Spain Golden Visa for Filipinos: Investor Visa Options for Residency

Entrepreneur Visa

For an Entrepreneur visa, you must undertake an innovative, entrepreneurial activity in Spain which is of particular economic interest to the country. Your innovative start-up must meet the following parameters:

• Generate employment in Spain
• Create sound investment opportunities
• Leverage high-end technology for day-to-day company operations
• Enhance the country’s socio-economic development

Moreover, your innovative idea must be original and preferably have no existing competitors in Spain. In case competitors already exist in the market, you will need to prove why your business idea is better than theirs.

Having patents, recommendation letters or already existing clients will go a long way to increase the chances of your visa approval.

Non Lucrative Residence Visa

A Non-lucrative visa allows Filipinos with sufficient financial means to stay in Spain without taking up any gainful employment.

You must be able to meet the minimum threshold of passive income and provide evidence thereof, to convince the concerned authorities that you do not intend to take up employment in Spain.

Digital Nomad Visa

This visa allows Filipino nationals traveling in Spain to work for companies based outside the country. You are expected to work on a remote basis through computer, telematic, and telecommunication means.

To apply, you must either be employed for an overseas company located outside Spain or be self-employed. If the latter, you can also work for a Spanish company, provided the same is not more than 20% of your total amount of professional activity.

You must be able to prove your legitimate sources of income.

Freelancer Visa (Autónomo Visa)

You may apply for a Self-Employed Work Visa (also known as an Autónomo Visa or Freelancer visa in Spain) which allows foreign nationals to live and work in Spain as independent freelancers or business owners.

To apply, you must submit a detailed business plan which shows economic viability and potential impact in Spain. You will also need to provide evidence of sufficient personal and business funds (so that you can support yourself and any dependants without accessing Spain’s public money) and proof of qualifications/experience to successfully run the proposed venture.

The initial visa validity is one year and renewable thereafter provided you continue meeting the eligibility conditions.

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.