Passport Atlas
Spain

Passport Atlas

Spain travel, immigration and PR

Spain is a southern Schengen gateway and a frequent search for digital-nomad visas and faster Latin-American naturalisation. Golden-visa routes have tightened.

TravelPermanent residence

Openness rank

#99

Entry openness

93

Visa free

93

Briefing updated

2026-09

Country profile

Capital

Madrid

Population

49.3 million

Area

504,782 km²

Currency

Euro EUR

Languages

Spanish

Time zone

UTC+00:00–UTC+01:00

Foreign-born

8.9 million · 2024

Migrant share

18.5%

Ethnic groups · 2021

  • Spanish84.8%
  • other12.3%
  • Moroccan1.7%
  • Romanian1.2%

Foreign-born counts are UN international migrant stock via the World Bank (mostly 2024). Ethnic groups follow each country's published categories — most do not census by skin colour. Indicative only.

Entry visas and immigration pathsPassport visa-free listPaperwork and passport photosVisa siteImmigration site

Who this handbook is for

For holidays, remote work, non-lucrative residence, and people from Ibero-American countries checking the two-year nationality exception.

How to visit, and for how long

Schengen 90/180. Visa-exempt passports use EES / ETIAS. Chinese passports file with the main-destination Schengen post. Tourism is not work; repeating 90-day cycles can be questioned.

How to work or reside

The digital-nomad visa needs remote work for non-Spanish employers or clients above an income line. Non-lucrative residence looks at passive income. Jobs need a work permit. Investor (golden) residence has been sharply tightened or closed — do not file from old blog posts.

PR and citizenship

EU long-term / Spanish long-term residence is commonly five lawful years. Nationality is ten years, or two for Ibero-American, Portuguese, Andorran and similar nationals, plus DELE and a civics test. Confirm with the ministry.

Time to PR：5 years

How popular passports enter

FAQ

Is the Spanish golden visa still open?

The property-for-residence path has been tightened or closed to new cases. Use current law — not pre-2023 blogs.

Can Latin-American nationals naturalise in two years?

Some Ibero-American nationalities have a two-year lawful-residence reduction, still with exams and proven residence — not a property passport.

Does a Chinese passport need a visa?

On this site’s matrix the result is “Visa required”. confirm length of stay with the destination. The port and mission are authoritative.

Does a US passport need a visa?

On this site’s matrix the result is “Visa free”. typical stay on the matrix is 90 days. The port and mission are authoritative.

Related destination guides

Handbooks summarise public sources so you can cross-check the visa matrix and policy playbooks. They are not legal advice. Quotas, stay lengths and visa-free lists move — confirm with the destination government and its missions before you travel or file.