By Arturo García de la Cruz · Immigration Lawyer at MoveWise · Last updated: 11 November 2026

💡 The short answer: Spain and Italy both give non-EU remote workers a residence route, but they suit different people. Spain asks for more income (about €2,849 a month gross for applications filed in Spain in 2026), yet lets you apply from inside Spain, must decide within 20 working days and grants up to 3 years. Italy's legal minimum is lower (about €24,790 a year), but you apply at a consulate, need a registered lease and receive a 1-year permit.

Key facts for 2026

• Legal basis: Spain, Ley 14/2013, arts. 74 bis to 74 quinquies. Italy, article 27 of the Consolidated Immigration Act and the Interministerial Decree of 29 February 2024.
• Income: Spain, 200% of the minimum wage (SMI), about €2,849 a month gross for filings in Spain. Italy, about €24,790 a year by law; consulates apply €25,500 up to about €28,000.
• Qualification: Spain, a degree or 3 years of experience. Italy, highly qualified status (such as a validated 3-year degree or 5 years of experience) plus 6 months in your field.
• Where you apply: Spain, from inside Spain or at a consulate. Italy, only at the consulate for your place of legal residence.
• Decision: Spain, 20 working days from Spain, with positive administrative silence (art. 76 Ley 14/2013). Italy, typically 30 to 90 days in our files.
• First permit: Spain, up to 3 years, renewed for 2 years at a time. Italy, up to 1 year, renewed annually.
• Family: Spain, partner, children (adult children up to 25 under conditions) and dependent parents. Italy, a spouse aged 18 or over and minor children.
• Home: Spain, no lease among the UGE-CE requirements. Italy, a registered lease or deed covering the visa period.

This guide is for non-EU remote employees, freelancers and company owners who have narrowed their move down to Spain or Italy. After reading it you will know which visa your income, qualifications, work set-up and family actually fit, how long each route typically takes and where each one tends to get stuck. For the full document lists, use our Spain Digital Nomad Visa requirements checklist and our Italy Digital Nomad Visa requirements checklist.

It is written by MoveWise Legal Managers who prepare both visas every week, for the Spanish Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE) and for Italian consulates in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and Switzerland. Every legal figure is checked against the law or an official consular page; where a point is our experience, we say so.

The main pitfall it helps you avoid: choosing on the headline income figure alone. Italy's lower figure often rises at your consulate; Spain's higher one comes with a faster, in-country route.

In this guide:

• What changed recently
• Is this comparison for you?
• Where and how you apply
• Income: how much you need
• Qualifications and work experience
• Your work set-up: employees, freelancers and company owners
• Social Security and health insurance
• Accommodation
• Bringing your family
• Timeline: how long each route takes
• Permit length, renewals and long-term residence
• How much it costs
• Tax: what to know before you choose
• Which one should you choose? (by profile)
• Mistakes we see when people compare the two
• Frequently asked questions
• How MoveWise can help

What changed recently

Neither law changed in 2026; the numbers and the consular practice around them did.

• Spain's income rose with the minimum wage. Real Decreto 126/2026 set the 2026 SMI at €1,221 a month in 14 payments (€17,094 a year), and the Spanish thresholds are percentages of it.
• Italian consulates added a salary test. New checklists from Tbilisi (May 2026) and Pretoria (August 2026) ask employees to earn at least the ISTAT average gross salary, a test not found in the decree text we reviewed.
• No passport stamps for visitors. Since 10 April 2026 the Entry/Exit System (EES) records short-stay travellers digitally. On Spain's in-country route your travel records prove your entry; long-stay (D) visa holders are outside the EES.

Is this comparison for you?

Yes, if you already work remotely for an employer or clients outside Spain and Italy and can prove it with contracts, payslips or invoices. No, if your income is passive or you want a local job.

✅ Read on if you are:

• A remote employee of a foreign company, with permission to work from abroad.
• A freelancer with foreign clients, or a company owner working through your own foreign company.
• A remote worker moving with a spouse, children or parents.

