How to renew your non-lucrative visa in Spain

The non-lucrative visa (NLV) is an authorisation that allows non-EU foreigners to live in Spain without working or carrying out professional activities, by demonstrating that they have sufficient financial means for themselves and, if applicable, their family.

In Spanish it’s called a 'visado de residencia no lucrativa' and is often referred to as a retirement visa, as this is the best option for retirees from non-EU countries who want to spend their golden years in Spain.

Even though your visa will be granted for residency in Spain, holders can travel freely within the Schengen Area, without applying for other visas from other countries within the block. This means that if you want to travel within the continent while you’re living in Spain, it’s easy for you to do so.

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The NLV is initially only valid for a year, so what happens when your visa is nearing its expiration?

What are your options, and how can you renew it?

When should I renew it?

According to immigration experts Balcells Group, you should renew your non-lucrative visa 60 days before the end of your visa year, but you can also do it, technically speaking, for up to 90 days after the expiry date.

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Money differences 

Though the actual process of renewing is very similar to the initial application, renewing your NLV does have one major difference: money.

Or rather, as in the initial application, proving you have sufficient funds to maintain yourself (and any dependents) in Spain without an income.

According to the Spanish government: "the monthly minimum required amount for [the NLV in] 2023 is €2,400.00. To this amount must be added €600.00 ​for each family member in the applicant's care."

You're probably already familiar with this from your first application, albeit with the figure slightly adjusted for IPREM. However, if you decide that you want to stay in Spain beyond the first year and  renew your NLV, you’ll need to show that you have more money than the first time around - double in fact, as the renewed visa is valid for two years as opposed to one and you need to prove you can financially support yourself for that time.

Unlike during the initial application, where you must demonstrate funds for one year (400 times the IPREM), when renewing you'll need prove you have 800 times the IPREM to last you for 2 years, which works out at €57,600, not including the extra 200 percent (100 percent per year) of the IPREM for each dependent family member, which works out at €14,440 each.

How to renew your NLV

The process for renewing your NLV is largely the same as during initial application, save for the fact that you'll have to demonstrate that you funds for two years instead of one, as explained above.

Besides that, you'll have to meet (and demonstrate) the following requirements:

• Prove that you have stayed in Spain for at least 183 days in the last year, as per the conditions of the NLV. This can be done with bank statements, invoices, or utility bills.
• Prove you have no criminal record or expulsion orders.
• Demonstrate you still have access to private medical insurance that provides comparable coverage to that provided by the Spanish public health system.
• Prove you have sufficient funds to sustain you for two years, not one (800 percent of the IPREM, not 400) through bank statements or evidence of passive income streams (investments, dividends, rental income and so on).
• If relatives have moved to live with you, you will also have to prove you have the funds for an extra 200 percent of the IPREM (per dependent) on top of your own funds.
• If your relatives are minors, you must prove they are in some form of education with some kind of note or certificate from the school.
• Prove that you have no outstanding debts with Spain's Social Security or its tax agency - the Agencia Tributaria.

If your circumstances haven't changed since your initial application and you can still satisfy all the above requirements (and prove it) you should apply for a NLV renewal with with the EX-01 form, and pay a small fee (€16 in 2023), which you can find here.