3 years, or 5 years of experience, 3 for managers and ICT professionals) or with the national authorisation (MECES level 1 qualification or 3 years of experience).

Researcher: research staff, scientific and technical staff of companies or R&D&I centres, researchers under an agreement and professors hired by universities, higher education centres or business schools.

If you are an autónomo (self-employed) and more than 20% of your activity is with companies in Spain, or your project is not innovative or scalable, your pathway is the general regime for self-employment (see the comparative table and our self-employed visa guide). Each permit also has its own guide.

All of them require (art. 62.3): not being in an irregular situation in Spain, being of legal age, not appearing as rejectable in countries with which Spain has an agreement to that effect, public or private insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain, sufficient resources for you and your family, the tasa (official fee) and having no criminal record.

The criminal record is the most misunderstood aspect: certificates from Spain and the countries where you have resided for the last 2 years, plus a responsible declaration of having no criminal record in the last 5 years. The 5-year certificates belong to the general regime, not this law. They must be apostilled or legalised and translated, and consulates like London or Washington do not accept them if they are older than 6 months.

Digital nomad: consulates require €2,442 per month in 2026 (200% of the SMI of €1,221 in 14 payments, Real Decreto 126/2026), plus €916 for the first family member and €306 for each additional one (exactly 25% is €305.25). The €2,849 figure circulating comes from prorating the annual SMI into 12 months and is not the consular figure. We have not been able to confirm whether the UGE calculates the means over 12 or 14 payments, so we prepare the file with a margin.

EU Blue Card: a contract or firm offer of at least 6 months and a minimum gross annual salary of 1.4 times the average gross annual earnings from the INE (Orden PJC/44/2026). This threshold is multiplied by 0.8 for hard-to-fill occupations in groups 1 and 2 or if you obtained the qualification in the previous 3 years. The order sets a multiple, not a figure: we calculate it with the survey in force on the day of submission. For the national authorisation, the law does not set a salary: the specific requirements are developed by the instructions provided for in the twentieth additional provision, and we check them on a case-by-case basis.

Entrepreneur and researcher: sufficient resources, with no legal figure. A researcher from an entity registered with the UGE does not have to prove resources or pay the tasa when applying (art. 72.8).

The UGE processes it electronically and the Directorate-General for Migration grants it (art. 76.1). It has 20 working days from the electronic submission, not from when the file is complete. With no response, there is positive silence. Submitting while in legal stay extends it until the resolution: a tourist can apply for the digital nomad or entrepreneur permit without leaving Spain if they submit before their stay ends.

Visas are issued by the consulate in 10 working days, unless the prior consultation provided for in the Visa Code applies (art. 75.5). The visa lasts 1 year, or the duration of the authorisation if it is less, and allows you to reside without a TIE (the physical foreigner identity card).

Digital nomad: from abroad, a teleworking visa at the consulate (up to 1 year) and, to stay, an authorisation from the UGE in the 60 calendar days before it expires. From Spain, while lawfully present, direct authorisation for up to 3 years.

Entrepreneur: always at the UGE, even from abroad. Once the authorisation is granted, the visa is requested. First, the form in the ENISA private area is filled out. The UGE requests the report ex officio and ENISA issues it in 10 working days. You do not have to wait for it or provide it, and the business plan is not uploaded to the UGE.

Highly qualified professional: submitted by the company or the professional themselves (art. 71.1). With the Blue Card granted, the consulate issues the visa without additional requirements.

Before the UGE, we submit it with your mandate and the certificate of the firm's lawyer. You sign the MIT form and we never ask for your digital certificate. The initial 790-038 tasa is €73.26 in 2026. At the consulate, you submit it, or your accredited representative if that consulate allows it, with the file we leave reviewed for you.

With 5 years of legal residence, you can move to permanent or long-term residency, and the researcher can stay up to 12 months after finishing to look for employment or start a business. In 2026, the first 3-year nomad authorisations begin to expire: they are renewed for 2.

The renewal is done electronically and extends the authorisation until it is resolved. It is still possible in the 90 days after expiration, but with a possible penalty (art. 76.3). The entrepreneur fills out the ENISA form again, now with their company data.

With an authorisation of more than 6 months, you must request the TIE (art. 76.2). The law does not set a deadline: request it as soon as the authorisation is granted. Meanwhile, for the first 6 months, the passport is enough to register with the Seguridad Social (the Spanish social security system) if you do not have a NIE (foreigner identity number).

Yes. Your spouse or partner, minor children or dependent adult children without their own family, and dependent ascendants can request it at the same time as you or later. If they go at the same time, they are resolved at the same time (art. 62.4). Each family member submits their own application, meets the general requirements and pays their tasa. For the nomad, the required means also increase.

The law does not state that the family member always has the same validity as the main holder or that they can work without further procedures: we review this on a case-by-case basis. The procedure is in our family reunification guide for talent visas.

You must maintain the conditions of the permit and communicate to the UGE within 30 days any change that affects them (seventh additional provision). If they are no longer met, the Administration can extinguish the visa or authorisation in a reasoned manner, after giving you a hearing.

The typical case is the nomad who changes companies: the UGE processes it as an initial application, with MIT, tasa and complete documentation, without the 3 months of relationship and without requesting criminal records from the holder. The new company provides a certificate from its commercial registry with 1 year of real activity and a letter authorising work from Spain with duties, telematics means and salary in euros. A foreign contract on its own is not enough.

Ley 14/2013 does not specify whether the 30 days are working or calendar days. As a general rule, they would be working days, but out of caution, we count them as calendar days. We prepare and submit the communication for you.

Not automatically. The teleworking pathway requires a remote employment relationship using exclusively telematics means (it does not require a foreign employer). The employed nomad qualifies, but not the one invoicing as an autónomo, who could only do so through entrepreneurial activity with ENISA or as a highly qualified professional of an emerging or R&D&I company.

You must not have been a resident in Spain in the 5 previous periods and must submit form 149 within 6 months following the start of activity recorded in the Seguridad Social registration. It applies the first year with more than 183 days in Spain after the relocation and the following 5 years: 24% up to €600,000 and 47% on the excess. Renouncing it, in November or December, is irreversible. We prepare the 149 for you (details in our Beckham Law regime guide).