Do I need a minimum investment or capital to qualify?

No. Unlike investor-style routes in some other countries, there is no fixed minimum capital or investment requirement here. That is well corroborated across independent sources. The qualifying asset is your ENISA-approved business plan, assessed alongside your professional profile and the added value of your project to Spain. Official source: inclusion.gob.es, UGE-CE Emprendedores. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

What does ENISA actually assess?

Your professional profile, meaning your training, experience, and involvement in the project, your business plan, and the added value the business brings to the Spanish economy through innovation, job creation, or investment. A favourable report is binding on the immigration authority for the entrepreneurial nature of your project. Official source: inclusion.gob.es, UGE-CE Emprendedores. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

How long does the ENISA report take?

The official maximum is 20 business days from complete documentation. Official source: inclusion.gob.es, UGE-CE Emprendedores. Reviewed 17 July 2026. Practitioner accounts describe ENISA often deciding faster in practice, sometimes in the region of 10 to 30 days, a range commonly reported by immigration consultancies rather than government-confirmed, but treat 20 business days as the figure to plan around.

Can I apply from within Spain, or do I have to apply from abroad?

Both are possible. From abroad, you apply for the entrepreneur visa at the Spanish consulate covering your place of legal residence, which grants an initial 1-year visa. If you are already legally resident in Spain on another status, you can convert directly through UGE-CE without leaving the country, which grants a longer initial 3-year residence authorisation. Official source: inclusion.gob.es, UGE-CE Emprendedores. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

How long does the whole process take?

The individual stages are separately time-boxed rather than one combined window. ENISA's own maximum is 20 business days, UGE-CE's residence authorisation maximum is also 20 business days with positive administrative silence if the deadline passes, and the consular visa decision aims for 10 days from complete documentation. Official source: inclusion.gob.es, UGE-CE Emprendedores. Reviewed 17 July 2026. In practice, the full process from starting your ENISA file to holding a visa tends to run closer to 1 to 2 months, sometimes longer depending on your case. That 1 to 2 month figure is our own estimate from adding the separately time-boxed stages, not a single figure UGE-CE publishes.

How much does the Spain Entrepreneur Visa cost?

Government filing and visa fees apply and vary by consulate, on top of costs for business plan preparation, certified translations, and relocation. We have not been able to confirm a current, specific fee schedule strong enough to publish exact figures here, so confirm current fees directly with UGE-CE or your nearest Spanish consulate before you budget.

Can my family come with me?

Yes, generally. Your spouse, your registered or unmarried partner, and dependent children, including dependent adult children without their own family unit, can generally be included in your application from the outset. Dependent parents can also be included, but that is assessed case by case rather than automatically. Official source: inclusion.gob.es, UGE-CE Emprendedores. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

How does this compare with the Spain Digital Nomad Visa?

The Digital Nomad Visa is for remote workers and freelancers serving clients or employers based outside Spain, and it is assessed mainly on income, not on founding a Spain-based business. The Entrepreneur Visa is for people starting, developing, or directing their own Spain-based business, assessed by ENISA on the plan and its value to the Spanish economy rather than on your income alone.

How does this compare with the Highly Qualified Professional visa?

The Highly Qualified Professional visa is an employee route, tied to a sponsoring Spanish company that hires you. The Entrepreneur Visa is a founder route, for people running their own business, and does not require a sponsoring employer.

How long until I can get permanent residence or citizenship?

The standard route to residencia de larga duración, Spain's permanent residency, requires 5 years of continuous, lawful residence, and citizenship generally requires 10 years of legal residence, with a reduced 2-year period for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, and Portugal under long-standing Spanish nationality law. We present this standard timeline rather than any shorter, unverified claim about settling after a single renewal. Official source: inclusion.gob.es, UGE-CE Emprendedores; Spanish nationality law, Código Civil, naturalisation by residence. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

Spain Entrepreneur Visa for Founders

Q: What is the Spain Entrepreneur Visa?

It is a residence route for non-EU nationals starting, developing, or directing a business in Spain that ENISA, a public business finance entity, assesses as innovative or of special economic interest for the country. It skips the labour market test that general self-employment visas require. The legal basis is Ley 14/2013, de apoyo a los emprendedores y su internacionalización, as amended by Ley 28/2022, the 2023 Startups Law. Official source: inclusion.gob.es, UGE-CE Emprendedores. Reviewed 17 July 2026.

The Spain Entrepreneur Visa lets non-EU nationals live in Spain while starting, developing, or directing a business that ENISA, a public business finance entity, assesses as innovative or of special economic interest for Spain. It skips the labour market test that general self-employment visas require, and there is no fixed minimum capital to invest.

Who it is for

Founders with a business plan they can defend to ENISA as innovative or of special economic interest; People starting, developing, or directing the business themselves, not passive investors; Applicants who do not want to raise or lock away a fixed minimum capital sum before they can apply; Founders applying from abroad through a Spanish consulate, or already legally resident in Spain and converting status through UGE-CE; Anyone weighing this route against the Digital Nomad Visa, the general self-employment visa, or the Highly Qualified Professional visa.

How eMigr8 helps

eMigr8 gives you coaching and guidance to prepare your application and understand your options. We do not give legal advice or immigration consultation. ENISA's assessment approach, UGE-CE processing targets, and fees are set by the relevant Spanish authorities and change periodically, so confirm the current position directly with the official source, or take advice from a qualified professional, before you apply.