Can You Work on a Non-Lucrative Visa in Valencia?

The non-lucrative visa is the classic way to settle in Valencia on a pension, savings or rental income. Sooner or later, though, many holders ask the same question: can I take on a few remote projects, accept a job offer or start something of my own? The short answer is no, not while you hold this authorisation. The longer answer is more useful: Spanish law gives you two ways to move from non-lucrative residence into work without leaving Valencia, and each has its own requirements and timing. This guide sets them out, using the text of the regulations as checked on 27 October 2026.

What the non-lucrative authorisation allows, and what it does not

The Immigration Regulation defines the status very plainly. Article 61.1 of Royal Decree 1155/2024 says that a person is in non-lucrative temporary residence when they, and their family members, have been authorised to reside in Spain “sin realizar actividades laborales o profesionales”, that is, without carrying out employment or professional activities. The whole authorisation is built on that idea: you prove you can live without working, and Spain lets you live here on that basis.

That is why the means test matters so much. Under article 62 the floor is 400 % of the IPREM per month for you, plus another 100 % of the IPREM per month for every relative you support, and the money has to cover the full length of the permit. If your shares come from companies with a presence in Spain, the same article asks for a certificate and a signed statement that you do not work in those companies.

The first authorisation lasts one year (article 61.4). A renewal, if granted, lasts two years (article 64.7). To renew you must still meet the means test, keep your health insurance, have school-age children in school and show real residence here for over 183 days of the calendar year (article 64.2). In Valencia, renewals of this type are handled by the immigration office for the province, and the application should go in during the two months before your authorisation expires (article 64.1).

What about remote work for a company back home?

This is the most common question from people who move to Valencia with a laptop. The definition in article 61.1 does not distinguish between work for a Spanish employer and work for one abroad: it refers to employment or professional activities in general. Spain also created a separate authorisation precisely for people who work remotely for companies located outside Spain, the residence for international teleworking in article 74 bis of Law 14/2013. If remote work is part of your plans, that is the authorisation designed for it, and applying for it is better than hoping a non-lucrative permit will stretch to cover it. Remember that the renewal file asks you to show you can live in Spain “without the need to carry out any work or professional activity” (article 64.2.b).

Option 1: switch to residence for international teleworking

Article 74 quinquies of Law 14/2013 lets anyone whose stay in Spain is regular apply for the teleworking residence permit without returning to a consulate. A valid non-lucrative residence is a lawful status, so you can apply from Valencia. These authorisations are not handled by the provincial immigration office: the law gives them to a national unit, the UGE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas), which processes them electronically for the whole country (article 76).

The main conditions, from articles 74 bis and 74 ter, are:

• You work remotely, using only computer and telecommunication systems, for companies located outside Spain. As an employee you may only work for foreign companies; as a professional (freelancer) you may also work for Spanish clients as long as that share is no more than 20 % of your total professional activity.
• You hold a degree or postgraduate qualification from a recognised university, vocational training centre or business school, or you can show three or more years of professional experience.
• The company or group you work for has had real and continuous activity for at least one year.
• Your employment or commercial relationship with it has lasted three months or more before you apply, and you can document that the work can be done remotely.

The authority has twenty days from electronic filing to decide, and if it does not reply in that time the application is deemed granted (article 76.1). Filing also keeps your current status alive while you wait. A grant covers a maximum of three years, with renewals of two years each (article 74 quinquies). Because it lasts more than six months, you then request a new TIE card, which in Valencia city means a fingerprint appointment at the police.

Social Security is the part people tend to overlook. In their published instructions for teleworking applications, Spanish consulates ask for a signed commitment to meet Spanish Social Security obligations before starting the activity, unless the work is covered by an international Social Security coordination instrument, in which case a certificate from your home country’s institution is used instead. If you are self-employed and not covered that way, meeting those obligations means registering in Spain’s scheme for self-employed workers.

Option 2: change to a residence and work authorisation

If you want to work for a company in Valencia, or open a business here, the route is a change (“modificación”) of your authorisation. Article 191.1 of Royal Decree 1155/2024 lets a person in temporary residence apply for a residence and work authorisation, and obtain it, without a visa, if they meet the requirements of the authorisation they ask for. The application can be filed by you or, for a job, by the employer (article 191.5).

How demanding it is depends on how long you have lived here:

• Less than one year of residence, job offer. You must meet all the requirements of article 74, including the one most people cannot meet: that the national employment situation allows a foreign worker to be hired for that post (article 191.2).
• At least one year of residence on a permit that did not allow work. For a job you must meet article 74 except that employment situation test, and for self-employment the requirements of article 84 (article 191.4). Article 84 asks, among other things, that you meet the conditions Spanish nationals must meet to open the activity, hold any qualification or professional registration the activity requires, and show that the planned investment is sufficient.

Under article 191.4 the new authorisation lasts one year, and it only takes effect once you register with Social Security, which you must do within one month of being notified. For a self-employed activity, that registration is your alta as an autónomo, together with your registration with the Tax Agency.

Which option fits which plan?

• You want to keep working remotely for your employer or foreign clients from a flat in Ruzafa or a village in l’Horta: international teleworking residence.
• You have a job offer from a Valencia company: a change to residence and work as an employee, ideally once you have completed one year of residence.
• You want to open a shop, a studio or a consultancy serving local clients: a change to residence and self-employment, with a business plan that meets article 84.

Mistakes that cause problems later

1. Starting work before the new authorisation exists. The non-lucrative authorisation does not cover it, and your renewal file has to show you can live without working.
2. Letting the current permit lapse while you decide. A late renewal can still be filed within three months of expiry, but that may lead to a penalty procedure (article 64.1). Decide early.
3. Counting days loosely. Renewal needs actual residence of over 183 days within each calendar year. Keep travel records.
4. Assuming Spanish clients do not matter. On the teleworking route, freelancers can bill Spanish companies only up to 20 % of their activity.
5. Forgetting the TIE. Whichever authorisation you end up with, your card has to reflect it, so plan the police appointment as part of the switch.

Where we come in

Expat Valencia works online and belongs to Gestoría Beltrán Cifre SL. We review your situation, tell you in writing which route fits and what it costs before you pay, and prepare the file. If you are going down the remote work route, see our digital nomad visa and residence service; if your plan is to work for yourself once your new authorisation is in place, our autónomo registration in Valencia covers the Tax Agency and Social Security steps. For the permit you already hold, renewals included, start from our non-lucrative visa service, or call us on +34 673 374 567.

Sources

Checked on 27 October 2026.

• BOE: Royal Decree 1155/2024, Immigration Regulation (consolidated text), articles 61, 62, 64, 74, 84 and 191
• BOE: Royal Decree 316/2026, amending Royal Decree 1155/2024
• BOE: Law 14/2013 on support for entrepreneurs (consolidated text), articles 74 bis to 74 quinquies and 76
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Consulate General of Spain in Sydney: international teleworking visa and residence applications (Social Security commitment)

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