By Camila Sánchez García · Immigration Lawyer at MoveWise · Last updated: 12 November 2026

💡 The short answer: You renew the Spain Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) from inside Spain, at the immigration office for your province, in the two months before your permit expires. The renewed permit lasts two years. In 2026 you must show €2,400 a month for the whole period, which is €57,600 for the main applicant plus €14,400 per family member, and prove you lived in Spain for more than 183 days in the calendar year. The office has three months to decide.

Key facts for 2026

• Renewal length: two years, after a first permit of one year from your entry into Spain (art. 64.7 Real Decreto 1155/2024).
• Filing window: the two months before expiry, or up to three months after it, with a possible penalty procedure for late filing (art. 64.1).
• Money for a two-year renewal: 400% of the IPREM, €2,400 a month, which is €57,600 for the main applicant and €14,400 for each family member (arts. 62 and 64.2.b).
• Presence: you must have lived in Spain "de forma real y efectiva" for more than 183 days during the calendar year (art. 64.2.f).
• Fees: Form 790 code 052, epígrafe 2.2.1, €16.40 per person; renewed TIE card (Form 790 code 012), €19.30 per person (Orden PJC/617/2025).
• Where you file: online through the Mercurio platform, or in person at the immigration office of your province.
• Decision: three months. Filing on time extends your current permit until the decision, and silence after three months means approval (art. 64.8).
• After five years: long-term residence (form EX-11, fee 790-052 epígrafe 2.6, €21.87), which no longer requires you to prove NLV-level income.

This guide is for people who already hold a Spanish non-lucrative residence permit and want to keep it: retirees, financially independent people and families in their first year in Spain, or approaching the end of their first two-year renewal. After reading it you will know when to file, what the immigration office checks, how to prove your money and your days in Spain, and what changes at year five.

It was written by MoveWise's Spain Legal Managers from the renewal files we prepare for approved clients, starting about 120 days before each permit expires. Every number comes from the regulation, the official fee order or the Ministry's information sheets; where a point is our practice rather than a written rule, we say so.

The pitfall this guide helps you avoid: treating the renewal as a formality. The office looks again at your money, your insurance and, since May 2025, at how long you really lived in Spain.

In this guide:

• What changed recently
• Is this renewal guide for you?
• The renewal window: when to file
• Requirement 1: money for the next two years
• Requirement 2: the 183-day rule
• The other requirements: insurance, school, record and fee
• Documents checklist
• How to renew, step by step
• Timeline: what to realistically expect
• How much it costs
• After approval: your new TIE and travelling
• After five years: long-term residence
• Most common reasons renewals run into trouble
• Frequently asked questions
• How MoveWise can help

What changed recently

The rules changed with the new immigration regulation, Real Decreto 1155/2024 (Reglamento de Extranjería), which has applied since 20 May 2025. Article 64 now governs NLV renewals. Three changes matter most.

👉 The 183-day rule is written into the regulation. To renew you must prove that you lived in Spain for more than 183 days during the calendar year (art. 64.2.f). The Ministry's renewal information sheet (Hoja 7) lists it as a requirement.

👉 Renewals last two years. You will read online that NLV renewals now last four years. They do not: the renewed permit lasts two years (art. 64.7), unless you already qualify for long-term residence.

👉 Tax and Social Security compliance can be taken into account. The office may consider whether you met your tax and Social Security obligations during the permit (art. 64.5). That makes your Spanish tax position part of your immigration file.

The money has not changed for 2026: the IPREM (Indicador Público de Renta de Efectos Múltiples) is still €600 a month, frozen since 2023.

Is this renewal guide for you?

Yes, if you hold an initial or renewed non-lucrative residence permit and want to stay on it. The renewal is the same procedure at the end of year one and at the end of year three.

• ✅ First renewal: your one-year permit (counted from your entry into Spain) is about to expire.
• ✅ Second renewal: your first two-year renewal is ending and you do not yet have five years of continuous residence.
• ✅ Families: your spouse or partner and children hold NLV permits linked to yours and renew at the same time.
• ❌ Digital Nomad Visa holders: your renewal follows Ley 14/2013 and goes to a different office. See our Digital Nomad Visa renewal guide.
• ❌ People who now want to work: the NLV cannot be renewed for someone who works. After one year of residence you may be able to change to a residence and work permit instead, as our complete NLV requirements guide explains.
• ❌ People still applying from abroad: the first application is consular. Start with the requirements guide above, or read how our Spain Non-Lucrative Visa service handles it.