❌ Look elsewhere if:

• You live on pensions, rents or investments: see the Spain Non-Lucrative Visa or the Italy Elective Residence Visa.
• You want a Spanish or Italian employer: that needs a work permit.
• You are also weighing Portugal: see our Portugal Digital Nomad Visa (D8) checklist.

If you already know your country, our Spain Digital Nomad Visa service and our Italy Digital Nomad Visa service explain how we handle each file.

👉 Book a free eligibility call with a MoveWise Client Manager — tell us your income, work set-up and family, and we will tell you honestly which of the two visas fits.

Where and how you apply

This difference shapes everything else: in Spain you can file from inside the country; in Italy you apply at the consulate for your place of legal residence, before you travel.

Spain:

• ✅ From inside Spain: you enter legally and your representative files online with the UGE-CE through the Mercurio platform. You, and every family member, must be legally in Spain on filing day, and you keep your passport.
• ✅ From abroad: a consular visa valid for up to 1 year (art. 74 quater Ley 14/2013), then the residence permit, applied for in Spain in the last 60 days of the visa.

Italy:

• ✅ Consulate only: you book through Prenot@Mi, VFS Global or email, depending on the post, and submit in person with originals and copies.
• ✅ The consulate keeps your passport for the whole procedure.
• ✅ After the visa: you apply for the residence permit (permesso di soggiorno) within 8 working days of arrival through the Poste kit, then give fingerprints at the Questura.

💡 Pro tip: If 20 working days pass without a decision, Spanish law treats the application as approved (positive silence), but the formal resolution can arrive much later, and without it people struggle to rent, travel, book the residence card (TIE) or register as self-employed. The UGE-CE has no public counter or phone line, so in our files we file a formal written request (escrito) and follow up in writing every week.

💡 Pro tip: If you must travel while an Italian application is pending, US citizens can usually obtain a second passport; UK citizens generally only with documented work travel needs.

⚠️ Common mistake: Filing from Spain after entering on a Schengen visa issued by another country. Other practitioners have reported rare refusals on that ground; we have not seen one in our files, but talk to us first.

Income: how much you need

Spain's figure is higher on paper. Italy's legal minimum is lower, but consulates often raise it, and the salary test can bring an Italian employee file close to Spain's figure.

Spain (200% of the SMI, gross):

• Main applicant: about €2,849 a month, €34,188 a year, on the annualised basis we treat as safe for UGE-CE filings. The UGE-CE FAQ gives percentages, not euro amounts.
• Family: +€1,068.38 a month for the first member, +€356.13 for each additional one.
• Savings can cover a shortfall in our practice: the monthly gap multiplied by the months of the permit.

Italy (three times the healthcare co-payment exemption threshold):

• Legal minimum: about €24,790 a year (3 × €8,263.31), roughly €2,066 a month, as the Ministry of Labour's integration portal explains.
• Consulates: €25,500 at Tbilisi; more than €28,000 at Chicago in our experience.
• Employees: Tbilisi also asks for the collective-agreement (CCNL) minimum, and Tbilisi and Pretoria the ISTAT average gross salary, about €33,500 according to the integration portal.
• Family: about €3,550 a year for each family member.
• Passive income and savings do not count.

What this means in practice:

• 👉 A single freelancer on €30,000 a year meets Italy's figure at most consulates, but not Spain's UGE-CE figure without savings.
• 👉 A single employee at a consulate that applies the ISTAT test needs about €33,500 for Italy, close to Spain's €34,188.
• 👉 A couple needs about €47,000 a year in Spain (€3,917.38 a month), against about €28,340 on Italy's legal minimum.

💡 Pro tip: Both countries read gross income, and the figure must match across contract, letter and bank statements. A mismatch is the most common trigger for a request for documents in Spain.

Qualifications and work experience

Spain is more flexible: a degree or 3 years of experience. Italy asks for highly qualified status, and validating a non-EU degree is often its slowest step.

Spain:

• ✅ A university, vocational or business-school qualification, or at least 3 years of experience in a similar role (art. 74 bis Ley 14/2013).
• ✅ Experience is proven with third-party evidence: Spain does not accept self-signed documents.

