What Are Spain's Golden Visa Requirements?

Spain's Golden Visa is probably the most straightforward residency-by-investment program in Europe. No geographic restrictions. No property type requirements. No renovation mandates. Buy €500,000 worth of Spanish real estate and you qualify.

One technicality: the first €500,000 must be equity, not mortgage. You can absolutely buy a €700K property with a €300K mortgage - you'd have €400K equity in that property. Just make sure you can demonstrate €500K in unencumbered property value across your Spanish holdings. Multiple properties can combine toward the threshold.

The benefits are substantial. You get a Spanish residence permit valid for living and working in Spain. Schengen Area access lets you travel freely across 26 European countries. Family reunification covers your spouse, dependent children, and even parents if they depend on you financially. The permit renews every two years with minimal requirements - you essentially just need to enter Spain at least once during each renewal period.

The path forward: after 5 years you can apply for permanent residency (different from citizenship). After 10 years you can apply for Spanish citizenship. Yes, 10 years is longer than Portugal's 5 - that's the trade-off for Spain's simpler program with no restrictions.

Application processing runs 20-60 days once documentation is complete. Government fees are around €1,000. Legal fees for a proper Golden Visa specialist run €5,000-10,000. Some lawyers offer packages that include the visa application bundled with property purchase services.

What makes Spain's program attractive versus alternatives: simplicity. Portugal has geographic restrictions (no Lisbon residential, no Porto, no coastal in many cases). Greece has tiered pricing (€250K in some areas, €500K in others). Spain says: €500K anywhere, done. You want a Barcelona apartment? Fine. A villa in Ibiza? Fine. A farmhouse in Andalusia? Fine. The certainty has value.