👉 Check your renewal with a MoveWise Client Manager — tell us when your permit expires, how you fund your life in Spain and how many days you spent abroad, and we will tell you honestly whether your renewal looks straightforward.

The renewal window: when to file

File in the two months before your permit expires. Filing in that window keeps your current permit valid until the office decides (art. 64.1 RD 1155/2024).

• ✅ The normal window: from two months before the expiry date shown on your TIE until the day before it expires.
• ⚠️ The late window: up to three months after expiry. Your permit is still extended while the renewal is processed, but the office can open a penalty procedure for late filing.
• ❌ After those three months: the renewal route closes. In most cases you would then be in Spain without a valid permit, and the usual way back is a new application under the conditions that apply to your situation.

For a first permit, the expiry date is one year from the day you entered Spain, not from the day the consulate issued the visa.

💡 Pro tip: Do not wait for the window to open before you start. Insurance, padrón and bank certificates take time. In our renewal process we contact clients about 120 days before expiry, gather everything in the following weeks, and aim to file early in the window.

Requirement 1: money for the next two years

You must show that you can support yourself and your family for the whole renewal period without working (art. 64.2.b, read with art. 62). For a two-year renewal, that means twice the annual amount.

The amounts in 2026, with the IPREM at €600 a month:

• Main applicant (400% of IPREM): €2,400 a month, or €57,600 for two years
• Each family member (100% of IPREM): €600 a month, or €14,400 for two years

Totals for a two-year renewal by family size

• Single applicant: €57,600
• Couple: €72,000
• Couple + 1 child, or single parent + 2 children (3 people): €86,400
• Couple + 2 children (4 people): €100,800
• Couple + 3 children (5 people): €115,200

Income, savings or both

As in your first application, you can combine regular passive income and savings. In the files we prepare, they are read like this:

• Regular income that continues (a state or private pension, rental income, an annuity) covers the requirement month by month. A pension of at least €2,400 a month for a single applicant covers it on its own.
• Savings must cover the whole period, or the gap left by your income. For example, if your regular income is €1,800 a month, the gap is €600 a month, so you would show at least €14,400 in savings for two years, before any margin.
• Funds must be yours and available: personal accounts, not company accounts, and not pension pots you cannot draw on yet.

The evidence we prepare

• ✅ Bank statements for the last 12 months for every account you rely on, Spanish and foreign, stamped or certified by the bank
• ✅ A current balance certificate for savings accounts and an investment summary for portfolios
• ✅ Pension certificates for the current year, showing the gross monthly or annual amount
• ✅ Rental contracts and proof of rent received, if you count rental income
• ✅ Your Spanish tax return, if you have filed one, which shows the income you declared in Spain
• ✅ A sworn translation of every foreign document that is not in Spanish

💡 Pro tip: Plan for at least 20% above the minimum, as in your first application. Exchange rates move, and a file that sits exactly on €57,600 leaves no room for a bank certificate dated a few weeks before filing.

⚠️ Common mistake: Spending your savings down during year one. The first application needed €28,800 for one year. If you arrived with savings just above that and lived on them, you may hold far less than the €57,600 the renewal needs. Plan for it from your first month in Spain.

👉 Want a MoveWise Client Manager to look at your financial evidence before you file? Tell us how your income and savings are structured, and we will tell you whether they cover a two-year renewal and what a Legal Manager would add to the file.

Requirement 2: the 183-day rule

You must have lived in Spain, really and effectively, for more than 183 days during the calendar year (art. 64.2.f RD 1155/2024). In practice that means at least 184 days in Spain.

How to read the rule

• It counts a calendar year, 1 January to 31 December, not the 12 months of your permit.
• More than 183 days in Spain leaves at most 181 days abroad in a normal year, or 182 in a leap year. Every trip counts, including short Schengen trips to France or Portugal.
• At a first renewal you may have arrived halfway through a calendar year. The regulation does not spell out how offices treat that partial first year. In our practice we document your presence for the whole time since you entered Spain and for the current calendar year, so the file answers the question whichever way it is read.

How to prove your days in Spain

Your passport is not enough. Residence card holders are outside the EU's Entry/Exit System, and passport stamps are not applied consistently, so build your own evidence:

• ✅ Padrón certificate (certificado de empadronamiento) showing the date you registered at your address. Our padrón guide explains how to get it
• ✅ Spanish bank activity: card payments and withdrawals across the year
• ✅ Utility bills, rental receipts and phone contracts in your name
• ✅ Medical appointments, gym or language-school enrolment, local memberships
• ✅ A travel log with boarding passes for every trip abroad, so the days outside Spain can be counted

💡 Pro tip: Keep a simple spreadsheet from the day you land: date out, date in, destination and boarding pass. At renewal time you add up the days in minutes.