Italy:

• ✅ One of four routes under article 27-quater: a degree from a programme of at least 3 years, a regulated profession recognised in Italy, 5 years of experience at a comparable level, or 3 years within the last 7 for ICT managers and specialists (ISCO-08 groups 133 and 25), as the Tbilisi checklist lists.
• ✅ A non-EU degree needs an apostille, a translation and a Declaration of Value (Dichiarazione di Valore) or a CIMEA statement of comparability.
• ✅ Separately, at least 6 months of experience in your field.

💡 Pro tip: UK applicants can use official records for both countries: the HMRC employment history plus the National Insurance record has led to approvals in Spain (occasionally questioned by the UGE-CE), and London expects them, with proper contracts and 6 to 7 years of National Insurance record.

💡 Pro tip: Degree and experience are alternatives in the Italian decree, yet one consulate (Detroit, in our files) kept asking for the Declaration of Value on the experience route. If you hold a degree, starting it for one degree (about a month in our experience) can save weeks.

Your work set-up: employees, freelancers and company owners

Both visas cover employees and the self-employed. Spain checks your relationship history and the company; Italy checks the employer's declarations and your registrations on arrival.

Employees

Spain:

• ✅ At least 3 months with your employer (art. 74 ter Ley 14/2013), a company active for at least 1 year (UGE-CE information sheet) and a letter authorising remote work from Spain.
• ✅ Only companies based outside Spain. The permit cannot outlast your contract.

Italy:

• ✅ A contract or binding job offer with a company outside Italy, and a confirmation letter authorising remote work from Italy.
• ✅ A notarised employer declaration of no convictions in the last 5 years for the offences in article 22, paragraph 5-bis, with the signatory's ID.

💡 Pro tip: For Italy, the UK P60 or the US W-2 is the strongest proof of employment we can file, and only the last year is needed. In our files, online notarisation of the employer declaration has worked for UK employers but not for US ones, which need an in-person notary.

Freelancers and contractors

Spain:

• ✅ Relationships with foreign clients for at least 3 months, plus proof of self-employed registration at home.
• ✅ Up to 20% of your activity may be with Spanish companies; we avoid filing Spanish invoices unless they are needed.
• ✅ After approval you join the Spanish self-employed scheme (RETA).

Italy:

• ✅ Service agreements, client letters, tax returns, invoices and bank statements.
• ✅ After arrival you open an Italian VAT number (partita IVA), as the decree requires.
• ✅ Four set-ups work in our practice: a sole trader invoicing in their own name, the owner of a structured company, a freelancer invoicing through their own LLC, and a US owner on a W-2 from their own S-corp.

💡 Pro tip: For Italy, a US client's Form 1099 is strong proof. At London, invoices addressed to you count only if the client instructed the work in writing, and monthly reports only if countersigned (ideally the last 6 months).

Company owners

Both countries look past the job title.

• Spain: with 25% or more of the shares you are treated as a company owner. In our experience a file presenting you only as "director" tends to fail, because the UGE-CE does not read it as a remote role. What works is a genuine remote professional role for your company plus the corporate documents, filed from Spain.
• Italy: besides the incorporation documents, show that you run the business remotely, for example with a remote-working arrangement countersigned by a co-founder or director, or a notarised bylaws amendment assigning you the commercial side.

⚠️ Common mistake: Skipping the tax question. In Italy a company run from Italy risks being treated as Italian tax resident, so we send every company owner to a tax consultation first.

Social Security and health insurance

Spain is precise about which country's Social Security covers you; Italian checklists focus on health cover. In both, the answer depends on whether you are employed or self-employed.

Spain:

• ✅ Employees keep paying at home with a certificate of coverage, only where an agreement exists (the Seguridad Social list includes the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia and others; the UK is covered by the EU–UK agreement). There is none with Israel or Turkey.
• ✅ Self-employed applicants must join RETA: the UGE-CE reserves the certificate route for employees.
• ✅ Health: public cover through Social Security, or a private policy from an insurer authorised in Spain with no co-payments and no waiting periods.

