The non-lucrative visa (residencia no lucrativa) lets non-EU nationals live in Spain on stable passive income — pensions, investments, rent or savings — without working. It is the route behind almost every search for a “Spain retirement visa”. We prepare the whole file: the means test, insurance, the criminal-record certificate and its apostille, translations, and the submission.
Retire in Spain — the NLV is the retirement visa
Spain has no visa literally called a retirement visa — the non-lucrative visa is the route people mean by it. It is built for those who live on a pension, investments, rent or savings and will not work. If you are retiring to Spain from the US, the UK or Canada, this is the file we prepare — your resources turned into a clean, durable means dossier the consulate can rely on.
What you need
- Non-EU citizenship — EU/EEA nationals register residence directly.
- Passive means: roughly €2,400/month (~€28,800/year) for the main applicant, more per dependant. Savings can substitute for income.
- No work of any kind in or from Spain — see the note below.
- Full private health insurance, no co-payments, no waiting periods.
- Clean criminal record, apostilled (see your nationality below).
Built for passive income and retirement
If you live on a pension, portfolio, rental income or savings, this is your route. We turn your resources into a clean, coherent means file — sourced, verified and durable across the years you intend to stay — the same financial discipline behind a founder’s forecast, turned to proving you can simply live here.
Working remotely? That is a different visa
The NLV forbids work — including remote work for an employer abroad. If you plan to keep earning remotely, the digital nomad visa is the route for you.
Non-Lucrative VisaYou will not work
Live on pension, investments or savings. Lower income threshold; no professional activity permitted.
Check NLV fit → Digital Nomad VisaYou keep working remotely
Earn from employers or clients outside Spain. Higher income threshold; remote work permitted.
See the nomad visa → Renewal — the part people miss
The first card is one year; it then renews for two years at a time, reaching long-term residence after five. At renewal you show funds for the longer period, not just one year — a frequent surprise. We plan the means picture for the whole horizon from day one.
Document requirements by country of citizenship
Requirements are largely the same; the criminal-record certificate differs.
For US citizens
US applicants use an FBI Identity History Summary with a federal apostille from the US Department of State. Retirees should have pension or investment statements ready as the means evidence.
For UK citizens
UK nationals apply on a non-EU footing since Brexit. The police certificate is usually an ACRO certificate, apostilled by the FCDO. Pension and savings statements evidence the means test.
For Canadians
Canadians provide an RCMP criminal-record check, apostilled. Investment and pension statements support the means requirement.
For Russian citizens
Russian applicants provide a criminal-record certificate (справка о несудимости) from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (МВД), apostilled — Russia is a party to the Apostille Convention, so an apostille, not consular legalisation, is what Spain expects. Civil documents that support the file — marriage and birth certificates — are likewise apostilled in Russia and sworn-translated into Spanish.
Other non-EU passport? The core requirements are the same — the check below flags anything specific.
