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Spain Non-Lucrative Visa: the income requirement for UK citizens, explained properly
The number everyone quotes, why it is higher than you think, and the part of the application that actually causes refusals.
Since Brexit, the Non-Lucrative Visa (the visado de residencia no lucrativa) has become the main route for British citizens who want to live in Spain without working there. It is well established and thousands of UK families use it every year. It also has the single most misunderstood requirement in Spanish immigration — the income threshold.
Here is what that number actually is, why the figure quoted in Facebook groups is usually wrong, and the part of the application that causes far more refusals than income ever does.
The threshold is a formula, not a fixed number
Spain does not publish a flat euro figure. The requirement is tied to the IPREM — the Indicador Público de Renta de Efectos Múltiples, a public income index that is reviewed annually.
The main applicant must show 400% of the annual IPREM. Each additional family member joining the application adds 100% of the annual IPREM on top.
It changes every year. When IPREM is revised, so is your required income. A figure someone quotes from two years ago is simply out of date.
It is per application, not per person. A couple needs 400% plus 100%, not 800%. Two children add another 100% each.
It is an annual figure but consulates want to see it as demonstrable, ongoing income or held savings — not a single lump sum that appeared last month.
Why we will not print a euro figure here
Because it would be wrong within a year, and someone would budget against it. Look up the current annual IPREM, multiply by four, and add one further annual IPREM for each dependant. That calculation stays correct permanently; a number in a blog post does not.
Comfortably over beats technically over
This is the part families get wrong most often. Meeting the minimum is not the same as passing. Consulates apply judgement, and an application that clears the threshold by a few euros invites the question of what happens if the exchange rate moves or an income source stops.
If your income is in sterling and your requirement is in euros, you are carrying currency risk that the consulate can see as clearly as you can. Build in real headroom — we would suggest well above the minimum rather than at it.
What actually counts as income
Pensions — state, workplace and private. The cleanest evidence there is: regular, documented and unlikely to stop.
Rental income from UK property. Accepted, but expect to evidence it thoroughly with tenancy agreements and bank credits, not just a statement that it exists.
Investment and dividend income. Accepted where it is demonstrably regular. Volatile income is viewed less favourably.
Savings can substitute for income in many cases, but they must be held and seasoned, not recently deposited.
Employment or freelance work is the exception. The clue is in the name — no lucrativa. You may not work in Spain on this visa, including remotely for a UK employer. If you intend to keep working, the Digital Nomad Visa is your route, not this one.
The mistake that ends applications
Applying for the Non-Lucrative Visa while intending to carry on working remotely for a UK company. People do it because the income requirement feels easier to meet. It is a misrepresentation on the application, and it is exactly what the Digital Nomad Visa was created for. We compared the two here.
The requirement that causes more refusals than income
In our experience it is rarely money that sinks a UK application. It is health insurance.
Spain requires full private medical cover from an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, with no co-payments, no deductibles and no waiting periods. A great many UK policies — including good ones — fail on at least one of those. Travel insurance never qualifies. An international policy with a £50 excess will be rejected.
Buy a policy designed specifically for Spanish residency applications, and ask the insurer for written confirmation it meets the requirements for the visa. It costs less than most UK families expect.
What else the consulate will want
A UK criminal record check (ACRO), apostilled and sworn-translated.
A medical certificate confirming you are free of diseases with public health implications.
Proof of accommodation in Spain — requirements vary by consulate, so check yours.
Your appointment booked well ahead — slot availability, not processing time, is usually the real bottleneck.
The honest summary
The Non-Lucrative Visa is a good route for retirees and for anyone living on pensions, rental income or savings who genuinely does not need to work. It is a poor route for anyone who does, and trying to force it is the most common expensive mistake we see.
Work out the current IPREM calculation, give yourself real headroom above it, buy compliant insurance, and start the appointment hunt early. Most refusals we hear about trace back to one of those four.
Guidance only, not legal advice. We are not immigration lawyers or agents. Thresholds and requirements change — verify current figures with your consulate before making decisions. How we work →
Keep reading
Where to go next.
Spain Non-Lucrative Visa
The full guide — requirements, the no-work rule and who it suits.
Moving to Spain from the UK
Brexit, healthcare, driving licences and the tax questions to settle first.
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