Italy:

• ✅ Employees: a certificate of coverage where a bilateral agreement applies.
• ✅ Self-employed: after the partita IVA, registration with INPS under the scheme for your activity; our guide to taxes and registrations in Italy explains it.
• ✅ Health: cover for medical care and hospitalisation valid throughout Italy for the whole stay; Tbilisi sets a minimum of €30,000 (consular guidance).

💡 Pro tip: In Spain the certificate of coverage also fixes how long your permit lasts, so ask for the maximum period. Self-employed applicants filing from Spain usually need no private insurance, because RETA gives access to the public system.

⚠️ Common mistake: Planning a Spanish employee file for an Israeli employer. With no agreement, our usual solution is a contractor agreement with the same company and the self-employed route, as our guide to the three ways employees qualify explains.

Accommodation

Italy requires a home before you apply; Spain's UGE-CE route does not. For many applicants this single point decides the order of the whole move.

Spain:

• ✅ Proof of accommodation is not among the UGE-CE requirements for filings from Spain; check your consulate's list if you apply abroad.
• ✅ After approval you register with the town hall (padrón) and book the TIE.

Italy:

• ✅ A lease registered with the Agenzia delle Entrate, a deed in your name or, at some consulates, a free-use loan (comodato d'uso). Tbilisi wants it to cover the whole visa period.
• ❌ Airbnb and other short-term bookings are not accepted.
• ✅ The lease city decides your Questura, so choose it before you apply.

💡 Pro tip: The Italian lease must cover at least 12 months of the visa's validity, and consulates take 2 to 3 months to decide, so a 12-month lease starting on application day falls short. Extend a transitional lease (contratto transitorio) to 18 months, sign a 4+4 lease or set a later start date.

💡 Pro tip: London, New York and Detroit have usually accepted a comodato in our files. A hospitality declaration from a friend has been accepted only by Los Angeles and Frankfurt in our experience.

👉 Want a MoveWise Client Manager to check your Italian lease and qualification plan? — these two points decide most Italian timelines and are the easiest to get wrong before you sign anything.

Bringing your family

Spain takes a wider family; Italy covers a spouse and minor children, through a route that depends on their passports. Spain's income rises faster per person.

Spain:

• ✅ Who: spouse or partner, minor children, adult children aged 18 to 25 who meet three conditions (no income, studying or registered as jobseekers, no family unit of their own), and dependent parents, presumed dependent from 80.
• ✅ Income: a couple needs €3,917.38 a month and a family of four €4,629.64 (UGE-CE basis).
• ✅ Rights: family permits last as long as yours and allow work; see our guide to bringing your family to Spain.

Italy:

• ✅ Who: a non-separated spouse aged 18 or over and minor children, under article 29 of the Consolidated Immigration Act. Parents are not covered.
• ✅ Income: the assegno sociale (€7,101.12 a year in 2026) plus 50% per family member, about €3,550 each, with a separate rule for two or more children under 14. A couple needs about €28,340 on the legal minimum.
• ✅ Routes: visa-exempt nationals (UK, US, Canada, Australia and others) can usually enter with you and apply in Italy through family cohesion (coesione familiare, article 30), the faster route. Others use a Schengen visa and family cohesion, or the familiari al seguito route, which starts with a clearance (nulla osta).

💡 Pro tip: Some Questure have refused family cohesion by applying a two-year prior-residence requirement. MoveWise holds three court rulings stating that it does not apply to family cohesion under article 30, yet a Questura has refused on that ground since, and the remedy was a court challenge. Plan Italian family files together.

💡 Pro tip: In Spain, every detail in each family application, including the country of birth, must match the passport, or the TIE fingerprint appointment can be blocked until a formal correction is made.

Timeline: how long each route takes

Spain from inside Spain is usually the faster route; Italy depends on appointment slots, degree validation and the consulate's workload. These are typical ranges from our files, not guarantees.

Spain:

• Documents: several weeks; the certificate of coverage, criminal records and apostilles are the slowest.
• Decision from Spain: 20 working days by law. A request for documents (requerimiento) stops the clock and normally gives you 10 working days to answer.

