Route-fit and business-plan memo
A written view of whether the self-employment route fits, what the activity needs, the licences involved, and likely blockers.
Spain Self-Employment Visa
Spain autonomo visa, from business plan to residence card.
The Spain self-employment (autonomo) visa gives a 1-year initial residence and self-employment authorisation, limited to one region and one sector, if you show a sufficient investment for the project, the licences and qualifications the activity needs, and means to live on (RD 1155/2024 arts. 83-84; consulate checklists). The immigration office decides within three months of the consulate's communication, and silence counts as a refusal; a renewed authorisation lasts four years. The Spain self-employment visa is the residence visa for non-EU nationals who will work for themselves in Spain as freelancers or small-business owners; Movingto prices it per case.
Movingto is an immigration firm that puts a named, Bar-registered lawyer from its in-house legal team on your case and publishes its fees.
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First call: leave with route fit, the means and investment consulates expect, business-plan and licence gaps, family scope, the tax questions for a specialist, and the next decision mapped.
Researching the route first? Read the Spain work visa guide
What you get
What does the Spain self-employment visa service include?
The business plan and means come first. We prepare the viability evidence, any association report, means and investment, family scope, and the residence steps with you, so the file is ready before the consulate appointment.
Means and investment map
A practical plan for evidencing a sufficient, viable project investment plus sufficient maintenance funds, in the format the consulate accepts.
Report and document list
Any viability report on the business plan, qualifications and licences, criminal record, medical certificate, apostille, translation, and family records organised early.
Registration and tax handoff
Entry, the residence card, autonomo registration with Social Security and the tax office, and the routing of tax questions to a gestor while the residence steps stay visible.
What does the Spain self-employment visa require?
RD 1155/2024 art. 84 asks you to show that the planned investment is sufficient and what it means for job creation, including your own job. The Embassy of Spain in Hanoi's checklist, for example, accepts a viability report from ATA, UPTA, CIAE, OPA, or UATAE for the qualification and investment points (checked 18 October 2026).
Funds plus a funded project
You show means for your own maintenance and accommodation as well as a sufficient investment to set up the activity. The regulation sets no single minimum investment; consulate checklists set maintenance amounts by reference to IPREM (€600 a month in 2026).
Qualifications and permits
Any qualifications, professional registration, or licences the activity requires have to be evidenced as part of the file.
Autonomo tax gets a handoff
Registration with Social Security and the tax office and ongoing autonomo tax need a gestor or asesor fiscal. We arrange the handoff to your tax adviser with the right facts in hand.
Who this fits
Why use Movingto for a Spain self-employment case?
This route is useful only when the business plan, means and investment, licences, professional-association report, and tax questions can be made clear. Movingto helps map the file before filing work starts.
Good fit for
- Non-EU freelancers and small-business owners who will work in Spain
- Applicants who need sufficient maintenance funds and a sufficient, viable business investment planned
- People whose activity needs a viable business plan and evidence of a sufficient investment
- Families that need dependant scope, means, and document timing planned together
- Applicants with autonomo tax and registration questions that need a specialist handoff
Not the right fit for
- EU, EEA, or Swiss citizens who do not need this national route
- Remote workers serving foreign clients who fit the digital nomad route better
- Founders of innovative projects better suited to the entrepreneur route
- Anyone seeking an approval guarantee or a fixed processing-time promise
- Anyone seeking tax or social-security advice directly from Movingto
Service scope
How the route is managed.
You get a route and evidence plan, and we prepare the consular file with you. Consular and immigration-office decisions sit with the Spanish authorities; tax advice and tax filings are handled by the relevant specialist.
- Included workstreams
- 4
- Professional scope
- Clear
Delivery scopeMovingto delivery and specialist scope
Managed by Movingto
Spain route and business assessment
We map whether the self-employment route fits, the means and investment expected, the licences involved, family scope, nationality, likely blockers, and the next decision.
Managed by Movingto
Plan, means, and document checklist
We organise the business plan, means and investment evidence, qualifications and licences, criminal record, and medical certificate.
Managed by Movingto
Visa, entry, and residence mapping
We sequence the consulate visa, entry, residence card, autonomo registration, and renewal timing so the path is visible before filing starts.
Managed by Movingto
Tax and registration handoff
We identify autonomo registration and tax questions and arrange the handoff to a gestor or asesor fiscal where advice or filings are needed.
Handled by the relevant specialist
Authority or association decisions, or guarantees
Movingto does not issue the association report, control consular or immigration decisions, set requirements, processing times, or approval outcomes.
Handled by the relevant specialist
Tax or social-security advice
Tax advice, tax filings, and social-security registration must be handled by engaged specialists.
Case path
How do you apply for the Spain self-employment visa?
Each stage ends with a decision, checklist, or specialist handoff so the case does not drift between the business plan, means, and tax questions.
Case path05 managed stages
- Step 1 of 5
Confirm route fit and the activity
Check that the activity fits the self-employment route and map the licences, means, and investment behind it.
- Step 2 of 5
Build the plan and means file
Prepare the business plan, any viability report, and the means and investment evidence the consulate accepts.
- Step 3 of 5
Assemble licences and documents
Prepare qualifications and licences, criminal record, medical certificate, apostille, family records, and translations.
