Golden Visa Spain (Investor Visa Program)
The Spanish Golden visa offers a path towards Spanish residence for Filipino investors who wish to contribute to the Spanish economy.
If you have invested in Spanish assets or are considering the investment path for immigration, you will need to understand the different requirements for eligibility. An immigration lawyer can help ensure that you know what type of investments may qualify. You can contact our team of Spanish immigration experts at Total Law today by calling us at +44 (0) 333 305 9375 for immediate help.
What is Spain’s Golden Visa?
The Golden visa scheme is Spain’s Investor visa, meaning that you can obtain a residential permit by investing a significant amount of your capital to boost the Spanish economy. This immigration path offers the option to qualify for permanent residence and even citizenship in the future.
To qualify, you will usually need to be able to invest between €500,000 and two million Euros at a minimum. The exact amount is determined by the type of investment that you wish to make.
Page Contents
- What is Spain’s Golden Visa?
- Benefits of the Golden Visa Spain
- Eligibility Criteria for the Spain Golden Visa Program
- Investment Options for a Spain Golden Visa
- Required Documents for a Spanish Golden Visa
- How to Obtain Residency by Investment
- Processing Times for Spain Golden Visa
- Application Costs for Spain Golden Visa
- How Long Can I Stay in Spain with a Golden Visa?
- Golden Visa Renewal and Permanent Residency in Spain
- Dependents on a Spanish Golden Visa
- How Can Total Law Help
- FAQ
Benefits of the Golden Visa Spain
The Spanish Golden visa offers many benefits, including the permission to live, work, or study in Spain. Investors may also apply to bring their family members and as an additional benefit, this visa also allows for mostly unrestricted travel within the Schengen region.
For Filipino individuals with sufficient financial means, the investment route may be a particularly interesting option as Spain has an agreement with the Philippines meaning that you might qualify for naturalisation after only two years, significantly cutting the necessary investment period in comparison to the usual five-year and ten-year requirements.
Eligibility Criteria for the Spain Golden Visa Program
Investors wishing to obtain a Spanish Golden visa must be able to afford a significant investment. Additionally, individuals wishing to obtain Spanish citizenship will need to prove that they have a clean criminal record and good health, meaning that they don’t pose a threat to the Spanish population and public interest.
You will need to present details of adequate health insurance that covers you for at least €30,000 for the entirety of your stay in Spain. The same must be held by any family members who may join you.
Investment Options for a Spain Golden Visa
Overview
There are several options when considering what kind of investment you might want to make to qualify for the Spanish Golden visa. Each comes with its own requirements such as the minimum investment amount, but you should also keep in mind that different types of investments may carry higher risks or more additional involvement.
Generally, you may invest in public debt and government bonds, stocks, shares, venture capital, or investment funds, or into the establishment of a new business which benefits the local Spanish economy in practice by creating jobs and driving innovation.
Alternatively, you may also choose to go the way of bank deposits with qualifying Spanish financial institutions which is usually a fairly safe investment choice.
While there was a pathway to invest via real estate, a decision was made in 2024 to discontinue this path. The Spanish government stated that this was in an effort to better control the local real estate distribution and to combat the inaccessibility of affordable housing to local residents.
Venture Capital, Stocks and Shares
You may invest in a variety of Spanish assets in the form of traditional shares of Spanish companies or stocks for Spanish-based businesses or projects. You may also choose to invest in venture capital funds or even closed-end investment funds, as long as they are located in Spain.
It is always important that you consider the possible risks of investments in these categories as they may be more volatile. Overall, you will need to uphold your investment in the future to remain eligible for your Golden visa, so make a decision with long-term considerations.
If you are investing in unlisted shares you will need to make sure to obtain adequate information to prove your investment. Beyond that, you will need to provide receipts and all relevant documents when applying for your visa.
The minimum investment amount is usually one million Euros.
Government Bonds and Public Debt
Public debt or government-bond-investments allow you to qualify for a Golden visa by investing with the Spanish government directly. Your money will be used to pay off Spanish public debt securities and you will usually receive an agreed-upon interest rate.
This is one of the more secure Golden visa investments and you can be sure that your funds actually benefit the Spanish economy directly.
The minimum investment for this route is two million Euros.
Bank Deposits
Bank deposits are possibly the simplest investment option. All you need to do is to open a Spanish bank account with a qualifying financial institution and deposit at least one million Euros. While the interest rates you receive are usually lower than with some more high-risk investments, it is a fairly safe and off-hand approach towards qualifying for a Golden Visa.
To open a bank account as a foreigner, you will usually need your ID and personal details, as well as a certificate of non-residence. You may upgrade this once you become a Spanish resident.
Business Investments
The main appeal of the Spanish business investment route for the Golden visa is that there is no fixed minimum investment amount that is necessary. However, you need to keep in mind that establishing and running a business can be a costly and labour-intensive process especially since you will need to meet certain targets to show that your business is actually positively contributing to the local economy.
Usually, the business you establish should have a positive socio-economic impact by creating jobs locally, and you should also be driving innovation, usually in technology or science.