⚠️ Common mistake: Relying on reports that "the Supreme Court abolished the 183-day rule". Recent rulings concerned other permits. For the NLV, the requirement is in article 64.2.f of the current regulation and the Ministry's information sheet still lists it.

The 183 days have a second consequence: living in Spain for most of the year normally makes you a Spanish tax resident. Our guide to tax residency in Spain explains the tests; speak to a qualified tax adviser about your own position.

The other requirements: insurance, school, record and fee

Besides money and presence, article 64.2 RD 1155/2024 and Hoja 7 list four more conditions, each with its own document.

• ✅ Health insurance kept throughout the permit, and still in force. Ask your insurer for a certificate showing continuous cover since the start of the policy, with no gaps, for every family member.
• ✅ School enrolment for children of compulsory school age, proved with a report from the regional education authority. If you do not prove it, the office alerts the education authorities and gives you a month to fix it before refusing (art. 64.4).
• ✅ No criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you lived during the last five years.
• ✅ The fee paid: Form 790 code 052, epígrafe 2.2.1, €16.40 per person, payable within ten working days of filing.

Two further points can help or hurt you:

• Tax and Social Security compliance. The office can take into account whether you met your obligations during the permit (art. 64.5). If you became a Spanish tax resident, your filings are part of the picture.
• The integration report (informe de esfuerzo de integración). You can ask your autonomous community for a report on your efforts to integrate, for example Spanish classes or community activity. The office weighs it mainly when another requirement is not fully met (art. 64.6). If the region does not issue it within a month, you can prove integration by other means.

💡 Pro tip: The documentation list in Hoja 7 does not include a new foreign criminal record certificate; the office checks Spanish records itself. If you spent long periods in another country since you arrived, ask us whether a certificate from that country is worth adding.

Documents checklist

The folder we prepare for each person renewing (your province may ask for an extra item):

• ✅ Form EX-01, completed and signed, ticking renewal of the non-lucrative residence permit
• ✅ Full copy of your passport, valid (show the original if you file in person)
• ✅ Copy of your current TIE
• ✅ Proof of means for two years (see Requirement 1)
• ✅ Health insurance certificate showing continuous cover
• ✅ Evidence of more than 183 days in Spain in the calendar year (see Requirement 2)
• ✅ School report for children of compulsory school age
• ✅ Form 790 code 052, epígrafe 2.2.1, paid (€16.40)
• ✅ Integration report from your autonomous community, optional
• ✅ A short cover letter in Spanish, listing the annexes and summarising your means and presence

Foreign documents need a sworn translation into Spanish, and foreign public documents need an apostille or legalisation. Our guide to apostilles for Spain explains the chain by country.

💡 Pro tip: Every personal detail must match your passport and your current TIE. If your passport was renewed since your first application, include both the old and new passports, so the office can link the number on your file to the document you hold now.

How to renew, step by step

The renewal is filed in Spain, not at a consulate. The Ministry's Hoja 7 names online filing through Mercurio and also covers in-person filing.

1. Diary your expiry date. Note the date on your TIE and the date two months before it.
2. Gather the documents and sworn translations in the weeks before the window opens.
3. Fill in the EX-01 and generate the 790-052 fee form (epígrafe 2.2.1) for each person.
4. File the application. Online, you use the Mercurio platform on the electronic office (sede electrónica) of the Ministerio de Política Territorial y Memoria Democrática, with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, or through an authorised representative. In person, you file at the immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) for your province, usually by appointment.
5. Pay the fee within ten working days, if you did not pay it before filing.
6. Watch your notifications. Electronic notifications appear on the government's notification site (DEHú) and the sede. A notification you do not open within ten calendar days counts as delivered, so check every few days.
7. Answer any request for documents within the deadline it gives you.
8. Receive the decision. If the office does not reply within three months, the renewal is granted by administrative silence and you can ask for a certificate.
9. Apply for your new TIE within one month of the approval (see below).

💡 Pro tip: Online filing through Mercurio is usually faster to arrange than an in-person appointment, which can be scarce in busy provinces. Upload one well-organised PDF per document, named clearly, and keep the filing receipt (justificante): it proves you filed in time and is what you show if you need to travel.

Timeline: what to realistically expect

These are typical ranges, not guarantees.

