How much will I need to earn to apply for Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa in 2027?

The amount you need to prove you earn to qualify for Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) is linked to the Spanish minimum wage.

UGE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos), the body that deals with the DNVs, states that you need to prove you have monthly earnings of at least 200 percent of the minimum interprofessional salary (SMI), or minimum wage.

Because of this, the financial requirements for the DNV have been increasing every year since the visa was first introduced in 2023.

The threshold for Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa in 2026 is €2,849 gross per month, but if you apply next year, this amount could rise if the minimum wage increases. 

READ ALSO: Why do Spain’s DNV financial requirements rise while NLV stays the same?

The question is – how likely is that to happen?

Spain’s two main trade unions – CCOO and UGT – have already called for the minimum wage to be raised to approximately €1,307 per month. 

This would be a seven percent increase from the current €1,221 per month across 14 payments (most workers in Spain get 14 pay cheques rather than 12).

This increase would represent a monthly rise of €86, bringing the gross annual salary to €18,298, paid in 14 instalments.

Spanish Minister of Economy Carlos Cuerpo has stated that “it is important that the minimum wage remains in line with the evolution of the average salary.

He added that the government is “awaiting the recommendation of the committee of experts”. 

It’s worth noting that Spanish Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz intends to approve the increase before the November 29th general election in Spain, which according to the polls the right-wing bloc made up of the PP and Vox will win.

The SMI is set by Royal Decree in the Spanish Cabinet, so it does not have to undergo any parliamentary procedures.

Therefore, Spain’s current left-wing government could approve the minimum wage rise without support from other parties. 

READ ALSO: What Spain’s parties are promising self-employed voters ahead of election

If this rise is approved and it’s increased to €1,307 per month across 14 payments, it will mean that the minimum wage across 12 months will be equal to €1,524.83.

This would mean that Digital Nomad Visa applicants would have to prove they earn €3,049.66 gross per month.

In other words, non-EU digital nomads and remote workers applying for Spain’s DNV would have to earn an extra €200.66 per month to be able to qualify for the visa in 2027.

This could even before the beginning of next year if the minimum wage is approved before the elections on November 29th, although typically it goes into force at the beginning of the next year. 

It’s important to stress that this amount has not been confirmed, this is just what the unions and the labour minister are requesting.

The most likely scenario according to most Spanish news outlets is that the increase will be around five percent due to the evolution of the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

In this case the minimum wage would increase to €1,495.73 per month across 12 payments.

Double that and it works out €2,991.45 gross per month for DNV eligibility, or €35,897.28 gross per year.

This would be €142.44 more per month than the current amount.

Although the government will do everything in its power to raise the minimum wage before the general election, what would happen if left in the hands of a newly elected right-wing government?

PP leader Núñez Feijóo has not committed to raising the minimum wage at the same rate as the current Socialist-led coalition government, but he has said he is in favour of “raising the average wage and for that to happen the minimum wage has to be raised”.

The PP are generally in favour of international money and affluent foreigners, and have said the party “is committed to reducing red tape for the self-employed: from four tax returns a year to two or even just one”.

“People want to come to Spain: by 2040 there will be one billion digital nomads worldwide and 8.1 percent (81 million people) would choose our country,” the PP’s deputy secretary-general, Juan Bravo said recently.

READ ALSO: Do Spain’s conservatives want to attract millions more digital nomads?

The centre-right party have also proposed eliminating social security payments for new self-employed workers during their first year.

This would also benefit those with Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa, as those who are not employed remote workers must register as self-employed.