Autónomo in Valencia: Does Your Residence Card Allow It?

Valencia attracts plenty of people who want to work for themselves: designers and developers in coworking spaces around Ruzafa, English teachers, yoga instructors on the coast, consultants serving clients back home. Before any of them can register as autónomo, there is a question that comes ahead of forms and fees: does my residence status allow self-employment at all? For EU citizens the answer is simple. For everyone else it depends on the card in your wallet. This guide goes through the common cases, then the registration steps, using official sources checked on 27 October 2026.

First check: what does your status allow?

EU registration certificate

For EU, EEA and Swiss nationals registered in Valencia, article 3.2 of Royal Decree 240/2007 gives the right to take up any activity, employed or self-employed, in the same conditions as Spanish nationals. No work authorisation is needed. What you do need is your NIE, which appears on your EU registration certificate, and a Social Security number.

Withdrawal Agreement (Brexit) TIE

The joint instruction on the Withdrawal Agreement residence document, which the BOE published in July 2020, explains that UK nationals who were residing or working under EU law before the end of 2020, and continue to do so, keep exactly the same rights under the Agreement. In practice, the holder of a Brexit TIE registers as autónomo in the same way as an EU citizen. If your card is due to expire, renew it in good time: it is the document the Tax Agency and the Social Security will see.

Residence for international teleworking (digital nomad)

Article 74 bis of Law 14/2013 allows professionals on this authorisation to work for a company located in Spain only while that share stays at or below a fifth (20 %) of everything they do professionally; the rest must be for companies located abroad. Spanish consulates’ instructions for this route ask applicants to commit to meeting Spanish Social Security obligations before they start working, unless they are covered by an international Social Security coordination instrument. For a freelancer who is not covered that way, those obligations are met through the self-employed scheme. If you are planning the move, our digital nomad visa service starts with checking your client mix and your Social Security position.

Non-lucrative residence

Article 61.1 of Royal Decree 1155/2024 describes non-lucrative residents as people authorised to stay here while doing no employment or professional work. You cannot register as autónomo on it. The way forward is a change to a residence and self-employment authorisation under article 191 of the same Royal Decree, which becomes easier after a year of residence; we explain the options in our guide to working on a non-lucrative visa in Valencia, and the non-lucrative visa page covers the permit itself.

Family reunification

Article 65.2 of Royal Decree 1155/2024 states that the residence authorisation of a reunited spouse, partner or child of working age lets them take a job or work for themselves in any part of Spain and in any occupation, with no extra procedure.

Residence and self-employment authorisation

People who come to Spain specifically to set up an activity can obtain an initial authorisation for residence and self-employment. Article 84 lists its requirements, among them meeting the conditions Spanish nationals must meet to open the activity, holding any required qualification or professional membership, and showing that the planned investment is sufficient.

The two registrations, step by step

Once your status allows self-employment, registering in Valencia follows the same order for everyone:

1. Identification. You need your NIE (on your TIE or EU certificate) and a Social Security number. If you have never worked in Spain, request the number first.
2. A way to file online. A digital certificate or Cl@ve lets you do both registrations online; otherwise someone authorised can file for you.
3. Tax Agency census: form 036. You declare your activity, its start date, where you carry it out and your VAT and income tax options. Since 3 February 2025, with Order HAC/1526/2024, the simplified form 037 no longer exists and every registration, change or removal from the census is made with the 036.
4. Social Security: alta in the RETA. You register in the special scheme for self-employed workers and choose a contribution base according to your expected net earnings.
5. The reduced initial contribution. Article 38 ter of Law 20/2007, the Self-Employed Workers’ Statute, gives a reduced contribution for twelve full calendar months to people registering in the RETA for the first time or who have not been registered in the previous two years. A further twelve months can apply if your net annual earnings are below the annual minimum wage. The amount is set each year in the State Budget Law, and you must request the reduction when you register, not afterwards.

Things that are particular to Valencia

• If you live in a town of l’Horta or on the coast rather than in the city, your address on the Tax Agency census and in the Social Security should match where you are registered on the padrón of that town.
• Working from home or from a coworking space is common, and you declare where you carry out the activity. Opening premises open to the public brings in the town hall’s own rules for the activity, which differ between the city of València and other municipalities.
• Your residence card and your tax and Social Security records should show the same name and NIE. Mismatches between an old green certificate and a new TIE are a frequent source of delays.

Common mistakes

1. Registering on a permit that does not allow it. The registration may go through online, but it does not create a right to work, and it can cause problems when you renew your residence.
2. Forgetting to ask for the reduced contribution at registration. Article 38 ter requires the request at the time of the alta.
3. Using old guides that mention form 037. It was abolished in February 2025.
4. Billing too much in Spain on a digital nomad authorisation. Keep Spanish clients within 20 % of your professional activity.

Let us register you

Expat Valencia, a service of Gestoría Beltrán Cifre SL, works online. We first check that your residence status allows self-employment, then file your Tax Agency and Social Security registrations and explain what comes next. Our autónomo registration service in Valencia starts from 90 € + VAT, with a written quote before you pay. Call us on +34 673 374 567.

Sources

Checked on 27 October 2026.

• BOE: Royal Decree 240/2007 on EU citizens’ entry and residence (consolidated text), article 3
• BOE: Resolution of 2 July 2020 publishing the joint instruction on the Withdrawal Agreement residence document
• BOE: Law 14/2013 (consolidated text), article 74 bis
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Consulate General of Spain in Sydney: international teleworking applications (Social Security commitment)
• BOE: Royal Decree 1155/2024, Immigration Regulation (consolidated text), articles 61, 65, 84 and 191
• Agencia Tributaria: Order HAC/1526/2024 on census declarations (form 037 abolished)
• BOE: Law 20/2007, Self-Employed Workers’ Statute (consolidated text), article 38 ter

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