Golden Visa Spain by Investment

How to Invest in a Golden Visa? Which property is better to buy? What documents are required? Your European residence visa

According to the Entrepreneurship and Internationalisation Support Act (Law 14/2013), you can obtain a residence permit, which is unofficially called 'Golden visa' if you:

1. Acquire stocks or shares of local companies worth at least € 1 million;
2. Invest € 2 million in Spanish Treasury bonds;
3. Plan to launch a business project considered to be of special economic interest or you are hired as a highly qualified professional by a Spanish company;
4. Invest at least € 500 thousand in Spanish real estate (residential or commercial).

After you prove one of the options listed above, you can apply for a residence permit at the Spanish Consulate, located in the country of your permanent residence. You can be issued whether a residence visa or residence permit.

Contact us for more information on a Golden visa and how to obtain it. Our specialists will also be glad to help you with preparing the required documents.   

 Spain is one of the European states with a well-thought-out and constantly improving immigration policy. Its goal is to enable foreigners who decide to change their country of permanent residence to become full members of society without violating the interests of their own citizens. Officially, the foundations of Spanish immigration policy are enshrined in a number of norms and acts prescribed in the Constitution, agreements with the European Union, as well as in decrees and circulars issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Labor and Immigration.

Declaring the principle of equality between foreign citizens and citizens of Spain, the Law on Foreigners takes into account all possible issues related to the stay of a person with a foreign passport in the country: from the rules for crossing the border and guarantees of freedom of movement to the right to social protection and the adoption of citizenship. The current procedure for issuing a residence permit is also spelled out there, which, as you know, is one of the most important stages in the legalization of foreigners. It is worth noting here that the law provides for almost two dozen grounds for obtaining a Spanish residence permit, differing not only in the candidate's motives, but also in the status of his country of origin or the type of alleged social security.

Special attention should be paid to the "Law 14/2013 of September 27 on the support of entrepreneurship and its internationalization", which received the unofficial name "Golden Visa". Its adoption was an important step by the state towards meeting businessmen from around the world who are interested in living and working in Spain.

Everything you need to know about the Golden Visa

Golden Visa (Golden Visa) is the name for special government programs that provide foreigners with a residence permit or permanent residence for investment in the country's economy.

A golden visa is a special status for an investor, which allows him to obtain a residence permit under a simplified scheme, which allows the investor and his family to live in Spain and travel to all EU countries.

Investor's path through the Golden Visa program

You can apply for a residence permit with a Golden Visa, both at the Spanish consulate in the country of residence, for example, in Russia, and in Spain itself. First, a D visa is issued for one year. After that, a residence permit is issued for two years. Subsequently, it is extended for another two years, and already the next permanent residence in Spain is issued for five years. After ten years of residence in the country, you can apply for Spanish citizenship.

Spain Golden Visa options

Buy property in Spain for at least 500 thousand euros.

Put 1 million euros in a deposit in a Spanish bank for five years
Buy shares in Spanish companies for at least 1 million euros for five years
Invest at least 2 million euros in Spanish government bonds. The securities have a maturity of at least five years.
Propose a business project that contributes to job creation, development of the country's economy or innovation

Benefits of an investor visa in Spain

Freedom of travel. With a residence permit in Spain, it is allowed to travel to all Schengen countries without a visa.

Important! There are no residency requirements. Unlike a regular residence permit, the Spanish Golden Visa does not oblige you to reside in the country for 183 days a year. The program participant must be in Spain at least seven days a year. If an investor wants to get permanent residence and Spanish citizenship, he needs to live in the country permanently.

Registration in 2–3 months. This is much faster than applying for a residence permit in the general order, which can take years.

Residence permit for the whole family. The investor, spouse and minor children receive a residence in the country. Parents and adult children may also be included in the application if they are dependent on the main applicant.

The right to work. An investor visa allows the applicant to obtain a residence card with the right to work for himself and his immediate family members.

Treatment. The Cuadro medico sin copago health insurance provides free doctor visits, emergency calls, hospitalization, treatment and operations.

EU driving license. The investor will be able to buy and register a car.

No tax resident in Spain. An investor is not required to file a tax return if the stay in the country is less than 183 days.

Education of children in schools and universities. Children will study in public and private schools in the country, as well as receive higher education.

Residence permit through the purchase of real estate in Spain

To obtain a Spanish residence permit under the Golden Visa program, an investor must buy property in Spain (one or more), at least 500 thousand euros. Taxes, notary and legal fees, which are around 11-12%, are not included in this amount.

The investor can also purchase a plot of land, residential or commercial property.

The applicant contributes at least 500 thousand euros from his own funds, without attracting a mortgage. At the same time, it is not prohibited to take out a loan from a Spanish bank for the remaining amount. Investments can be both physical and a legal entity.

You need to own a home for 5 years to extend the residence permit.

The main steps for obtaining a Golden Visa in Spain

Consult a specialist of our company and choose an object for real estate investment
Obtain a Schengen visa to enter the country
Open an account in a Spanish bank, get a foreigner's tax number (NIE)
Make a deposit of 10% of the property value
Make investments in full
Obtain a D visa for a year at a Spanish consulate or apply in the country
Submit a request for a two-year resident card within the validity period of the visa and 90 days from the date of its expiration. After the expiration of this period, the right to request a residence for an investment already made is lost forever.
Get fingerprints at the migration police at the place of registration of your property
Get a resident card with biometric data for 2 years

Requirements for the applicant

Applicant must be over 18 years old

Invest in the Spanish economy and keep investments for five years
Confirm financial well-being. Have sufficient income to live in the country. The minimum requirements are 26,500 euros for the investor's contribution and 6,600 euros for each family member annually.
Confirm the legitimacy of funding sources
Have no criminal record in the past five years
Have no tax debts in Spain
Not have visa violations and restrictions on entry to the EU
Do not pose a threat to national security
Have no infectious diseases

Documents for obtaining a residence permit for investment

A valid passport valid for at least one year from the date of submission of documents for a residence permit

Internal civil passport of the country and photocopies of all its pages and a certified translation
Visa application and application
Two color photographs, size 3.5 × 4.5
A contract for the purchase of real estate in Spain or a document confirming another type of investment
Bank statements, documents on the presence of deposits
Certificate of no criminal record with a notarized translation
Medical certificate
Medical insurance that covers the entire duration of the visa and is concluded with a Spanish company
Documents confirming the legality of income: certificates, bank statements, lease or purchase and sale agreements for Russian real estate and other property
Receipt for payment of consular fee

Spanish citizenship

You can obtain Spanish citizenship on a general basis. You can apply for citizenship after 10 years of residence in the country.

First, you must apply for a residence permit, after five years you will receive permanent residence status. And five years later after obtaining the status of a permanent resident of Spain, you can apply for Spanish citizenship. To obtain it, you will need to pass exams in Spanish on the history and political structure of the country.

If you are interested in buying real estate in Spain in order to obtain a Golden Investor Visa (what, how and where is the best to buy and what is the procedure for registration), you can always consult by phone with a leading lawyer and expert of the company.