How do you apply for a residence permit in Spain in 2026?

Common long-stay planning routes include non-lucrative residence, work-linked residence and employment, self-employment, family reunification, digital nomad style remote-work routes, non-lucrative passive-income planning, and Golden Visa investor residence. Each category has its own form, fee code, evidence list, and whether you apply from a Spanish consulate abroad or inside Spain.

A non-lucrative initial authorisation, for example, is requested from outside Spain with form EX-01, passport, criminal record evidence, means of subsistence, and related documents listed on the ministry fact sheet. After entry with the matching visa or decision, you normally request the TIE in person within the stated one-month window. Work and self-employment routes add Social Security and activity evidence that non-lucrative files do not require.

Use only the official police appointment portal for fingerprinting and card issue. Paying an unofficial seller does not make an appointment valid. Province availability differs between Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, and smaller offices.

Obtain a NIE when your economic or administrative reason requires it, but remember the number is not the permit. Secure housing evidence that matches the address you will declare: padrón and renting a home. Open a workable euro account when the bank accepts your pack: open a bank account.

EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens who stay beyond short-visit rules should use EU residence registration instead of copying a third-country authorisation checklist. After lawful stay is in place, plan Social Security and the regional health card. The first-month stack sits in paperwork after moving.