Ley 14/2013 visas in Spain: entrepreneur, digital nomad and highly qualified professional

Ley 14/2013, of 27 September, on support for entrepreneurs and their internationalisation (the Spanish Entrepreneurs Act), created a fast route to residence for non-EU nationals who bring value to the Spanish economy. Ley 28/2022 (the Spanish Startups Act) amended it and added the international teleworker, better known as the digital nomad.

The big difference compared with the ordinary immigration route is that a single authority handles these files, the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE, the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit) of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, through a fast, fully online procedure.

This guide covers four routes: entrepreneur, highly qualified professional (HQP), international teleworker (digital nomad) and researcher. The old investor residence (golden visa) under this same law was repealed in all of its variants and is not dealt with here.

Entrepreneur: someone who is going to develop a business project in Spain that is innovative and of economic interest for the country, backed by a favourable report from ENISA. You can see the current amount on our entrepreneur visa page.

Highly qualified professional (HQP): a professional hired by a company that meets the UGE-CE criteria, with a higher education qualification (a university degree or higher vocational training) or equivalent professional experience of at least 3 years. See our residence permit page for highly qualified professionals.

International teleworker (digital nomad): a professional who works remotely for companies based outside Spain. If you are an employee, you may only provide services to companies based outside Spain; if you are self-employed (autónomo, the Spanish self-employed status) or a freelance professional, you may invoice Spanish companies as long as this does not exceed 20% of your total activity.

Researcher: staff carrying out research, development and innovation activity with a body or a company, under an agreement or a contract. See our residence permit page for research.

On every route the applicant must be of legal age, have no criminal record, hold health insurance with cover in Spain and not be in an irregular situation in the country.

Financial means: the threshold of 200% of the monthly salario mínimo interprofesional (SMI, the Spanish statutory minimum wage), with an extra 75% for the first family member and 25% for each further family member, is the documented standard for the international teleworker (digital nomad). For the entrepreneur, the highly qualified professional and the researcher, financial sufficiency is assessed mainly through salary, the employment contract or the funding of the project. The exact amount in euros depends on the SMI in force; you can see it updated on the service page.

Common documents: a valid passport, a criminal record certificate, health insurance with cover in Spain, proof of financial means, your qualification or professional experience and the document evidencing the activity (project, contract or agreement, depending on the route).

Route-specific documents: the entrepreneur needs the favourable ENISA report; the digital nomad must show that the company they work for has existed and been operating for at least 1 year and that the employment or professional relationship is at least 3 months old.

Managora gathers, reviews and, where needed, translates all of the documentation, and submits the complete file for you so as to avoid requests for further documents.

Timeline: the UGE-CE decides within 20 working days from the moment the file is complete. If there is no decision within that period, positive silence applies, that is, the permit is deemed granted.

Duration: 3 years when the permit is applied for from within Spain (renewable), or a visa of up to 1 year if you apply at the consulate in your country of origin, which then lets you obtain the 3-year card.

Family: your spouse or partner, minor or dependent children and dependent ascendants can apply for residence at the same time as the main applicant or later on, with the same period of validity.

Mobility: the permit is valid throughout Spanish territory and allows free movement within the Schengen area. For researchers and intra-company transfers there is also mobility within the EU under the European directives.

The special regime for inbound workers, known as the Beckham Law (article 93 of Ley 35/2006, the Spanish personal income tax act, IRPF), lets you be taxed as a non-resident: a flat rate of 24% up to €600,000 of employment income and 47% on the excess, during the year of arrival and the 5 following years.

The Startups Act extended this regime to international teleworkers, entrepreneurs and their families, and cut to 5 years the period of prior non-residence for tax purposes in Spain required to opt in.

Important: holding residence under Ley 14/2013 does not automatically give you the Beckham regime. Extranjería (Spanish immigration law) and Hacienda (the Spanish tax authority, AEAT) are separate areas, and you can meet the immigration requirement without meeting the tax one. You opt in with modelo 149 within the deadline and file every year with modelo 151. Managora studies whether it suits you and handles it.

Ley 28/2022 (the Spanish Startups Act) is fully in force and the international teleworker figure (article 74 bis) is now settled in UGE-CE practice.

The investor residence (golden visa) under Ley 14/2013 was repealed in all of its variants (property, capital, government debt and business projects) by Ley Orgánica 1/2025 (in force on 3 April 2025), so it is no longer an available route.

In 2026 UGE-CE scrutiny is tighter: registration with the Seguridad Social (the Spanish social security system) where applicable, and the physical presence of the applicant in Spain in applications filed here, are both checked in detail.