Entrepreneur visa in Spain: Residence for innovative startup founders

Often called the Spain startup visa, it has turned Spain into one of Europe’s leading destinations for international founders

The entrepreneur visa in Spain, regulated by Law 14/2013 on support for entrepreneurs and substantially improved by the Startup Act (Law 28/2022), grants legal residence to non-EU founders who develop an innovative business project of special economic interest for the country. Often called the Spain startup visa, it has turned Spain into one of Europe’s leading destinations for international founders: no minimum capital, no mandatory local hires, a 3-year initial residence permit and access to one of the most favorable tax frameworks for startups in the EU.

Our immigration lawyers work with founders from the business plan stage through the ENISA evaluation and the residence application, for the founder and every co-founder and family member relocating with them.

What is the entrepreneur visa in Spain?

It is a residence authorization for non-EU citizens who want to launch an innovative business in Spain. The defining feature, and what separates it from every other Spanish business permit, is the innovation requirement: your project must bring added value to the Spanish market through technological innovation, the creation of skilled employment or a clear contribution to economic development. Any foreign entrepreneur, of any nationality outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, can apply, whether as a solo founder or as part of a founding team, and each co-founder can obtain their own permit under the same project.

Does your project qualify? the ENISA innovation test

This is the question that decides everything, so let us answer it the way the evaluator does. ENISA (Empresa Nacional de Innovacion), the public body that examines every application, issues a favorable or unfavorable report on your business plan, and without a favorable report there is no visa. In practice, ENISA looks for:

• Genuine innovation: a technological component, a novel business model or a differentiated solution to a real market problem. It does not need to be deep tech, but it cannot be a commodity business.
• Scalability and market potential: evidence that the project can grow beyond a local operation, ideally with international projection.
• Economic interest for Spain: investment, creation of skilled jobs or development of a strategic sector.
• Viability: coherent financial projections, a credible team and a realistic go-to-market plan.
  

Projects that consistently pass: SaaS and software products, fintech, healthtech, clean energy platforms, AI and data ventures, and technology-enabled services led by founders with prior experience in digital business. Projects that do not qualify: restaurants, retail stores, traditional consulting and other conventional activities. If that is your case, the right route is the self-employed visa in Spain, which covers viable traditional businesses without the innovation requirement (see our dedicated page).

The ENISA evaluation typically takes several weeks and is the make-or-break step of the whole process. This is where legal preparation pays for itself: we structure the business plan around the criteria the evaluator actually applies, before it is ever submitted.

Requirements and financial means

• A detailed, structured and innovative business plan, aligned with the ENISA criteria described above.
• A favorable report from the competent authority (ENISA, channelled through the UGE-CE or the consulate depending on where you apply).
• Sufficient financial means to reside in Spain: the legal minimum is 100% of the annual IPREM for the main applicant, approximately 600 euros per month, plus an additional percentage for each family member. Be aware that in practice several consulates request substantially higher amounts, so we recommend documenting comfortable margins above the legal minimum.
• Health insurance valid in Spain, public or private with full coverage.
• A clean criminal record in Spain and in the countries where you have resided during the last 2 years, plus a sworn declaration covering the last 5 years, with apostilled and officially translated certificates.

Required documents

• Official application form.
• Full passport in force.
• Detailed and structured business plan.
• Favorable evaluation report issued by the competent authority.
• Accreditation of sufficient financial means.
• Private medical insurance with coverage in Spain.
• Apostilled and translated criminal record certificates.

All foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and accompanied by a sworn translation into Spanish.

How to apply: From the consulate or from Spain

• Consulate route: you file at the Spanish consulate of your country of residence, which requests the evaluation of your project. If favorable, you receive a visa that allows you to move to Spain and launch the business.
• From Spain (UGE-CE route): if you are already in Spain legally, even as a tourist within your 90-day stay, you can apply directly for the residence authorization before the UGE-CE. The legal resolution period is 20 business days with positive administrative silence, one of the fastest procedures in Spanish immigration law. This is the route we recommend whenever the founder can travel.

Duration, family and the path to permanent residence

The initial authorization is granted for 3 years, renewable for 2-year periods while the project remains active. Your spouse or unmarried partner, dependent children and dependent ascendants can apply together with you from the start or join you later, and their permits allow them to work in Spain. After 5 years of legal residence you can apply for long-term residence, and your time in Spain counts toward Spanish citizenship. Holders also enjoy free movement within the Schengen Area.

Startup act tax benefits for founders

Obtaining the visa is only half the value. If your company is certified as an emerging company (empresa emergente) under the Startup Act, it benefits from a reduced Corporate Income Tax rate of 15% during the first profitable years, improved stock option treatment for attracting talent, and simplified bureaucracy. As founder, you may also qualify for the Beckham Law special tax regime, paying a flat 24% on employment income up to 600,000 euros. Our tax team coordinates the immigration file with the startup certification so you capture both.

Entrepreneur visa vs self-employed vs digital nomad visa

Route	Best fit
Entrepreneur visa (this page)	Innovative, scalable project with economic interest for Spain. ENISA report required. 3-year initial permit and Startup Act tax benefits.
Self-employed visa	Viable traditional business or freelance activity without innovation requirement: shops, restaurants, professional practices, consulting.
Digital nomad visa	Remote work for foreign companies or clients while living in Spain. No Spanish business required. Income based on 200% of the SMI.

Launch your project in Spain with specialist immigration lawyers

The entrepreneur visa in Spain is won or lost at the business plan stage, before any form is filed. Our lawyers prepare the plan around the real ENISA criteria, manage the evaluation and the residence application before the UGE-CE or the consulate, and coordinate the tax structure of your new company, in English and Spanish.