Spain Entrepreneur Visa 2026: Startup Residence Requirements and ENISA

People often use both phrases for founder residence, but the official residence category is the authorization for entrepreneurs and business activity under Law 14/2013. Startup Law certification is a separate company-status process under Law 28/2022. It can matter for company benefits, but it is not the same approval as residence.

Yes. Spain removed investor residence from Law 14/2013 from 3 April 2025, but the entrepreneur residence chapter remains active. The entrepreneur route is for active, innovative business projects, not passive investment.

Law 14/2013 sets no fixed minimum investment amount for the entrepreneur route. ENISA assesses the business plan, including the investment required and the possible sources of financing (art. 70.2.b), so the file still has to show realistic financing for the proposed plan.

Law 14/2013 does not set a fixed job-creation number. ENISA weighs the elements that add value to the Spanish economy (art. 70.2.c), so job creation, Spanish partnerships, regional impact, and economic value can still strengthen the case.

For entrepreneur residence, Law 14/2013 says ENISA evaluates the applicant profile and involvement, the business plan, the added value for Spain, innovation, and investment or financing opportunities. The application is directed to UGE, which requests the ENISA report ex officio.

Yes, if you are legally in Spain, Law 14/2013 allows the entrepreneur residence authorization application to be submitted electronically to UGE. Applicants outside Spain should follow the current linked authorization and visa sequence through UGE and the Spanish consulate that covers their legal residence.

Law 14/2013 gives ENISA 10 working days for the mandatory report once UGE requests it, 20 working days for UGE residence authorizations, and 10 working days for visas, subject to exceptions. Preparation, business-plan evidence, consular appointments, legalization, translation, and correction requests can add time.

The initial entrepreneur residence authorization can be valid for 3 years. Renewals are generally for 2 years if the original conditions continue to be met.

Yes. Law 14/2013 allows qualifying family members to apply with the main applicant or later, subject to the required family, resources, insurance, and identity evidence.

Law 14/2013 points to the possibility of permanent residence after 5 years. Citizenship depends on Spain's nationality rules, residence continuity, and personal circumstances, so it should be planned separately.

Some qualifying entrepreneurs may be able to use Spain's special inbound-worker tax regime, but it is separate from the visa and not automatic. Confirm eligibility with a Spanish tax adviser before relying on it.

You need no criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you lived during the last two years, for offences that exist under Spanish law, plus a sworn declaration that you have had no criminal record in the last five years (Law 14/2013 art. 62.3.c, BOE, checked 18 October 2026). Certificates from abroad usually need an apostille or legalisation and a sworn translation.

The authorisation is treated as granted by positive administrative silence. Law 14/2013 art. 76.1 sets a maximum of 20 days from electronic filing (working days, under the general rule in Law 39/2015 art. 30.2), and a refusal can be challenged by an administrative appeal (recurso de alzada). Filing the application also extends your current stay or residence status until the decision (BOE, checked 18 October 2026).

Renewals are for two-year periods, filed electronically, as long as the conditions that justified the permit continue. Filing the renewal extends the current permit until the decision, and a renewal filed within 90 days after expiry is still processed, although a penalty procedure may be opened (Law 14/2013 art. 76.3, checked 18 October 2026).

Not necessarily. Under Law 14/2013 art. 76.5, a passport is enough to register with Spanish Social Security during the first six months if you do not yet have a foreigner identity number, and you request the NIE afterwards. See our Spain NIE number guide for how the NIE and the TIE card work.