Does Spain still have a golden visa?

Spain’s golden visa program began in 2013, part of a wave of European “residency by investment” schemes: buy real estate above a set threshold and get a residence permit, no job or family tie required. It became one of the most popular routes into Spain for non-EU buyers, especially from the UK, US, China, and Russia.

The program ended through Organic Law 1/2025, which took effect on 14 April 2025. From that date, buying property in Spain no longer confers any residency rights on its own. The change isn’t retroactive: golden visa permits granted before the cutoff stay valid and renew under the rules that were in force when they were issued — it’s new applications that are shut out, not existing holders.

If you’re weighing your options now, the two visas that actually work for most people relocating to Spain without a Spain-based job offer are the digital nomad visa (for remote employees or contractors working for companies outside Spain) and the non-lucrative visa (for people living off passive income or savings who don’t plan to work in Spain at all).