I will describe here my experience as a Canadian getting the Digital Nomad Visa to Spain. I started really travelling after I graduated university and planted trees in BC, Alberta and Quebec.
Sin embargo, quise viajar fuera de Canadá y terminé viviendo varios años en Ecuador y Argentina. Visité España por primera vez en 2017 y me encantó. Pude ver la conexión con América Latina y aprecié más la comida, el clima y la seguridad. Me mudé a España en 2019 a través del Programa de Auxiliares de Conversación de América del Norte. Estuve 4 años como auxiliar en 4 ciudades Vitoria, San Sebastián, Carboneras y Córdoba. En este programa gubernamental se colocan hablantes nativos de inglés en escuelas públicas (primarias, secundarias y escuelas oficiales de idiomas) en toda España.
A mediados de mi cuarto año decidí que quería quedarme en España en lugar de regresar a la tundra helada, por suerte la visa de nómada digital salió durante este año también. Hay otras visas que puedes solicitar como autónomo o como empresario, pero la DNV es la mejor para los autónomos que trabajan en línea. Durante mi etapa como auxiliar también estuve enseñando inglés online para una empresa alemana como autónomo. Esta fue mi clave para conseguir la visa. El hecho de que solo tuviera un “cliente” facilitó el proceso ya que necesitas obtener una carta de cada cliente autorizándote a trabajar desde España. También debes haber trabajado con ese cliente durante al menos un año.
Mi nivel de español es decente, así que me sentí lo suficientemente seguro como para completar la solicitud yo mismo. Hay algunos grupos de Facebook útiles que pueden ayudarte y los recomiendo encarecidamente; allí podrás encontrar excelentes consejos y respuestas a tus preguntas.
Antes de solicitar esta Visa
- You need to have an undergraduate or postgraduate degree from a University, College or Business School, or have at least 3 years of work experience in your field.
- Tienes que ser ciudadano extracomunitario y trabajar en remoto desde España para una empresa ubicada fuera de España. También tienes que ganar al menos el doble del salario mínimo español que es de 1050 euros al mes.
- Será necesario solicitar un NIE (número de identidad de extranjero) y un certificado electrónico o Cl@ve para poder acceder a la solicitud.
- Prove that of the total income, the part coming from Spain does not represent more than 20%
- At least three months of continuous employment relationship with the company. The company must certify that you are allowed to work online.
- The company has been operating in the market for at least 1 year
El sitio web para postularse está aquí: https://www.inclusion.gob.es/web/unidadgrandesempresas/solicitudes
Opciones al solicitar esta visa
Hay dos opciones diferentes según el tipo de profesional que seas…
- un empleado que trabajan para una empresa fuera de España
- un trabajador por cuenta propia Persona que trabaja para diferentes empresas alrededor del mundo. En este caso podrías trabajar para una empresa ubicada en España siempre que no supere los 20% de tus ingresos totales.
También hay dos opciones dependiendo de dónde se encuentre al momento de solicitar esta visa…
- De España: you get a 3-year residence permit (renewable), these years count for both Spanish nationality and permanent residence, which you can get after 5 years in Spain. there are some other benefits to applying from Spain, especially if you are already living here and have your NIE number. It may be more straightforward as you have local documentation and could potentially speed up the process. Additionally, applying from Spain means you will be able to attend any necessary appointments or provide additional documents in person, if required.
- De Canadá (or your country of origin): and get a 1-year residence permit which could be then modified later to the 3-year residence card. Applying from Canada might give you some flexibility if you want to keep your options open, and applying from your home country can sometimes make the process feel more familiar and less stressful.
Ventajas que ofrece la visa nómada digital
Algunas de las ventajas que obtendrás como canadiense al solicitar esta visa son las siguientes…
- resolución en sólo 20 días, y el silencio administrativo aplicable es positivo
- ventajas fiscales: if you are not a freelancer but just work remotely for a company you will pay a flat tax rate of just 24% on your income and also you don’t need to pay wealth tax. I am adding a section bellow dealing with Taxes.
podría incluir a su cónyuge e hijos en la solicitud de visa - Consigue el residencia permanente después de 5 años
- Viajar en todo el espacio Schengen está permitido
- Your family members may also obtain the visa: your the spouse or unmarried partner and your dependent children and dependent relatives in the ascending line who form part of the family unit.
Los documentos necesarios para solicitar la Visa Nómada Digital
– Visa application form: can be downloaded aquí
– Fotografía. una fotografía a color tamaño pasaporte y reciente (menos de 2 meses)
– Pasaporte vigente: original y fotocopia y con vigencia mínima de 1 año
– Certificado de antecedentes penales: no mayor a 6 meses
– Comprobante de residencia en el distrito consular.
– Tasa de visa: el importe a pagar es de 80€
– Seguro médico privado, con cobertura en toda España (original y copia del certificado)
– Si es autónomo, un certificado de haber trabajado durante al menos 3 meses (antes de la solicitud de visa) para una empresa extranjera.
– Si eres autónomo, contrato con esa misma empresa de al menos 1 año de duración.
– Copia del título universitario o cédula profesional que acredite que cuentas con un mínimo de 3 años de experiencia en tu carrera.
Documentos para traducir
El proceso en sí no requiere mucho tiempo, lo que lleva más tiempo es reunir los documentos y traducirlos.
Algunos documentos deben ser traducidos por un traductor certificado y son:
1) Tu contrato de trabajo
2) Prueba de que la empresa extranjera para la que trabaja existe desde hace al menos un año
3) Tu título/diploma/certificado relacionado con el trabajo que realizas
Se requiere una traducción simple de otros documentos, por lo que puedes traducir estos documentos tú mismo:
1) CV
2) Carta de su empresa autorizándole a trabajar en el extranjero
Línea de tiempo
Todo el proceso me llevó unos 5 meses. No solicité la visa hasta que terminé el año escolar, donde luego tuve 90 días para presentar la solicitud. Lo envié en junio y fue aprobado unos 30 días hábiles después.
