Spain

Spain, officially the Kingdom of Spain, is a state on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. To the west, the country borders Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean coast, to the north with France, to the east with the Mediterranean Sea coast, and to the south with British Gibraltar and the Strait of Gibraltar. Spain's area is 505,000 square kilometers. The coastline stretches for more than 3000 kilometers, and the land border is about 1700 kilometers.

The form of government is a parliamentary hereditary monarchy. The Kingdom consists of 17 autonomous regions and 2 autonomous cities. The capital and largest metropolis is Madrid, with other major cities including Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao, Zaragoza, and Malaga.

Spain is a member of the United Nations, the European Union, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and NATO. The Kingdom is the second-largest country in the EU by area and the fourth-largest by population.

Visa to Spain

Spain is one of the few Schengen zone countries that continues to issue Schengen tourist visas of type "C" in 2024. A visa can be obtained at the Spanish Consulate General or a visa center, and after the initial entry into the country, you can continue traveling across Europe.

Where to obtain a visa

You can obtain your visa at the Spain Visa Application Centre.

In addition to tourist visas, it is possible to obtain other types of visas:

• Freelancer Visa — This visa is issued to so-called digital nomads who work remotely for foreign employers. The main requirement for obtaining such a visa is that the individual must not be employed by a Spanish company, and their monthly income must be at least €2,650. The requirements and procedures for obtaining a Spanish digital nomad  visa have been reviewed in detail.
• Student Visa  — To obtain this type of visa, you first need to be admitted to a local university, pay the tuition fees, and then provide financial guarantees (from €600 per month) and a rental agreement.
• Work Visa — This can be obtained not only by highly qualified professionals but also by manual laborers. The key requirements are receiving an offer from an employer and obtaining a work permit, which can be challenging due to Spain's high unemployment rate and quotas for its own citizens.
• Golden Visa — There are three main options to obtain a visa through investment: purchasing real estate, investing in the securities of local companies, or acquiring government bonds.

Find out more about how to get a visa to Spain, the cost in 2024 and how long it takes in a separate article about visas.

Often foreigners come to Spain to study and get a student visa, because here you can get quality European education, but at the same time the prices for education are significantly lower than in most EU countries.

Residence Permit of Spain

A residence permit is the first step toward Spanish citizenship. If you live in Spain with a residence permit for 5 years, you can apply for permanent residency, and after another 5 years – for citizenship. However, to live legally, you must prove that you have valid grounds for it.

Who can obtain Spanish residence:

1. Students – Depending on the duration of their studies, they can obtain a residence permit for one or two years. This applies only to long-term studies or internships, not short courses.
2. Workers – Unlike a work visa, residence permits are available only for workers in certain sectors that are listed by local employment centers. These permits are valid for up to two years.
3. Entrepreneurs – They receive a two-year residence permit, which can be extended to five years. The main requirement is to align a business project with the government and create new jobs.
4. Digital Nomads – They can stay in the country for a year and then extend their visa each time (with a maximum duration of 36 months). It is possible to work remotely and offer services as a freelancer.
5. Property Owners  – They can obtain a five-year residence permit if they purchase one or more properties worth a total of at least €500,000. There are no residence requirements in Spain, so they can live elsewhere but must return to the country at least once a year for one week.
6.  – Both citizens and legally residing foreigners can bring their relatives to Spain under the family reunification law. This applies to parents, children, spouses, and dependents of any age.

All the most important information about obtaining a residence permit in Spain can be found in our article. It explains who can get a residence permit, what new rules have appeared in the last couple of years, and how to extend your status without leaving the country.

One of the most popular residence permits in Spain is for financially independent foreigners.

Spanish Passport

In 2024, the Spanish passport ranks 2nd in the global passport power ranking. The only passport more powerful is the UAE passport, which surpasses Spain’s by one visa-free country. With a Spanish passport, one can travel to 178 countries without restrictions. Of these, 126 allow entry without a visa, 44 require a visa upon arrival, and for 8 countries, an electronic travel authorization (ETA) must be obtained before the trip.

Advantage

The Spanish passport provides the greatest number of opportunities among all European passports. Besides the freedom to travel and conduct business, the country offers many other advantages. It has a fantastic climate, a very high life expectancy, delicious and eco-friendly food, and a carefree atmosphere. All of this comes along with the documents.

Between 2015 and 2024, the number of visa-free countries for Spaniards increased from 157 to 178, covering nearly 90% of the globe today. Spaniards can travel freely across Europe, most Asian countries, the USA, the UK, Australia, and many others.

Visas are only required for countries such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, and other nations that are the most closed off to foreigners.

More information on the advantages, disadvantages, and the process of obtaining a Spanish passport can be found in another of our articles.

