Investor Visa Spain - Complete Guide for UK Entrepreneurs

Spain is a very popular place for Brits looking to live, work, study or retire in warmer climes. But what about UK entrepreneurs and business owners who may want to pick up an investor visa for Spain, to allow them to invest in a business, assets or real estate there?

If you’re wondering about the Spain investor visa program, or how the golden visa in Spain works after Brexit, this guide is for you. We’ll cover the Spanish investment visa rules, capital requirements, documents needed and the process to apply, so you can decide if getting your own Spanish investor visa is right for you.

Doing business internationally? You can benefit from Wise Business multi-currency account. Wise helps you to pay and get paid overseas with ease and convenience. You can get local account details for 9 major currencies, including Euros.

💡Learn more about Wise Business

Spain investor visa program - What is it and how does it work?

Let’s start with a quick overview of how the investor visa in Spain¹, also commonly referred to as the golden visa to Spain, works.

Under Spanish golden visa rules, applicants who invest eligible amounts in public debt securities, Spanish floated companies, Spanish banks or real estate - as well as people heading to Spain to found their own business - can apply for an investor visa for an initial term of 1 year.

Once an applicant has their Spanish investor visa they’ll be able to extend the period of residence, including eventually applying for permanent residence if they fulfil all relevant residence requirements. Usually to qualify to apply for permanent residence you’ll need to have continuously lived in Spain for at least 5 years.

If you’ve been issued a Spanish golden visa you’ll also be able to apply to take your partner and dependent children to Spain. Unlike many other golden visa programs, there’s also the opportunity to apply for dependent visas for elderly parents of the applicant if required.

Since the UK is no longer an EU member, stays in EU countries are now generally capped at 90 days in 180 days if you’re relying on visa free entry. With a Spanish investment visa you would not be limited in terms of the length of time you stay in Spain, making this a particularly attractive option for Brits who would like to continue to live in Europe post Brexit.

According to reported statistics, the number of golden visas issued in the second half of 2021 was almost 7,500 - counting only primary applicants². This is a staggering rise from 2015 when only a few hundred applicants were approved.

The largest number of investor visas are issued to people investing in real estate, with almost 3,000 applicants in the sample studied investing on average just over 500,000 EUR (the minimum requirement to qualify for the Spanish investor visa through real estate)

Golden visa Spain requirements

Let’s take a look at the different requirements and eligibility rules for an investor to apply for a Spanish investor visa. As we’ve discussed, there are several different sorts of investment that are recognised, with different thresholds for each.

Golden visa Spain requirements for investment include:

• You must invest at least 2 million EUR in Spanish public debt securities; OR
• You must invest at least in 1 million EUR in stocks and shares of Spanish companies; OR
• You must invest at least in 1 million EUR in Spanish investment or venture capital companies; OR
• You must invest at least in 1 million EUR in Spanish banks; OR
• You must invest at least in 500,000 EUR in Spanish real estate; OR
• You must be investing in a business project deemed to be of interest in the area it is based, to create jobs and boost the local economy

Once you have made an eligible investment you can apply for a Spanish visa for investors at any point in the next year. This requirement does not apply for investments in real estate - you can apply at any stage on the basis of owning an eligible property as long as it was purchased after 29 September 2013.

Aside from this investment you’ll also need to prove you have enough money to support yourself and any accompanying dependents, you’ll need criminal record checks and you’ll need to have adequate health insurance. We’ll cover the process to apply for the investor visa, as well as the supporting paperwork you must provide to prove you meet the golden visa Spain requirements, next.

How to get a Spanish investment visa

If you’re in the UK you’ll be able to apply for your Spanish investment visa in person at the BLS international application centre which is in London. Applications can also be submitted by an authorised representative, but they’ll need to personally attend the BLS centre to submit the application and supporting documents.

Specialist services do offer support with visa application processes, which can be handy as you’ll then be helped with finding all of the necessary paperwork. However, fees will apply for this service.

Here’s an outline of the process you’ll need to follow to get a Spanish investment visa:

1. Confirm your eligibility and assemble the documents needed to support your application - we’ll cover these in detail next
2. Email BLS to make an appointment to submit your application
3. Complete all the application forms and present them in person, along with your passport, at the BLS centre
4. Pay your application fees
5. Your application will be reviewed within 10 days on average
6. You’ll need to collect your passport upon approval, within a month

It’s worth noting that although the stated time to process a Spanish investor visa is just 10 days, delays do sometimes occur, particularly if documents are not submitted in a timely fashion. You’ll also need to leave your original passport with BLS while the visa is being processed, which may be inconvenient if you plan to travel.

Documents required for investor visa in Spain

When you attend the BLS appointment to apply for your Spanish investor visa you’ll need to provide a broad range of supporting documents. The exact paperwork can vary depending on the type of investment you’re making, but there’s a helpful document checklist available on the Spanish immigration authorities’ website³.

Here’s an overview of the documents usually required for an investor visa in Spain:

• Completed national visa application form
• Passport photo
• Your passport, which must be valid for at least 1 year after application
• An original and a copy of your investment documents
• Proof you have the financial means to support yourself and your family
• Criminal record checks
• Evidence of adequate health insurance
• Proof of address to show you live in the UK’s consular district

Investment documents needed can vary quite widely depending on which category of investment you’ve chosen. For a real estate investment for example you’d usually need a land registry document proving your ownership, and for a bank deposit you could use a bank certificate.

If your documents are not issued in Spanish, you’ll often need to have them translated, and may also need to get copies certified or legalised. Exactly what is needed depends on the document type and where it was issued, but guidance is available from BLS or from the Spanish immigration website.

Investor visa Spain - fees and costs

Besides the capital needed to invest in Spanish assets, you’ll also need to pay an application fee for your Spanish investor visa. Fees vary and are charged in pounds but based on an original EUR charge, which means the fees are adjusted regularly to reflect changes in the exchange rate.

At the time of writing the fee to get an investor visa for Spain (in the UK) is as follows⁴:

• 1,623 GBP consular fee
• Outsourcing fees may apply, paid to BLS

Double check the Spanish consular fees before you apply, as they may change.

Spanish golden visa - pros and cons

If you’re still not sure whether the Spanish golden visa is the one for you, you’ll want to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages to decide whether it’ll be worthwhile. Here’s a quick overview of some key pros and cons to help.

Pros ✅	Cons ❌
Relatively low investment needed for real estate Multiple different investment types are offered Bring dependents including spouse, children and dependent parents Visa can be renewed and could even offer a path to permanent residency eventually	You’ll need money up front to invest in your preferred investment class There’s quite a lot of paperwork needed Application fees are required

Since Brexit, UK citizens haven’t had the freedom of movement in Europe that was offered when the country was part of the EU. If you’re an entrepreneur or business owner from the UK and want to expand into Europe, this can be a real disadvantage.

One option to extend your reach is to get a Spanish investor visa which lets you live and work in Spain, including starting your own business if you choose to. Compared to some other golden visa programs, the investment requirements are set relatively low, making this an attractive choice if you’ve got the funds available to get started. If you need more in-dept guidance and information about the Spanish Golden Visa, check this guide.

If you invest and manage international business get to know Wise Business, the multi-currency account made for the world.

Sources used in this article:

1. Spanish investor visa
2. IMI Data centre
3. Document checklist
4. Spanish consular fees

Sources last checked June 27, 2023