Keep in mind that business investments likely come with a variety of costs such as property tax and business licences. The specifics will depend on the type of business that you choose to open.
Real Estate Investments
Despite the real estate investment path being discontinued in the future, you are still able to apply for a Golden visa under this option at the moment. To do so, you will usually need to make an investment of at least €500,000 into qualifying Spanish real estate. You will have the choice between investing in one large property or in multiple smaller properties.
While this is one of the lower-priced investment routes, you should keep in mind that real estate investments will come with additional costs such as property transfer tax and registration fees, notary fees, as well as value-added tax (VAT) and likely municipal taxes. Property investments may also require future involvement and upkeep.
If you want to apply for a Golden visa via the real-estate option, you should be prepared to make future arrangements. Filipino nationals may qualify for citizenship after two years of residence in Spain, but it is not currently clear whether you will be able to benefit from a real estate Golden visa for that long.
It is best to discuss your plans with a qualified immigration lawyer to make sure that you are well covered. Our team of experts at Total Law can advise you on the implications of following this immigration route and will be able to help you plan for possible future adjustments. You can call us today at +44 (0) 333 305 9375 for immediate support.
Required Documents for a Spanish Golden Visa
You will need to submit evidence of your investment when applying for your Golden visa. Additionally, the application will need to be accompanied by any supporting evidence that is needed to confirm your personal circumstances.
You should be ready to provide the following documents:
- Your signed application form
- Your application fee payment
- Your valid passport
- Two recent photographs that follow visa guidelines
- Details of your investments
- Financial details that you have the means to support yourself
- Your health insurance details
- A medical certificate
- A criminal certificate
- Proof of your residency in the Philippines
- Details of any family members or Dependents who are applying for a visa with you, including evidence of your relationship and their health insurance
Keep in mind that you will need to provide certified translations of any documents that aren’t officially issued in Spanish. It may take some time to get those so plan ahead.
How to Obtain Residency by Investment
Once you have made your investment and obtained all of your required documents, you will need to submit your application to your local Spanish consulate or embassy. In the Philippines, this may be the local embassy in Manila.
It will take a while for your initial application to get verified but once this has happened, you will be prompted to book an appointment with the Spanish embassy to complete your visa application. You will be asked for more details about your investment and your plans for living in Spain and you may also need to submit your biometric data such as your fingerprints.
Processing Times for Spain Golden Visa
Spanish Golden visa applications may take a while to be processed. While the exact wait time may vary, you should expect this to take at least ten to twenty days.
Never forget that the application itself tends to be the final step for obtaining your visa and there may be time-intensive steps when preparing your investment and obtaining all of the documents that you need.
Application Costs for Spain Golden Visa
The Spanish Golden visa is one of the most expensive visa options if you take into consideration the amount of capital that you need to dedicate to your investment. Of course, that money isn’t immediately lost, but it is not easily affordable for many.
Nevertheless, if you have completed your investment and have paid all of the associated fees or taxes, the Spanish Golden visa application fee itself will usually sit at around €73.26.
How Long Can I Stay in Spain with a Golden Visa?
The Spanish Golden visa usually permits stays for one year initially, after which the residence permit will need to be renewed. The real-estate Golden visa is valid for six months at a time.
If you maintain your investments and remain eligible under the general conditions, the Golden visa is usually renewable for a total of five years, allowing most foreign nationals to qualify for permanent residence. If you are a Filipino national, you should keep in mind that you may qualify for Spanish citizenship after only two years of living in the country.
Golden Visa Renewal and Permanent Residency in Spain
When your Golden visa nears expiry, you should make sure to renew it. Usually, this should be done one or two months before your visa expires to make sure that there is enough time for your renewal application to be processed. You will need to show that you still qualify, which means that you must have maintained your investment.
After five years of residence in Spain, foreign nationals will usually be expected to upgrade to permanent residence status before qualifying for citizenship after ten years in total. Investors from the Philippines may skip this step and apply for naturalisation after two years.
Dependents on a Spanish Golden Visa
If you are coming to Spain on an investor visa, you may apply to bring your family members. This is usually limited to your spouse or civil partner, as well as any children that you might have. Under some circumstances, you may also apply to bring your parents if they are older and rely on you for support.
Children must usually be under 21 years old or have a disability that makes them dependent on your care for longer. Your parents should be 65 years old and have a clear financial dependency on you, but in some humanitarian circumstances, the age requirement may be dismissed.
How Can Total Law Help
The Spanish Golden visa is a desirable immigration path for investors who wish to live in Spain and establish permanent residence. Nevertheless, it is one of the riskier paths that comes with a significant financial commitment, so it is essential that you really understand the implications of this residence visa.
Our team of immigration lawyers at Total Law have years of experience with all aspects of the Spanish investor visa and we will be happy to advise you. You can call us today at +44 (0) 333 305 9375 to discuss how we may assist you on your journey towards a life in Spain.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
FAQ
While Spain doesn’t generally permit dual citizenship for foreigners who wish to become naturalised in Spain, there is an exception for individuals from the Philippines. As such, you may apply for dual citizenship once you qualify for Spanish naturalisation after two years of residence on a Golden visa.