• ➡️ About 120 days before expiry: we start preparing the renewal with our clients
• ➡️ About 60 days before expiry: the window opens; file in its first weeks
• ➡️ Up to 3 months after filing: the legal deadline for the decision. Many renewals are decided sooner, but it depends on the province
• ➡️ Within 1 month of approval: request your new TIE and give your fingerprints
• ➡️ A few weeks later: collect the new card

How much it costs

Official fees for a renewal are low. They are set by Orden PJC/617/2025 and have not been updated for 2026.

Official fees per person:

• Form 790 code 052, epígrafe 2.2.1 (renewal of the non-lucrative permit): €16.40
• Form 790 code 012, epígrafe 4.3 (TIE after a renewal): €19.30
• Later, long-term residence: €21.87 (790-052, epígrafe 2.6) plus €21.87 for the long-term TIE (790-012, epígrafe 4.5)

Other costs to budget for (they vary by provider): sworn translations of foreign documents, health insurance premiums for every family member, bank certificates, new apostilles if needed, and professional fees if you use an adviser.

After approval: your new TIE and travelling

Within one month of the approval, request your renewed TIE at the police station (comisaría) or police service for your place of residence. Bring form EX-17, your passport, a recent photo, the approval and the paid 790-012 fee (€19.30). You will give your fingerprints, and the card is usually ready a few weeks later. Our guide to the Spanish residence card (TIE) covers appointments and common problems.

If you need to travel while the renewal is pending, the regulation allows a return authorisation (autorización de regreso) for people whose permit is being renewed (art. 5 RD 1155/2024). Apply for it before you leave, and travel with your filing receipt.

⚠️ Common mistake: Leaving Spain on an expired TIE with only the filing receipt and no return authorisation. Airlines and border officers may not accept the receipt on its own.

After five years: long-term residence

After five years of continuous legal residence you no longer renew the NLV. You apply for long-term residence instead. On the usual path, a one-year permit and two two-year renewals add up to exactly five years, so the end of your second renewal is the moment to switch.

• ✅ National long-term residence (Ministry Hoja 49): five years of legal and continuous residence, a clean criminal record and the fee. The information sheet does not ask you to prove financial means or health insurance again, and it lets you work.
• ✅ EU long-term residence (Ministry Hoja 50): the same five years, plus stable and regular resources and health insurance. It can make it easier to move to another EU country later.
• ✅ Absences: continuity is not broken by absences of up to six consecutive months, as long as they add up to no more than ten months over the five years. As an NLV holder you also have the 183-day rule each year, so your NLV years usually stay well within these limits.
• ✅ Filing: form EX-11, online through Mercurio or in person at the immigration office, in the two months before your current permit expires; filing then extends your permit until the decision. The fee is €21.87 (790-052, epígrafe 2.6), and the office has three months to decide.

Our guide to long-term residence in Spain explains the documents and the choice between the two versions. Spanish nationality is a separate procedure under article 22 of the Código Civil.

💡 Pro tip: Count your five years from the date of your first entry on the NLV, and check your travel log against the six-month and ten-month limits before you file. If continuity is broken, you would renew the temporary permit again instead.

Most common reasons renewals run into trouble

These are the weak points we check in every renewal file, with the fix for each.

1. Savings that no longer cover two years. Fix: plan from month one, keep your savings above €57,600 (plus €14,400 per family member) or build a regular income stream that covers the gap.
2. Too many days abroad in the calendar year. Fix: keep a travel log and keep your days abroad to 181 or fewer in the calendar year; spread long trips across two calendar years if you must.
3. A gap in health insurance. Fix: keep the policy running without interruption and ask the insurer for a certificate of continuous cover.
4. Filing after the window. Fix: diary the date two months before expiry and file early; never rely on the three-month late period.
5. Missed electronic notifications. Fix: check DEHú and the sede regularly; a notification unopened for ten calendar days counts as delivered.
6. Signs of work. Fix: do not work for anyone, in Spain or abroad, including remote work. If you want to work, ask about changing permits before you start.

If a renewal is refused, you receive a written decision with the reasons and the available remedies. Our guide to appealing a Spanish visa or permit refusal explains the options and deadlines.

Frequently asked questions

How many times can you renew a non-lucrative visa in Spain?

2 times on the usual path. The first permit lasts one year, then you renew for two years and again for two years. That makes five years, when you normally switch to long-term residence. The regulation sets no maximum number of renewals, so if continuity is broken you can renew the temporary permit again.

What happens after 5 years on a non-lucrative visa?