Spanish Citizenship

If you didn’t have a Spanish grandmother, it is no longer possible to obtain citizenship by descent. You will have to take another route. For example, you can obtain citizenship simply by residence.

If you have been living in the country legally for a long time, you can apply for citizenship. However, the length of residence required may vary.

How long do you need to live in Spain to get citizenship:

• 10 years – for all residents;
• 5 years – if you were granted refugee status upon entry;
• 2 years – for citizens of certain countries (Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea);
• 1 year – for family members of Spanish citizens (spouses, children, parents, grandchildren).

Before applying for Spanish citizenship, read our article. There you will find important details that may be decisive when applying for a passport.

The digital nomad visa allows you to live in Spain for 5 years, after which it can be replaced with permanent residency. Another 5 years later, the foreigner has the right to apply for citizenship.

Climate Conditions

The climate in Spain can be conditionally divided into the following zones:

• Atlantic Climate on the northern coast of the Atlantic Ocean. There is abundant precipitation in winter, with very mild winters and summers. The hottest months are July and August, with average daytime temperatures of 24.2°C and nighttime temperatures of 16.4°C.
• Oceanic-Continental Climate in the central part of the Iberian Peninsula. The winters are very cold (around 0°C) with regular snowfall in the north, and the summers are hot (with temperatures above 24°C). The temperature variation is significant, up to 18°C. Winter precipitation predominates.
• Continental Mediterranean Climate (interior regions). Precipitation occurs mostly in the spring and autumn. The summers are hot (average temperature around 24°C), and the winters are cold (average temperatures between 0°C and +3°C). There are frequent significant daily temperature fluctuations.
• Mediterranean Climate in Catalonia and on the Balearic Islands. Torrential rainfall mainly occurs in the spring and autumn. It is characterized by a long, hot summer (up to 25–30°C) and a mild, short winter (average temperatures between 10°C and 15°C).
• Subtropical Climate in the Canary Islands. Mild temperatures are present year-round with almost no winter. Summer temperatures are between 20°C and 30°C, and winter temperatures range from 15°C to 21°C.
• Mountain Climate in the Cantabrian and Pyrenean mountains. The winters are long and cold (down to -10°C), while the summers are short and cool (up to 22°C). The average temperature in the subalpine zone is 10°C, while in the alpine zone it is around 6°C.

Demography

The population of Spain in 2023 was 46.35 million people. Over the past year, the population of the kingdom decreased by 96,000 people. The annual population growth rate is -0.21%.

The population of Spain is concentrated along the coast and in the capital, Madrid. The autonomous region with the largest population is Andalusia (8.3 million residents), followed by Catalonia (7.6 million) and Madrid (6.5 million).

The population density is approximately 90 people per square kilometer, which is lower than in most Western European countries. The largest city in Spain is Madrid, where more than 6 million people live in the metropolitan area. In central Spain, there are many regions from which people are migrating, and these areas have almost emptied.

Spain is a multi-national state. The country is home to Basques, Catalans, Galicians, Andalusians, Valencians, and Canarians. To some extent, all of the 17 autonomous regions could claim a distinct local identity.

As of 2023, there were 5,542,932 foreign nationals living in Spain. The largest groups of foreigners are citizens of Morocco, Romania, the United Kingdom, China, and Italy.

Spain has many regional languages and dialects. Spanish is the main language. 74% of the population speaks Spanish as their native language, 17% speak Catalan, 7% speak Galician, and 2% speak Basque.

Economy

The country's economy is one of the 15 largest in the world (6th place in Europe) by nominal GDP. In the Global Competitiveness Index, which measures the competitiveness of a country, Spain ranks 23rd.

The key sectors of the economy are tourism, telecommunications and information technology, the metalworking industry, machine engineering, agriculture, and petrochemicals. The main export/import partners are France and Germany.

The 2008 financial crisis brought a prolonged recession to the Spanish economy, with a long cycle of negative economic indicators. By 2015, the economy of the kingdom regained growth and by 2020 had recovered 85% of GDP lost during the stagnation period. Since 2016, macroeconomic indicators have been growing at twice the average European rate.

The 2020 pandemic dealt a serious blow to the economy, as tourism accounts for 5% of its GDP, and this sector was shut down. In the first quarter of 2023, it was announced that the country had fully recovered from the downturn, and its GDP reached pre-pandemic levels, on average across the Eurozone.

Investors and entrepreneurs willing to start a business in Spain can obtain a residence permit in the country.

Freedom of Travel (Visa-Free Countries)

Spain ranks second in the Passport Index. Its citizens can visit 178 countries without needing a visa. In 44 countries, a visa on arrival is required, and for 8 countries, an electronic entry authorization is enough. Visa-free entry is allowed for Spanish citizens for periods ranging from 90 to 180 days. Electronic visas are valid for periods of 30 to 90 days.