Me dijeron que esperara respuesta en 20 días, a los 20 días presenté una solicitud de resolución favorable por silencio administrativo (puedes hacerlo en la misma página web de la solicitud inicial) y me aprobaron unos 10 días después.
What taxes does a digital nomad pay?
A foreigner is considered a tax resident in Spain if they meet one of the following requirements…
- Living more than 183 days a year in the country.
- Having their center of economic interest in Spain, that is, their commercial or work operations.
- Having their spouse or children living in the country.
As a digital nomad you will get a residence card for 3 years and you will not be able to avoid being a resident. This has great implications in relation to the taxes you pay. The good news is that with this visa even if you are a resident you will continue to pay taxes as a NON-resident.
In the case of digital nomads with an employment contract (not applicable in the case of being freelance) and with their corresponding certificate of coverage issued by the Social Security of their country of origin, they will be able to benefit from a more beneficial tax regime known as the Beckham Law.
Because of this advantage, you will be subject to a flat tax rate of 24% on income earned in Spain (not income from other countries) up to €600,000 (48% will apply beyond this amount). This 24% regime is much more favourable than the progressive rate which can reach 50% for others.
In addition, as a beneficiary of the Beckham Law, you will be exempt from filing Form 720, you will not have to pay wealth tax, and capital gains tax will be reduced to a rate ranging from 19% to 28%.
To access this regime, the following requirements must be met:
- You must not have been a tax resident in Spain in the last 5 years.
- The reason for your move to Spain must be work-related, which applies to digital nomad workers.
Once your application to benefit from the Beckham Law is approved, you will enjoy the benefits for 5 years, plus the year in which you submit your application.
Do I have to pay taxes in Spain and also in Canada?
No, the Avoidance of Double Taxation agreement between Spain and Canada establishes the rules on where a person is considered a tax resident and how taxes are managed to avoid double taxation:
Requirements for Family Members
Proof of Family Relationship: provide documentation, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates from the civil registry, or a certificate of registration as an unmarried couple. If the relationship is an unregistered partnership, any relevant documentation confirming this status may be submitted. Documents from foreign countries must be legalized or apostilled, and, if needed, accompanied by an official Spanish translation.
For Adult Children: submit evidence of their financial dependence on the worker, along with documentation of their civil status. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled, with an official Spanish translation provided when necessary.
For Ascendant Relatives: submit proof that these family members are under the care of the investor. As with other foreign documents, legalization or apostille is required, along with an official translation into Spanish if needed.
Proof of financial means.
Financial means must be at least 200% of the monthly Spanish national minimum wage In the case of family members: For the first family member they must prove additional financial means of at least 75% of the Spanish minimum wage. For each additional applicant, 25% of the Spanish national minimum wage is required. Any means of proof are acceptable: work contract, bank statements, payslips etc.
Health service for dependant family members
For Autonomos (self employed in Spain) the steps to follow in order to register a dependant/s would be the next (They can only be your dependent if they have no other way of accessing healthcare, they are not working and have no right of their own)…
- Register as Autónomo
- after about a week you’ll be able to download a healthcare entitlement certificate from the social security website
- take the certificate to your local health centre to register with a GP
- Once you dependant/s have the TIE (foreing identity card) and Padron (Proof of address), you add your dependant/s on the social security website as your beneficiaries (https://sede-tu.seg-social.gob.es/).
- Once those application/s have been processed, you will be able to download a new entitlement certificate, showing your beneficiaries as well.
- With that new certificate you can go again to the health centre
What taxes does a digital nomad pay in Spain?
A foreigner is considered a tax resident in Spain if he or she meets one of the following requirements…
- Living more than 183 days a year in the country.
- Having his or her center of economic interest in Spain, that is, his or her commercial or work operations.
- Having his or her spouse or children living in the country.
As a digital nomad you will get a residence card for 3 years and you will not be able to avoid being a resident. This has great implications in relation to the taxes you pay, but the good news is that this visa comes with a great advantage and that is that even if you are a resident you will continue to pay taxes as a NON-resident.
So in the case of digital nomads with an employment contract (not applicable in the case of being freelance) and with their corresponding certificate of coverage issued by the Social Security of their country of origin, they will be able to benefit from a more beneficial tax regime known as the Beckham Law.
Because of this advantage, you will be subject to a flat tax rate of 24% on income earned in Spain (not income from other countries) up to €600,000 (a rate of 48% will apply beyond this amount). This 24% regime is much more favourable than the progressive rate which can reach 50% in the general case.
In addition, as a beneficiary of the Beckham Law, you will be exempt from filing Form 720, you will not have to pay wealth tax, and capital gains tax will be reduced to a rate ranging from 19% to 28%.
To access this regime, the following requirements must be met:
- You must not have been a tax resident in Spain in the last 5 years.
- The reason for your move to Spain must be work-related, which applies to digital nomad workers.
Once your application to benefit from the Beckham Law is approved, you will enjoy the benefits for 5 years, plus the year in which you submit your application.
Do I have to pay taxes in Spain and also in Canada?
No, the agreement to avoid double taxation between Spain and Canada establishes the rules on where a person is considered a tax resident and how taxes are managed to avoid double taxation: https://www.treaty-accord.gc.ca/text-texte.aspx?lang=eng&id=102340&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1lk28H6PM1vN8glCAtvLl56e4FKH2GFgDakTrMZJxFPYj-SJehC2ghfro_aem_x8OM460aTudIIHyfQuSQFA
*A decision is always issued within a 20-day working period, otherwise the application is approved by administrative silence.
