Spain's digital nomad visa is open. India can apply
The Times of India recirculated a how-to on Spain's digital nomad visa for Indian applicants. That is not a launch notice. The Embassy in New Delhi and the Consulate in Mumbai already take telework visa files at BLS, and both print the same SMI-based means test.
What the India missions publish
Spain’s digital nomad (telework) visa is open. For applicants who live in India, the pages that take the file are not a US consulate roundup. They are the foreign ministry’s own consular sheets:
- Embassy of Spain in New Delhi — Digital nomad visa
- Consulate General in Mumbai — Digital Nomad Visa (dated 10 June 2025)
Both say the visa is for foreigners who will live in Spain as residents while working remotely for a company or employer outside Spain, using computer and telecommunications systems. Self-employed applicants may also work for a Spanish company, up to 20% of their professional activity. EU citizens are outside this route.
The Times of India piece recirculating on 11 October 2026 frames eligibility, income and long-term stay for Indian readers. The novelty is in the secondary headline. The missions already publish who may apply, what to file, and where to hand it in. The Spain page already marks the programme active.
A Washington consulate page is the wrong sheet for someone applying from India. We already covered that US-district route separately: Spain’s telework visa — Washington goes through BLS.
Who may apply, and the means test
Both India pages require either an undergraduate or postgraduate degree from a university, college or business school of prestige, or at least three years of experience in the current field.
Family who may obtain an accompanying visa: a spouse or unmarried partner, dependent children, and dependent relatives in the ascending line who form part of the family unit.
On money, neither New Delhi nor Mumbai prints a euro floor in the text we checked. Both state the formula:
- applicant alone: at least 200% of Spain’s monthly national minimum wage (SMI)
- first family member: add 75% of the SMI
- each further family member: add 25% of the SMI
Proof can be a work contract, bank statements, payslips, or similar. We do not invent a monthly euro figure the India sheets do not print. The graded conversion — and the known disagreement between consular and in-Spain readings of the same 200% rule — sits on the Spain page.
What the file needs in India
Both missions ask for an N.I.E. before the visa file. Both send applications to a BLS Visa Application Centre, in person, by appointment — bookings go through india.blsspainvisa.com. Only residents of that consular district may file there.
India-specific points the pages spell out:
- Police clearance: an Indian PCC issued by the Regional Passport Office, apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs, with a sworn Spanish translation (Mumbai states the translation requirement explicitly; New Delhi requires apostille on the PCC and points to the general legalisation rules for foreign documents).
- Company age and tenure: proof the foreign company has been active for at least a year, plus at least three months already working for that foreign employer or client, with remote work from Spain authorised (employees) or terms set out (self-employed).
- Spanish Social Security: evidence of registration (company and worker, or RETA for freelancers), or — Mumbai’s note — a certificate of applicable legislation under a bilateral Social Security agreement if rights are imported from the country of origin. A responsible declaration committing to Social Security duties is also required.
- Health insurance with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, covering the risks of Spain’s public health system.
The legal decision period is 10 days from the day after submission, extendable if the consulate asks for more documents or an interview. The visa itself is valid for a maximum of one year (or the validity of the authorisation granted). The visa is enough to reside and work remotely for that period; a residence card in Spain is optional.
Open, not announced
Nothing on the New Delhi or Mumbai sheets is an announcement of a programme to come. Mumbai’s page has carried a 10 June 2025 date. You can apply today at the mission that covers your district, once the N.I.E. and the rest of the file are ready.
Longer stay inside Spain is a separate route: foreigners already legally in Spain can apply for a telework residence permit of up to three years to the Ministry of Inclusion’s Large Companies unit (UGE-CE). Indian passport holders who need a visa to enter Spain cannot treat that as a shortcut past the consular file. See the Spain page for that route’s portals.
If New Delhi or Mumbai rewrites the means test or the Social Security note, tell us.
Everything above is taken from the Embassy of Spain in New Delhi and Consulate General in Mumbai digital nomad visa pages, checked on 11 October 2026.
The row behind this
Every figure this post relies on lives on a country page with its source and its confidence grade beside it. That is where it gets corrected, and where it stays current after the post stops being news.
- Spain — Digital Nomad Visa (Teletrabajadores)
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