As we’re approaching January 2025, it will have officially been two years since the digital nomad visa or DNV option has been available and many will be looking to renew it in the new year.
There are two ways to apply for the DNV, the first is via the Spanish consulate in your home country, which will grant you a visa for one year and the second is to apply for it while on a tourist visa in Spain, which will give you a visa for three years.
It’s those who took the first option and want to continue living in Spain who will now be looking to renew.
READ ALSO: How to fill in Spain's digital nomad visa application form
Am I eligible for a renewal?
If you got the initial visa for one year, you will be able to extend it for a further two years, as long as you continue to meet the requirements that led Spanish authorities to issue the DNV to you in the first place.
This means continuing to earn the same amount of money, which in 2025 is at least €2,762 per month, and having work under the same conditions – ie. If you applied as self-employed then you will have to renew as self-employed.
If your situation has changed and you are now an employee for a company abroad for example, you can’t simply do a renewal, you will have to apply for a new visa and start from scratch.
According to visa experts, the authorities are not currently checking tax returns for renewals, so it will be a casing of showing invoices, bank accounts and client or job contracts like you did when you first applied.
READ ALSO: The requirements for Spain's digital nomad visa
When should I renew?
Your application for renewal must be submitted 60 days before the expiration of your current visa.
You can also renew it up to 90 days after it’s expired, but this is a risk because according to legal firm Lexidy Law Boutique, you can be fined by authorities for this (although they have no record of this actually happening).
If you want to renew for a further two years after this, however, or are looking to get your Spanish citizenship eventually, waiting until afterwards to renew isn’t advisable as you could face problems in the future.
How do I renew?
There are two different ways you can renew your visa – either through a professional law firm, or doing it yourself online.
It is a pretty straightforward process compared to the initial application. It must be done through the Oficina Unidades de Grandes Empresas (UGE), the body that grants the visas in the first place.
You will have to have either a digital certificate or cl@ve pin to gain access and do it online.
Once you have logged on, you will be able to fill out the following application form. This is the same as the initial application form, but you will fill it out a little differently.
Under the first section (Solicitud de Autorización de Residencia) you should check the box that says teletrabajador de carácter internacional, which refers to the digital nomad visa.
Under the second section where it says Tipo de Autorización or Type of Authorisation you should leave the part that says Inicial (initial) and check Renovada or renewal instead.
The rest of the sections are your personal details. If you are doing it yourself, you’ll leave the final section blank as this is if professional lawyers are filling it out for you.
Then you will simply sign and date the form and submit it along with photocopies of the necessary documents.
What documents do I need to show?
The renewal process varies depending on each case, but there are certain documents that typically required by everyone. These include:
- Valid passport
- TIE residency card
- Proof of income
- Private medical insurance if not self-employed and paying social security
- A continued contract with your company if an employee
- Proof you've paid the renewal fee
You won’t need a new police report nor need to send marriage or birth certificates again as the authorities will already have this information.
What about renewing my A1 certificate if I’m from the UK?
If you're from the UK, it’s likely you will have only be granted your DNV for the same length as your A1 certificate from the HMRC, which is a maximum of two years.
You can always apply to extend it, but so far law experts haven’t seen anyone who has successfully been able to do this.
It’s a document that states that your social security is covered by the UK and is supposed to only be temporary.
Therefore when you renew your DNV and if can’t renew A1 certificate, your employer will have to register in Spain and start paying social security for you here.
Alternatively, you can change to autónomo or self-employed with a new application and pay the social security yourself. This means you won’t have to have private health insurance.
Do I need to renew my TIE?
Yes, once your DNV has been renewed you will also need to renew your TIE or residency card.
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