La Vida has more than 10 years’ experience in both the Spanish and Portuguese golden visas helping thousands of clients. To sum up in a very simple way we find that clients for Portugal are looking for residency and potential citizenship in Europe and real estate investment is the route to obtain that. For Spain, clients are looking to invest in real estate and that is their primary decision. The Spanish Golden Visa is an added benefit and the additional costs on top of the investment are not prohibitive.

Barcelona absorbs over 40% of all inward investment for the golden visa in Spain. In many ways the Spanish government have failed to extract any real political or economic value from the golden visa programme. The investments are almost exclusively the buying of resale property. However, that is often the attraction in that investors face no restrictions.

It’s not possible to obtain citizenship through investment alone in Spain. Investment itself can obtain a golden visa, a residency permit, and the right to live full time in Spain. Following 10 years of residency, Spanish citizenship and a Spanish passport can then be applied for. There is an accelerated path to citizenship in just two years for nationals from the following countries: Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Philippines, Cuba, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, Panama, Paraguay.

It is possible to apply for a Spanish golden visa after purchasing a property. In fact, it is possible provided the property was bought since the introduction of the Spanish Golden Visa in 2013. The amount would need to be a minimum of €500,000 in addition to any mortgaged element. Contact La Vida for further details on how to apply.

Literally all over the world. It is no different to the 18 or so leading programmes that La Vida offers. We have handled applications from over 150 countries worldwide. As with any programme certain nations are attracted more than others. And in the case of Spain, China (28%) and Russia (25%) were the largest source of applicants to 2017. However, this was before the explosion in US clients for golden visas generally.

The first requirement is you need to be a non-EU national. Beyond that anyone can apply subject to the minimum real estate investment of €500,000.

No, you pay tax on your worldwide income if you live in Spain. (Defined as more than 183 days). Holding a Golden Visa allows you to live in Spain but there is no requirement to do so. In which case you will only pay Spanish tax on income derived in Spain. For a more comprehensive assessment please read our expert guide  to tax Spain.

Yes, however you must have invested a minimum €500,000 equity in the property. So a purchase of €750,000 with a €250,000 mortgage, for example, will qualify for the Spanish golden visa application.

The key disadvantage is the inability to apply for Spanish PR and citizenship without a period of residency in Spain. Our clients prefer that flexibility not to have to reside and that is one of the key reasons why Portugal remains more popular than Spain for Golden Visa investors.

You are allowed to live full time in Spain if you wish. But there is also no minimum stay requirement in order to maintain your residency visa. There is however a minimum stay period if you wish to apply for Permanent Residency after 5 year. For PR you must reside in Spain for at least four years and two months out of the five year period.

The initial Spanish residency permit is issued for a period of two years. Beyond that the investor can then extend for a further five years provided they retain their investment and meet the criteria.

Real estate investment is the dominant choice for investors accounting for over 93% of all applicants for the Spanish Golden Visa. It is also possible to gain the golden visa through business investment of at least €1million or through capital transfer amounting to a minimum €1million invested into a bank deposit, equity in Spanish companies or Spanish treasury bonds.