5 years of continuous legal residence let you apply for long-term residence instead of another renewal. The national version does not ask you to prove NLV-level income again and allows you to work. The fee is €21.87, plus €21.87 for the long-term TIE. Absences of up to six months at a time, and ten months in total, do not break continuity.

When can I apply to renew my non-lucrative visa?

2 months before your permit expires is when the window opens, and it runs until the expiry date. You can still file up to three months after expiry, and your permit is extended, but the office may open a penalty procedure. We recommend starting the documents about 120 days before expiry and filing early in the window.

How much money do I need to renew the Spain non-lucrative visa?

€57,600 for a two-year renewal for the main applicant in 2026, which is 400% of the IPREM (€2,400 a month) for 24 months. Add €14,400 for each family member. A couple needs €72,000 and a family of four €100,800. Regular passive income that continues, such as a pension, counts month by month.

Do I need to spend 183 days a year in Spain to renew?

Yes. Article 64.2.f RD 1155/2024 requires that you lived in Spain for more than 183 days during the calendar year. That means at least 184 days in Spain and no more than 181 days abroad in a normal year. Keep a travel log with boarding passes and padrón, bank and utility records as evidence.

Can I renew my non-lucrative visa online?

Yes. You can file online through the Mercurio platform of the Ministerio de Política Territorial y Memoria Democrática, with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, or through an authorised representative. You can also file in person at the immigration office for your province. Only the TIE step, with fingerprints, requires you to attend in person.

Can I travel while my renewal is pending?

Yes, with care. Filing on time keeps your permit valid, but an expired TIE and a filing receipt may not be enough to board a plane or re-enter. The regulation allows a return authorisation for people whose permit is being renewed. Apply for it before you travel and count the days against the 183-day rule.

What happens if I file my NLV renewal late?

Up to 3 months after expiry you can still file, and your permit is extended while the office decides, but you may face a penalty procedure for late filing. After those three months the renewal route closes, and in most cases you would need a new application. Diary the date two months before expiry and file then.

Do I need a new criminal record certificate to renew?

No, in most cases. The requirement is having no criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you lived in the last five years, but Hoja 7's documentation list does not include a new foreign certificate; the office checks Spanish records itself. If you lived in another country for a long period since arriving, ask whether to add one.

Does my family renew at the same time?

Yes. Your spouse or partner and children renew alongside you, each with their own EX-01 and fee, and your means must cover them too: €14,400 per family member for two years in 2026. Children of compulsory school age need a school enrolment report, and every family member needs continuous health insurance.

How MoveWise can help

A renewal is judged on how you lived in Spain since your last permit, and there is little time to repair a problem once the window opens. Here is how we handle it:

• Early reminder. We contact approved clients about 120 days before expiry, so the documents are ready when the window opens.
• Eligibility check first (Module 1). Before you spend anything, your Spain Legal Manager reviews your means for the next two years, your days in Spain and your insurance, and tells you honestly whether the renewal is straightforward or what needs fixing.
• Full preparation and filing (Module 2). The Legal Manager prepares the EX-01, the 790-052 fee forms, the financial annex and the presence annex, files through Mercurio, follows the notifications and answers any request from the office.
• After approval. We help you book the TIE appointment and, at year five, prepare your long-term residence application.
• Tax questions. MoveWise does not give tax advice, but we can put you in touch with independent, qualified tax advisers we work with.

Our guarantee: 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.

👉 Book a free consultation with a MoveWise Client Manager — tell us when your permit expires and how you fund your life in Spain, and we will explain what your renewal needs and how our team can prepare it.

If you are still deciding between routes, our comparison of the non-lucrative visa and the digital nomad visa explains when each one fits.

Sources and legal references

• Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones — Hoja 7: Renovación de la autorización de residencia temporal no lucrativa
• Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones — Hoja 6: Autorización inicial de residencia temporal no lucrativa
• Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones — Hoja 49: Autorización de residencia de larga duración nacional
• Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones — Hoja 50: Autorización de residencia de larga duración UE
• BOE — Orden PJC/617/2025 (fees for Forms 790-052 and 790-012)
• Real Decreto 1155/2024, art. 64 (text of the renewal article)
• European Commission — Entry/Exit System
• Real Decreto 1155/2024, de 19 de noviembre (Reglamento de Extranjería), arts. 5, 62, 64, 176 and 183 — Boletín Oficial del Estado, BOE-A-2024-24099
• Ley Orgánica 4/2000, de 11 de enero, arts. 30 bis, 31 and 32; Código Civil, art. 22

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Immigration rules and consular practice change frequently; the information was verified on 12 November 2026. For advice on your situation, speak to a qualified professional.

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