Italy:

• Declaration of Value or CIMEA: several weeks; appointments from a few days to several weeks.
• Consular decision: typically 30 to 90 days; London has indicated up to 120 days for self-employed applicants and 30 for employees.
• Overall: typically 3 to 6 months from starting the documents to arriving in Italy.

💡 Pro tip: Answer a Spanish requerimiento with one PDF (cover letter plus annexes), each file on Mercurio under 10 MB, and never compress sworn translations: it can break the electronic signature.

⚠️ Common mistake: For Spain, requesting the criminal record only from your country of residence. Request it from your country of nationality from the start, apostilled and sworn translated: it is often asked for in a requerimiento, and 10 working days are shorter than most countries need to issue it.

Permit length, renewals and long-term residence

Spain gives you more time per permit; Italy renews every year. Both lead to long-term residence after 5 years.

Spain:

• ✅ Consular visa up to 1 year; residence permit up to 3 years, or your contract's length if shorter; renewals for 2 years (art. 74 quinquies Ley 14/2013).
• ✅ No minimum stay for renewal, but long absences weaken it: see our Spain residency checklist.
• ✅ Long-term residence after 5 years; nationality after 10 (2 for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and people of Sephardic origin).

Italy:

• ✅ Visa and permit up to 1 year, renewed annually while you meet the requirements.
• ✅ No renewal after more than 6 continuous months outside Italy without serious, documented reasons: see our Italy renewal and extension guide.
• ✅ EU long-term residence after 5 years; citizenship after 10 (2 if a parent or grandparent is or was an Italian citizen by birth).
• ✅ According to the integration portal, the permit is not currently treated as convertible into other permit types.

💡 Pro tip: If your Spanish resolution arrives but the TIE will not be ready before a trip, you can request a return authorisation (autorización de regreso). Without it, you can leave but need available Schengen days to come back.

How much it costs

Official fees are low in both countries; the real budget is apostilles, translations, insurance and, in Italy, the lease. We list only fees we can verify.

Spain:

• Modelo 790, code 038: per applicant, including family members. Official sources show different amounts, so pay the amount on the official form.
• TIE (Modelo 790, code 012): €16.08 first card, €19.30 renewal (Orden PJC/617/2025).
• Consular visa fee: set by each consulate by nationality.

Italy:

• National visa fee: set by each consulate, per applicant; check your consulate's page.
• Residence permit (Poste kit), 3 to 12 months: €16 revenue stamp, €70.46 payment slip and €30 Poste fee, about €116.46 per person.

Both: apostilles, sworn translations, notarisation, insurance and certificates; in Italy also the Declaration of Value or CIMEA and the lease costs.

Tax: what to know before you choose

Tax should not decide your visa on its own, and we do not compare tax bills. Both countries generally make you tax resident once you settle, and both have special regimes with strict conditions.

Spain:

• You are generally tax resident after more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or if your main economic interests are in Spain; residents are taxed on worldwide income.
• Beckham Law (art. 93 LIRPF): according to the Agencia Tributaria, employees with the international telework visa can opt in if they meet all conditions: 24% up to €600,000 (47% above), for the year you become resident and the next 5, with no Spanish tax residence in the previous 5 years and Modelo 149 within 6 months. Ordinary self-employed people generally do not qualify. See our Beckham Law guide.

Italy:

• Since 2024 you are tax resident if, for most of the tax year, you meet one of four tests (presence, domicile, Civil Code residence or registration with the comune); residents are taxed on worldwide income.
• Impatriati (article 5, Legislative Decree 209/2023): if you meet all conditions, 50% of qualifying Italian work income is exempt (60% with a minor child), up to €600,000 a year, for 5 years, with no Italian tax residence in the previous 3 years, a 4-year stay commitment and high-qualification requirements read narrowly by the Agenzia delle Entrate.
• Regime forfettario: a 15% substitute tax for the self-employed up to €85,000 of turnover, 5% for 5 years for genuinely new activities, under conditions.

