Spain's non-lucrative visa for British retirees

Since Brexit, a retirement on the Costa del Sol needs a visa, and for most Brits the non-lucrative visa is the one that fits.

The short version

The non-lucrative visa lets you live in Spain without working. It suits retirees and anyone with enough pension, savings or investment income to live on [2].
Income test: at least 400% of IPREM, plus 100% of IPREM for each dependant [2]. With IPREM at EUR 600 a month in 2026, that's EUR 2,400 a month (about £2,000) for you, and EUR 600 (about £500) more for a partner [4].
Health cover: private insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain with no gaps, or a registered S1 if you're drawing the UK State Pension [2].
Apply from the UK, in person, through the Spanish consulate's visa centre. The visa lasts a year and you then swap it for a TIE card in Spain [2].
No work at all, not even remote work for a UK client. That's what the digital nomad visa is for [5].

Who it's for

If you lived in Spain before 1 January 2021, stop here: you're covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and need a TIE, not a visa [1]. Everyone else is a non-EU national now, limited to 90 days in any 180 as a visitor [3]. Owning a villa in Mijas or a flat in Torremolinos doesn't change that.

The FCDO's Living in Spain guide lists retiring among the reasons for a Spanish visa and sends you to the Spanish consulate for the details [1]. For a British retiree with no plans to work, the residence visa without working activity, visado de residencia no lucrativa, is the standard route.

	Non-lucrative visa	Digital nomad visa
Who	Retirees, people living off savings or investments	Remote workers for non-Spanish employers or clients
Money test	400% of IPREM	200% of the minimum wage
Work allowed	None	Remote work, limited Spanish clients
Where to apply	Spanish consulate in the UK	Consulate, or in some cases from Spain
Health cover	Private (no co-payments) or S1	Social security or private

Sources: [2], [5].

The income test

The London consulate's wording is that you need at least 400% of IPREM, plus 100% of IPREM for each family member in your care [2]. IPREM is Spain's benchmark for benefits and means tests. It's set in the state budget, and in 2026 it is still the figure from the 2023 budget law: EUR 600 a month, or EUR 7,200 a year, until a new amount is approved [4].

Household	Monthly	Yearly	In pounds
You alone (400%)	EUR 2,400	EUR 28,800	about £2,000 a month, £24,000 a year
Each dependant (100%)	EUR 600	EUR 7,200	about £500 a month, £6,000 a year
A couple	EUR 3,000	EUR 36,000	about £2,500 a month, £30,000 a year

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.20).

A few points that trip people up:

Pensions and investment income count. The UK State Pension, workplace and private pensions, rental income from a UK property and dividends can all go towards it. Show it with bank statements and pension letters.
Savings can count too. Consulates generally accept a lump sum in the bank covering the yearly figure instead of, or on top of, regular income. How they treat it can vary, so ask before you rely on it.
Your income must be passive. A salary from a job you keep doing, even from your sofa in Benalmádena, is work, and work isn't allowed.
Foreign documents need sorting. The consulate asks for originals and copies, legalised or apostilled where needed, with official Spanish translations [2].
Keep an eye on IPREM. If a new budget raises it, the test rises with it.

Health cover: insurance or the S1

You need public or private health cover from an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, and the London consulate says the policy must cover all the risks covered by Spain's public health system [2]. In practice that means a full policy with no co-payments and no waiting periods. A travel policy won't do.

There's a big shortcut for pensioners. If you get the UK State Pension, you're usually entitled to an S1 from the NHS Overseas Healthcare Service, and the consulate accepts registration of an S1 with Spanish social security as your health cover [2]. The S1 puts you into the Spanish public system on the same terms as a Spanish pensioner, paid for by the UK. Our guide to the NHS and the S1 explains how to apply. Early retirees without an S1 need private cover until they reach State Pension age, or can look at the convenio especial (see Keep reading).

Applying from the UK, step by step

You apply in person, from the UK, to the Spanish consulate for your area. In London, applications go through the BLS Spain Visa Application Centre at 20 St Andrew Street [2]. Consulates only take applications from people who live in their district, so check which one covers you.

Get an ACRO police certificate covering the last five years. It must be under six months old, apostilled and translated into Spanish by a sworn translator [2].
Book a medical certificate with a registered doctor, using the exact wording the consulate sets out. It must be issued within three months of your application and apostilled [2].
Check your passport. It must be valid for at least a year, with two blank pages, and issued within the last 10 years [2].
Fill in the forms: the national visa application and the EX-01 form [2].
Pay the fee using form 790 code 052. The consulate charges it in pounds and changes it with the exchange rate, so check its current consular fees list [2].
Gather the money and health evidence, plus a passport photo and proof you live in the consular district [2].
Attend your appointment. The legal deadline for a decision is two months from the day after you apply, longer if they ask for more documents or an interview [2].
Collect the visa in person within a month of being told it's approved [2].

A partner or children applying with you need most of the same documents, plus a marriage or birth certificate or proof of your relationship [2].

Arriving in Spain: TIE and padrón

The visa is valid for a year. Once you arrive, you have one month to apply for your TIE, the foreigner identity card, which means a cita previa and fingerprints at a National Police station [2]. In Málaga province appointments go fast, so book early. Our NIE and TIE guide covers the faff in detail.

At the same time, register on the padrón at your town hall, whether that's Málaga city, Torremolinos, Fuengirola, Mijas or Marbella. The FCDO lists it among the first things to do [1], and you'll need it for a health centre, the TIE and renewals.

Renewals, tax and staying for good

Renewals. Apply in Spain before your permission runs out. Under Spain's 2025 immigration regulations, renewals are granted for longer than the first year, but the exact lengths and current rules are worth checking with the Oficina de Extranjería when you renew. You'll show the same money and health cover again, and that you've actually been living in Spain: spending most of the year back in Blighty can sink a renewal. After five years of legal residence you can apply for long-term residence, which ends the yearly money tests.

Tax. Live in Spain for more than 183 days in a calendar year and you're a Spanish tax resident, taxed on your worldwide income. Under the UK–Spain double taxation agreement, the UK State Pension and private pensions are generally taxed in Spain, while UK government service pensions (civil service, NHS, teachers, the armed forces) stay taxable in the UK. Spain also has asset declarations such as the Modelo 720. A tax adviser who knows both countries can check your situation before you move, and remember to tell HMRC you've left.

The State Pension. Good news: Spain is in the EU, so your UK State Pension is uprated each year, not frozen.

Pension transfers. You don't need to move your UK pensions to Spain to qualify. If anyone suggests transferring a UK pension to an overseas scheme, it needs regulated financial advice, and the FCA and MoneyHelper both warn about pension scams aimed at people moving abroad.

Why you can't work on it

"Non-lucrative" means exactly that. The visa doesn't let you work in Spain, employed or self-employed. The Spanish government's own FAQ on the digital nomad permit says people with non-lucrative residence can't apply for it from inside Spain, because it doesn't authorise work [5]. So that consultancy you planned to keep ticking over from a terrace in Nerja is out, unless you switch to a permit that allows it.

If you do want to work remotely, look at the digital nomad visa instead. And if you're unsure where to start, our community group for Brits in Spain is full of people who've been through the non-lucrative visa with the Spanish consulates in the UK.

Spain's non-lucrative visa: how British retirees get to stay on the Costa del Sol