# Moving Next Year (Remote job and real estate agent)



## epuente1583 (Sep 6, 2019)

Hello!

My partner and I are planning on moving to Spain in about a year (from the USA). He is a real estate agent and I work for an architectural company that will allow me to work remote. We are both also looking to get TELF certs in hopes that it will be easier to get long term visas.

Since he is a real estate agent, can he apply for a long term visa and work as an agent in Spain?


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

epuente1583 said:


> Hello!
> 
> My partner and I are planning on moving to Spain in about a year (from the USA). He is a real estate agent and I work for an architectural company that will allow me to work remote. We are both also looking to get TELF certs in hopes that it will be easier to get long term visas.
> 
> Since he is a real estate agent, can he apply for a long term visa and work as an agent in Spain?


I think you need to look into the different types of visas available. Unless you hold an EU passport it's highly unlikely that you'll be able to move to Spain to work. Unemployment is very high in Spain (currently 17%) and jobs are reserved for EU citizens. Basically the only way you can work here is if a Spanish company wants to hire you for a very technical job which no EU citizen can do, and the company then has to sponsor your visa application. You can't just move here and then look for a job.

Other visas include the non-lucrative visa (which doesn't allow you to work and is basically for retired people or younger people who have a year's worth of money in the bank), a student visa, and the so-called golden visa (which you can apply for if you buy property in Spain that costs more than half a million euros). 

Unless you are married (you say "partner" so it's not clear) you would each need to satisfy the requirements separately for a visa. Married couples can apply together.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

Tell me by working Remote - do you mean working from home, over the internet and being employed
by an an architectural company based outside Spain ?


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## epuente1583 (Sep 6, 2019)

Thanks for the info. Hence why I'm looking to continue working with my current company but live in Spain OR get my TELF cert and apply to live in Spain and teach ENglish


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## epuente1583 (Sep 6, 2019)

Williams2 said:


> Tell me by working Remote - do you mean working from home, over the internet and being employed
> by an an architectural company based outside Spain ?


Correct. I'm currently employed with an architectural company here in USA. They allow me to work remote (via internet). I am wondering if I can apply for some sort of long term resident visa in Spain since I will have financial security.


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

The visa for you to apply for in order for you to work remotely would be the non-lucrative visa. BUT, starting in the last year or so the Spanish consulates (which grant the visas) are no longer accepting remote work as proof of funds to support yourself. You have to have the necessary money as savings in the bank, or demonstrate that your income isn't from working (ie from a pension). Currently the amount needed is about 26,000€. If there are any dependents in the family the amount increases about 6,000€ per dependent. You need to be married to your partner in order for him/her to be your dependent. 

Here's a link to the website of the Spanish consulate in Los Angeles. You can read about the requirements for the non-lucrative visa. 
Residence Visa (Non-Lucrative)

The first non-lucrative visa you're granted is good for one year. In order to renew it after the first year you would once again need the necessary money in the bank. That second non-lucrative visa is good for 2 years. 

With the non-lucrative visa you aren't allowed to take on any jobs in Spain. So teaching English here wouldn't be allowed. However, after three years living in Spain with the non-lucrative visa you could apply for a different visa which would allow you to take a job in Spain. 

There is no general "long term" visa which would allow you to come to Spain to teach English, or for your partner to come and work as a real estate agent.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

*Remote worker Non EU citizens - what Visa will they come under ?*

So the Spanish Authorities are cracking down on Remote Workers coming to Spain
and living here on Non-Lucrative Residence Visa's.

Spanish Consulate in LA advice on Visa's for Spain

So what Visa replaces the Non-Lucrative Visa for Remote Workers and does this encompass 
the growing band of Digital Nomads in Spain, if they should overstay their welcome here ?

What category of Visa would a Non EU citizen, Remote worker, working for a company or
client based outside Spain come under ? or could the Remote worker,
still get away with earning extra income remotely, if he or she can prove that they
have sufficient savings, investments or assets eg Property outside Spain, rental
income from such property, etc to not be dependent on extra income from their
remote working activities to qualify for the Non-Lucrative Visa ?

Of course those wannabe Non EU Expat Remote workers without sufficient savings, etc
would still need to know what category of Visa they would come under, in order to
continue their Remote working activities when they move to Spain.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Williams2 said:


> So the Spanish Authorities are cracking down on Remote Workers coming to Spain
> and living here on Non-Lucrative Residence Visa's.
> 
> Spanish Consulate in LA advice on Visa's for Spain
> ...


There is no special visa for remote workers.


Working remotely while here on a 'non-working' visa, unless it had been issued taking into account remote working income, would be breaking the terms of the visa, & if caught, have their visa rescinded.

As already said, some consulates have issued non-lucrative visasto remote workers in the past.


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## Williams2 (Sep 15, 2013)

xabiaxica said:


> *There is no special visa for remote workers.*
> 
> Working remotely while here on a 'non-working' visa, unless it had been issued taking into account remote working income, would be breaking the terms of the visa, & if caught, have their visa rescinded.
> 
> As already said, some consulates have issued non-lucrative visas to remote workers in the past.


And then I come across advice sites like this - _How to Work Remotely from Spain_
which proclaims that the Non Lucrative Visa is all a Remote Worker needs to
live and work in Spain.

Of course I cannot say how upto date such advice sites are but when you come across sites like
this - see under section _APPLYING FOR THE VISA THAT YOU NEED IN ORDER TO WORK REMOTELY._

Small wonder that our OP could get steered in the wrong direction by such advice sites !!

How to Work Remotely from Spain


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Williams2 said:


> And then I come across advice sites like this - _How to Work Remotely from Spain_
> which proclaims that the Non Lucrative Visa is all a Remote Worker needs to
> live and work in Spain.
> 
> ...


In the end the only place to get correct & up to date information from is the Consulate at which you will have to apply. There were always some which accepted remote earned income & others which didn't.

Which is why the best & only truly correct advice is to tell people to contact their nearest Spanish Consulate.

All anyone else can do is share their own experiences - which is what this forum is all about.


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

I have read on Facebook groups that many people are getting a non-lucrative visa and hiding the fact they will be working remotely. That creates so many problems - just think of the tax implications. Personally I think it's very risky because thanks to FATCA fiscal information is now shared between governments.


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## Nononymous (Jul 12, 2011)

I don't swing by this forum too often so apologies if I've missed previous debates on the subject.

Interesting to see that the non-lucrative visa is no longer being granted on the basis of remote income, and that remote work is explicitly prohibited at least as far as the LA consulate is concerned. I thought that sounded too good to be true, but at least a few were able to enjoy it while it lasted.

As for working on the sly while resident, this means that Spain is like any other EU country, really. If you can wangle a way to stay beyond 90 days, via student visa or non-lucrative visa granted on the basis of savings, or as the spouse of an academic on an exchange or whatever, you can probably work remotely without fear of detection. But it would be very difficult to transition into a permanent stay, so this will only really fly for a year or two. 

As for income tax, since one isn't legally able to work, presumably one isn't legally able to pay taxes. The two wrongs sort of cancel each other out there.

Information-sharing would not be a concern, at least not for a temporary stay of a few years. FATCA isn't reciprocal (i.e. the US is a great big tax haven) so anyone keeping their money in the US doesn't need to worry about the Spanish authorities discovering anything. (Even CRS isn't a concern. If a Canadian were to do this, presumably they would not declare Spanish tax residency to their Canadian bank. They would also lack the appropriate identification number if they had not entered the Spanish tax system.)


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