Residence Application for Investors

You must provide proof of both the general requirements and the specific requirements established for each type of authorization, in accordance with Law 14/2013. You can consult an indicative list of the documentation to be submitted on the website of the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit.

To obtain long-term residence, you must meet the general requirements set out in the Regulation of Organic Law 4/2000. The most common case is having resided legally and continuously in Spain for five years.

Residence will not be affected by absences from Spanish territory of up to six consecutive months, provided that the total does not exceed ten months (or one year if the absence is for work reasons) within the five-year period, unless the departures were made irregularly.

Yes, provided that the entity is domiciled in a territory not considered a tax haven under Spanish law, and the applicant must hold the majority of voting rights and have the power to appoint and remove the majority of the members of its governing body. To prove this, you must request a report from the Directorate General for Trade and Investments.
 

No additional investment is required for each family member. The investment indicated in Law 14/2013 (in its Article 63) allows obtaining authorization as an investor. The holder of that authorization may (in accordance with Article 62.4) request authorization for their spouse and children under 18 years of age, or older children who are objectively unable to provide for their own needs due to their health condition, who join or accompany the investor.

This authorization depends on that of the investor and to obtain it, the investor must prove that they meet the general requirements, including that the investor has financial resources for their family (which can be proven by any means: income, assets, etc.), as well as the corresponding health insurance.

By way of example, if a couple acquires a property worth €1,000,000, both spouses may obtain an investor visa. If the property is worth €500,000, the buyer may obtain an investor visa and their spouse as a family member, provided the investor proves that they have financial resources and health insurance for both.

If the acquisition of the property specifies that it is carried out under a joint ownership regime and its amount does not exceed twice the minimum established, either spouse may obtain authorization as an investor and the other as a family member.
 

You can obtain your investor authorization in two ways:

• If you are outside Spain, you can apply at the consulate of your country of residence for an investor visa, which will allow you to reside in Spain for up to one year. During that period, you can apply to the Large Companies Unit for residence authorization.
• If you are already in Spain legally (on a short stay or as the holder of a study stay or residence authorization), you can apply directly for residence authorization before the Large Companies Unit, without the need to previously process an investor visa.

Regarding staying in Schengen countries, there is no difference between authorizations regulated by Law 14/2013 and other residence authorizations. That is: any foreign citizen residing in Spain has the right to move freely through the territory of the States that apply the Schengen Agreement for a period not exceeding three months per semester. (Currently, the countries that apply the Agreement are: Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Netherlands, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden and Switzerland.)

The documentation required to move between States is a valid travel document (passport or other) and the residence authorization. You must also make an entry declaration in the corresponding State. For more information, you can consult the website of the Ministry of the Interior.

At the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit of the Subdirectorate General of Immigration, belonging to the Directorate General of Migration, part of the General Secretariat for Immigration and Emigration of the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, located at Plaza de la Remonta, number 12, 3rd floor, CP 28071, Madrid.
 

Applications for initial residence authorizations and renewals can be submitted at any public registry.
In particular, they can be submitted, if preferred, at the registry of the General Secretariat for Immigration and Emigration at Calle José Abascal, 39, Madrid. As well as at the headquarters of the aforementioned Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit, at Plaza de la Remonta in Madrid; in the latter case, by prior appointment. For more information about the appointment, you can consult the website of the Large Companies Unit.

Applications can also be submitted online with a digital certificate, through the electronic headquarters of the Ministry of Employment and Social Security,  where you can find all the information about electronic processing.

The applicant, depending on the type of authorization, may be:

• For initial authorizations:
  • In the case of investors and entrepreneurs, the foreign person themselves.
  • In authorizations for highly qualified professionals, researchers or intra-company transfers, the company or entity that requires the services of the foreign person.
• For family authorizations:
  • If the application is submitted together with that of the holder, it will be the latter (in the case of investors and entrepreneurs) or the company or entity (in the case of highly qualified professionals, researchers or intra-company transfers).
  • If the application is submitted at another time, it may be one of the above or the family member themselves.

Renewals are submitted by the foreign person holding the authorization (family members request the renewal of their own authorization). Applications can be submitted by the interested person themselves or through a representative.

When submitting the application in person, you must bring the original and a copy, with the UGE keeping only the copy. If you submit it at a public registry, you must bring the original and a copy and send only a certified copy.
 

You will find the residence authorization application forms at this link.

The Law establishes as a requirement not to be irregularly in Spain, so you must meet this requirement at the time of application.
The submission of the residence authorization application will extend the validity of the residence or stay situation held until the resolution of the procedure.

Yes, it is possible, provided that the requirements to modify an authorization established by the Regulation of Organic Law 4/2000 are met.
 

Yes. The fourth additional provision of Law 14/2013 establishes that residence authorizations allow residence and work (both self-employed and employed).
 

During their residence in Spain, the foreign person must have coverage, either from public healthcare or from private insurance. It is not required to prove insurance when there is the prospect that the foreigner (as well as their family members) will be insured under the National Health System, by registering with Social Security as a result of an employment contract or a professional relationship.

In the case of entrepreneurs, if the activity is not going to start immediately, insurance with limited validity is accepted (for example, travel insurance, which usually has a validity of three months).

In other cases, you must have public or private health insurance contracted with an insurer authorized to operate in Spain, for coverage equivalent to that of the National Health System and for the duration of your authorization or at least one year renewable (travel insurance is not valid).

For inquiries about Social Security contributions, you can access the Social Security website.
 

All documents must be translated into Spanish. In the case of foreign public documents, they must also bear the Hague Apostille or, failing that, have been legalized through diplomatic channels.
You can obtain more information about document legalization at this link.