International teleworker residence
Autorización de residencia para el teletrabajo de carácter internacional
Created by the 2022 startups law, this is a full residence authorisation for people working remotely for employers or clients outside Spain. Applying from inside Spain gives a three-year authorisation directly; applying at a consulate gives a one-year visa first.
Who it is for. Remote employees and freelancers earning at least twice the Spanish minimum wage, with no more than a fifth of their income from Spanish clients.
Worth knowing. The threshold is 200% of the SMI. The 2026 SMI is €1,221 per month across 14 payments, which annualises to €17,094 and gives a monthly equivalent of €1,424.50; twice that is €2,849. Dependant uplifts are commonly applied at 75% of the SMI for the first family member and 25% for each additional one. No more than 20% of income may come from Spanish sources.
- Income required
- €2,849
- Savings required
- Not stated
- Investment required
- None
- Application fee
- €80
- Processing time
- 20–60 days
- Permission lasts
- 36 months
- Permanent residence
- After 5 years
- Citizenship
- After 10 years
a month
Renewable
Application checklist
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Documents
Fees
After you arrive
Renewal
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How the process runs
Lead times are the ones the authorities publish or that applicants consistently report. Added up, they come to roughly 5 months — start with whatever takes longest.
Assemble income and employer evidence
≈ 30 daysGather contracts, payslips or invoices, and documents proving the foreign employer has traded for at least a year.
Obtain criminal record certificate and apostille
≈ 45 daysCovering the last five years, with a sworn translation into Spanish.
Resolve social security coverage
≈ 30 daysObtain an A1 or certificate of coverage, or arrange to register with Spanish social security.
Submit to the UGE-CE
≈ 20 daysFile online. The unit works to a twenty-working-day target and positive silence applies if it does not respond.
Book fingerprints and collect the TIE
≈ 30 daysWithin 30 days of approval, attend a police appointment for biometrics and collect the card.
Official forms
Always download the current version from the authority. Consulates publish their own variants, and an out-of-date form is a common reason for rejection.
Solicitud de autorización de residencia (EX series)
onlineThe residence authorisation application submitted to the large-companies unit.
Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones · Spanish
Modelo 790 fee form
eitherPays the administrative fee for the authorisation.
Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones · Spanish
Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Residence authorisationPayable to Spanish Treasury via Modelo 790Indicative; confirm the current figure on the fee form. | €80 |
| TIE foreigner identity cardPayable to Spanish Treasury via Modelo 790 | €22 |
Why we say this
The wording behind the headline figures on this page.
The international teleworker residence requires monthly income of at least €2,849.
The startups law sets the requirement at 200% of the national minimum wage. The 2026 SMI of €1,221 across 14 payments annualises to €17,094, a monthly equivalent of €1,424.50, twice which is €2,849.
Sources
Worth knowing. The threshold is 200% of the SMI. The 2026 SMI is €1,221 per month across 14 payments, which annualises to €17,094 and gives a monthly equivalent of €1,424.50; twice that is €2,849. Dependant uplifts are commonly applied at 75% of the SMI for the first family member and 25% for each additional one. No more than 20% of income may come from Spanish sources.
Check this against
- Ley 28/2022 de fomento del ecosistema de las empresas emergentes — creates the international teleworker residence (opens in a new tab)Boletín Oficial del Estado · Government department
- UGE-CE — the unit that processes international teleworker, highly qualified and entrepreneur applications (opens in a new tab)Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE) · National immigration authority
- Consular visa information and national long-stay visa categories (opens in a new tab)Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación · Foreign ministry