What happened to the Spain Golden Visa
Spain's investor residence visa (the Golden Visa) — every route, not only property — was abolished by Ley Orgánica 1/2025 of 2 January (final provision 21), in force since 3 April 2025. Buying property gives no right of residence at any price. The visa had been created by Ley 14/2013; the stated government reason for ending it was housing affordability — the programme had been blamed, among other factors, for price pressure in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, and Malaga.
Applications filed before that date are decided under the old rules, and permits already granted keep their validity and can be renewed under them.
What the Golden Visa was: a two-year initial residence permit, renewable in five-year blocks, with no minimum time-in-Spain requirement, granted — on the property route — in exchange for a minimum €500,000 unencumbered investment in Spanish real estate. It gave full Schengen travel rights and the right to live, work, and study in Spain. After five years of legal residence, long-term EU residence was available; after ten years, Spanish citizenship eligibility arose.
Alternative residency routes for non-EU Marbella buyers (2026)
The residence routes described on this site are the Non-Lucrative Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa and the Entrepreneur Visa. The Beckham regime is a tax option that can sit on top of a work-based route; it is not a route itself.
1. Non-Lucrative Visa (Visado de Residencia No Lucrativa): requires passive income sufficient to cover living costs — approximately €2,400/month per applicant plus €600 per dependent in practice, though the legal threshold is 400% of the Spanish IPREM. No work permitted. Annual renewal; converts to long-term residency after 5 years. Application via Spanish consulate in home country. Processing: 1-3 months. This is the most commonly used route for Marbella buyers who live off capital or investments.
2. Digital Nomad Visa (Visa para Teletrabajadores Internacionales): established by the Startups Law (Ley 28/2022). For remote workers employed by non-Spanish companies, earning above 200% of Spain's minimum wage (approximately €28,000/year in 2026). No minimum time in Spain. Can be combined with the Beckham tax regime. Application via consulate or (if already in Spain) via SEPE.
3. Entrepreneur Visa (Visa Emprendedor, via ENISA): for founders of scalable businesses that the Empresa Nacional de Innovacion S.A. (ENISA) certifies as innovative. Requires a business plan review. Less commonly used than the above two by property buyers but applicable for genuine founders.
The Beckham regime is a tax regime, not a visa: it gives no right of residence. Under Article 93 of Ley 35/2006, a person who moves to Spain for work and was not tax-resident there in the five preceding years can opt, for the year of arrival and the next five, to be taxed at 24% on work income up to €600,000 and 47% above. It is most relevant for Marbella buyers who are establishing a business or bringing employment to Spain, and it is applied for alongside a work-based route, never instead of one.
What the abolition means for the Marbella property market
No public data measures the effect: Spain publishes no sales by buyer nationality or visa status at this price level. From the desk's own enquiries we see no change we can attribute to it.
Who lost an option is clearer than how much it mattered. EU buyers — Germans, Scandinavians, French, Dutch, Belgians — never needed the visa. British buyers since Brexit who wanted residency had the Non-Lucrative Visa. American and Middle Eastern buyers who specifically sought the investor route are the group the abolition touches.
The Non-Lucrative Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa and the Entrepreneur Visa cover the residency needs of the buyer profiles that previously used the Golden Visa — with no €500,000 investment and with more structured ongoing compliance (income documentation, presence requirements where applicable). None of them is obtained by buying a property.
Sources
- Ley Orgánica 1/2025, de 2 de enero, de medidas en materia de eficiencia del Servicio Público de Justicia — Boletín Oficial del Estado (disposición final vigesimoprimera: articles 63 to 67 of Ley 14/2013 left without content, pending applications and renewals; disposición final trigésima octava: entry into force)
- Ley 14/2013, de 27 de septiembre, de apoyo a los emprendedores y su internacionalización — consolidated text, Boletín Oficial del Estado (Articles 63 to 67: «Sin contenido», with effect from 3 April 2025)
- Ley 35/2006, de 28 de noviembre, del Impuesto sobre la Renta de las Personas Físicas — consolidated text, Boletín Oficial del Estado (Article 93: the special regime for workers moving to Spain, a tax regime and not a residence permit)
Last updated 2 October 2026 by the Muse Selection desk. The linked official texts are the authority; this page restates them and is not tax advice.
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Frequently asked questions
Is the Spain Golden Visa still available in 2026?
No. Spain's investor residence visa (the Golden Visa) — every route, not only property — was abolished by Ley Orgánica 1/2025 of 2 January (final provision 21), in force since 3 April 2025. Buying property gives no right of residence at any price. Applications filed before that date are decided under the old rules, and permits already granted keep their validity and can be renewed under them.
What are the alternatives to the Spain Golden Visa for non-EU buyers in Marbella?
The residence routes described on this site are the Non-Lucrative Visa, the Digital Nomad Visa and the Entrepreneur Visa. The Beckham regime is a tax option that can sit on top of a work-based route; it is not a route itself. The Non-Lucrative Visa rests on passive income, the Digital Nomad Visa on remote work for a non-Spanish employer (Ley 28/2022), and the Entrepreneur Visa on a business that ENISA certifies as innovative.
Can I still get residency by buying a property in Marbella?
No. Buying property gives no right of residence at any price: the Golden Visa was abolished by Ley Orgánica 1/2025, in force since 3 April 2025. Non-EU buyers can obtain Spanish residency through income-based (Non-Lucrative Visa), work-based (Digital Nomad Visa) or enterprise-based (Entrepreneur Visa) routes, independently of property ownership.