- Step 4 of 5
Prepare the visa filing
File the visa application at the consulate with the plan, report, means, and family documents; it also starts the residence and self-employment authorisation.
- Step 5 of 5
Register and set up residence
Register with Social Security within three months of entry, which makes the authorisation effective, then request the TIE within one month (RD 1155/2024 art. 85); keep renewal timing and the tax handoff visible.
Key figures
Spain self-employment visa requirements in 2026
| Item | Figure / rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Controlling test | Sufficient investment for the project and its effect on job creation, including self-employment | RD 1155/2024, art. 84.c |
| Licences | The requirements nationals meet to open the activity; any qualification or registration it needs | RD 1155/2024, art. 84.a-b |
| Minimum investment | No fixed figure in the regulation | RD 1155/2024, art. 84 |
| Maintenance funds | Means for maintenance and accommodation, set by reference to IPREM (€600 a month in 2026) | Hanoi embassy checklist; SEPE IPREM |
| Viability report | Report from ATA, UPTA, CIAE, OPA, or UATAE accepted for the qualification and investment points | Hanoi embassy checklist |
| Initial permit | 1 year; one region and one sector | RD 1155/2024, art. 83 |
| Decision | 3 months from the consulate's communication; silence counts as refusal | RD 1155/2024, art. 85.4 |
| After entry | Social Security registration within 3 months; TIE within 1 month of it | RD 1155/2024, art. 85.7-8 |
| Renewal | 4 years, any sector, anywhere in Spain | RD 1155/2024, art. 87 |
| Movingto fee | Get a quote (priced per case) | Movingto pricing |
Source: RD 1155/2024 (BOE), the Embassy of Spain in Hanoi self-employment checklist and SEPE IPREM 2026, checked 18 October 2026.
Compare all Spain routesEvidence
Evidence you can check.
Scope, professional ownership, and credential claims stay tied to source pages instead of sitting as unsupported marketing copy.
Source
Real Decreto 1155/2024 (Reglamento de Extranjeria), arts. 82-87: self-employed residence and work
View sourceBoletin Oficial del Estado (BOE)Checked 18 October 2026
Source
Self-employed residence and work visa: document checklist
View sourceEmbassy of Spain in HanoiChecked 18 October 2026
Source
IPREM and SMI 2026 monthly and annual amounts
View sourceSEPE (Servicio Publico de Empleo Estatal)Checked 18 October 2026
Common questions
Questions before you engage.
What is included in the Spain self-employment visa service?
The service covers route fit, business-plan and viability planning, means evidence plus business investment, any viability report, licence and document organisation, the consulate-visa file, residence and autonomo-registration tracking, and a tax handoff. Tax advice remains with a gestor or asesor fiscal. Movingto prices this route per case, so you get a quote.
How much money do I need to show?
There is no fixed minimum investment in RD 1155/2024: you show that the planned investment is sufficient for the project (art. 84.c), plus means for your own maintenance and accommodation. Consulate checklists set maintenance amounts by reference to IPREM (€600 a month or €7,200 a year in 2026), with more for accompanying family, so confirm your consulate's figure (checked 18 October 2026).
Do I need a business plan?
Yes. You need a business plan that shows the investment is sufficient and the activity can run, along with any qualifications, professional registration, or licences the activity requires (RD 1155/2024 art. 84). The Embassy of Spain in Hanoi's checklist accepts a viability report from ATA, UPTA, CIAE, OPA, or UATAE to evidence the qualification and investment points.
How is this different from the digital nomad visa?
The self-employment (autonomo) route is for working as a freelancer or small business in the Spanish market. The digital nomad visa is for remote workers serving mainly foreign clients or a foreign employer. We help confirm which one fits your work.
Does Movingto handle my Spanish taxes?
Movingto plans the documents and arranges the handoff. A gestor or asesor fiscal handles autonomo registration with Social Security and the tax office, plus ongoing tax filings.
How long does the Spain self-employment visa take?
The visa application at the consulate also starts the authorisation. The immigration office has three months from the consulate's communication to decide, and silence counts as a refusal (RD 1155/2024 art. 85.4). After a favourable decision the consulate issues the visa within one month (art. 39.5), checked 18 October 2026.
How long is the first Spain self-employment permit valid?
One year, limited to one region and one sector of activity (RD 1155/2024 art. 83). You renew in the two months before it expires by showing the activity continues and your tax and Social Security obligations are met; the renewed authorisation lasts four years and covers employed or self-employed work anywhere in Spain (arts. 86-87).
What do I need to do after arriving in Spain?
Register with Social Security within three months of your legal entry; that registration makes the authorisation effective. Then request your TIE card in person within one month of the registration (RD 1155/2024 art. 85.7-8). If you do not register in time, you must leave Spain.
Private advisory call
Get a quote for your Spain autonomo visa.
Bring your activity or business idea, means and investment position, current location, family scope, and tax questions. We will map the business plan, means evidence, consulate timing, residence setup, and specialist handoffs.
First call covers
Leave with a clearer route decision, the means and investment expectation, evidence gaps, and next steps.
- Route fit
- Country, visa category, family members, and timing.
- Scope
- Documents, legal work, tax points, and investment boundaries.
- Next steps
- What to prepare for the Movingto team and any relevant specialists.