⚠️ Common mistake: Entering Italy and starting work before the visa period begins, or relying on a regime you have not checked. Speak to a qualified tax adviser (an asesor fiscal in Spain, a commercialista in Italy) before you move: MoveWise does not give tax advice.

Which one should you choose? (by profile)

Your profile matters more than the country. These are the patterns we see when we assess both visas for one person.

• 👉 Single employee of a UK, US or Canadian company earning €35,000 or more: both fit. Spain is usually faster from inside the country and gives up to 3 years; Italy suits you if the lease and qualification evidence are already in place.
• 👉 Employee earning about €25,000 to €33,000: Italy can fit if your consulate does not apply the ISTAT test. Spain needs about €34,188 a year (€2,849 a month), so it fits only with savings covering the gap.
• 👉 Employee of an Israeli company: in Spain the file usually moves to the self-employed route; check Italy with us case by case.
• 👉 Freelancer with some local clients: Spain expressly allows up to 20% with Spanish companies; Italy is built around clients abroad.
• 👉 Company owner: Spain from inside the country, with a genuine remote role, is the route we use most. For Italy, plan the remote-working arrangement and the tax consultation first.
• 👉 No degree, 3 to 5 years' experience: Spain accepts 3 years; Italy needs 5 (or 3 within 7 for ICT roles).
• 👉 Family with children: Italy's income rises less per child and visa-exempt families can use family cohesion, but Spanish permits are longer. Compare totals for your family size.
• 👉 Moving with a parent: only Spain can include dependent parents.
• 👉 Your work is ending or your income is passive: neither. Compare the non-lucrative visa and the digital nomad visa in Spain, or the Italy Elective Residence Visa.

Mistakes we see when people compare the two

Most wrong choices come from headline figures.

1. Comparing a monthly figure with an annual one. Fix: put both on a yearly basis: €34,188 for Spain (UGE-CE) against €24,790 and your consulate's real figure for Italy.
2. Ignoring the Italian salary test. Fix: check whether your consulate applies it before assuming Italy is cheaper.
3. Planning Italy without a home. Fix: register a lease with enough months before the appointment.
4. Counting passive income or savings as work income. Fix: only employer or client payments count, in both countries.

Frequently asked questions

Which is easier to get, the Spain or the Italy digital nomad visa?

No single answer fits everyone. In our experience, for a single remote worker earning more than about €2,849 a month, Spain is usually simpler: you can file from inside Spain, the law sets a 20-working-day deadline and the first permit lasts up to 3 years. Italy is often easier on income but needs a consulate appointment and a registered lease.

Which country has a lower income requirement for digital nomads, Spain or Italy?

Italy, on paper: about €24,790 a year by law, against about €34,188 a year (€2,849 a month) for Spanish applications filed in Spain. But Italian consulates apply €25,500 up to about €28,000, and some require employees to earn the ISTAT average of about €33,500.

Can I apply for the Italy digital nomad visa from inside Italy, like in Spain?

No. You apply at the Italian consulate for your place of legal residence before you travel, and the consulate keeps your passport meanwhile. Only after arriving with the visa do you apply for the residence permit, within 8 working days. In Spain you can enter legally and file with the UGE-CE from inside the country.

Do I need a degree for the Spain or Italy digital nomad visa?

No, in both countries. Spain accepts at least 3 years of experience in a similar role instead of a degree. Italy accepts 5 years of experience at a comparable level, or 3 years within the last 7 for ICT managers and specialists. A non-EU degree used for Italy also needs a Declaration of Value or a CIMEA statement.

Which digital nomad visa is better for families?

Spain, if you want to include adult children or parents, or a longer first permit: it admits dependent parents and adult children up to 25 under conditions, and family members can work. Italy's family income rises less per person, about €3,550 a year each, and visa-exempt families can use family cohesion, but it covers only a spouse and minor children.

Can I work for local clients on the Spain or Italy digital nomad visa?

Yes in Spain, if you are self-employed, as long as Spanish companies are no more than 20% of your professional activity; employees may work only for non-Spanish companies. In Italy the visa is built on employers and clients abroad, and your income evidence must come from that work, so ask before you plan regular Italian clients.

Which digital nomad visa lasts longer, Spain or Italy?

3 years is the maximum first permit in Spain when you apply from inside the country, or your contract's length if shorter, with 2-year renewals; a Spanish consular visa lasts up to 1 year. In Italy the visa and the residence permit last up to 1 year and are renewed annually. Both lead to long-term residence after 5 years.

Is tax lower in Spain or Italy for digital nomads?

No general answer is possible, and we do not compare tax bills. Both countries tax residents on worldwide income, and both have special regimes with strict conditions: the Beckham Law in Spain (24% up to €600,000 for eligible employees) and the impatriati regime in Italy (50% of qualifying income exempt). A qualified tax adviser should check your case.

Can I bring my parents on a digital nomad visa in Spain or Italy?

Yes in Spain, no in Italy. The Spanish Digital Nomad Visa admits dependent parents: they are presumed dependent from age 80, and below that you document the dependency. The Italian family provision covers only a spouse aged 18 or over and minor children, so parents would need a different route.

How MoveWise can help

MoveWise prepares Spain and Italy Digital Nomad Visa files every week, so we compare them from real cases, not checklists.

• Module 1, eligibility assessment: a Legal Manager checks your income against the real figure for your route (UGE-CE, Spanish consulate or Italian consulate), your qualification evidence, your Social Security position and your family, and tells you which visa fits and what to fix first.
• Module 2, full preparation and submission: for Spain, every letter, note and Payment Summary, filing through our partner professionals and any requerimiento. For Italy, the letters and declarations, the Declaration of Value or CIMEA, the lease review and support until your permesso di soggiorno is issued.
• Tax: we do not give tax advice, but we can introduce you to independent, qualified tax advisers.

Our modular service comes with a full refund of our fee if your application is refused, under the conditions of our service agreement. Our clients have left more than 500 client reviews on Trustpilot. We also run free webinars on the Spain and Italy Digital Nomad Visas, where you can ask your questions live.

👉 Book a free consultation with a MoveWise Client Manager — tell us about your work, income and family, and we will tell you honestly whether Spain, Italy or neither is the right Digital Nomad Visa for you.

Sources and legal references

• Ley 14/2013, Chapter V bis, international teleworkers (arts. 74 bis to 74 quinquies), consolidated text
• UGE-CE, digital nomads FAQ — Ministry of Inclusion
• Real Decreto 126/2026, minimum wage (SMI) for 2026 — BOE
• Spanish Consulate General in Washington, telework visa
• Orden PJC/617/2025, immigration fees including the TIE — BOE
• Seguridad Social, international Social Security agreements
• Agencia Tributaria, special regime for inbound workers (art. 93 LIRPF)
• Ministry of Labour integration portal: digital nomads and remote workers in Italy
• Embassy of Italy in Tbilisi: digital nomads and remote workers checklist (May 2026)
• Embassy of Italy in Pretoria: digital nomads checklist (August 2026)
• Consolidated Immigration Act, article 29: family reunification (Brocardi)
• European Commission, Entry/Exit System (EES)
• Interministerial Decree of 29 February 2024 on highly qualified remote workers (Official Gazette, 4 April 2024); Legislative Decree 209/2023, article 5 (impatriati regime)

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Immigration rules and consular practice change frequently; the information was verified on 11 November 2026. For advice on your situation, speak to a qualified professional.

Contact Us

While the requirements for obtaining a visa for Spain and Italy are straightforward, preparing the necessary documents and navigating the application process can be challenging. Mistakes or incomplete paperwork could put your application at risk.

If you have any doubts or questions about the process, you can book a free consultation for the following visa types, we’ll be there to help you every step of the way:

Digital Nomad Visa Spain -> BOOK TODAY a 100% Free Consultation

Digital Nomad Visa Italy -> BOOK TODAY a 100% Free Consultation

Digital Nomad Visa Portugal -> BOOK TODAY a 100% Free Consultation

Hasta pronto!