Buying Spanish property no longer gives a right to residence. The investor section of the law was emptied in 2025, with transitional rules for people already in the system and routes that now rest on income or business instead.
Searches for a Spanish golden visa still return pages that sell a property-for-residence programme as if it were open. It is not. Spain closed its investor visa in 2025, and the wording of the law is short enough that a buyer can check it directly.
What the law changed
The route was removed by Organic Law 1/2025, published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) on 3 January 2025. Its twenty-first final provision amends Law 14/2013 and leaves articles 63 to 67 without content. Those are the articles that governed residence visas and authorisations for investors. The law as a whole takes effect three months after publication, which puts the change at 3 April 2025. Because the amendment empties the investor section itself, it is not only the property route that went. If an adviser still offers an investor route, ask for the legal basis in writing.
What happens to people already in the system
The law adds two transitional provisions to Law 14/2013, which together say that:
- anyone who had already submitted an application before the change took effect can receive the visa or authorisation under the rules in force on the date they applied
- investor visas and authorisations that were valid on that date keep their validity for the period they were issued for
- renewal applications are processed and decided under the rules in force when the original authorisation was granted
If you already hold a golden visa, the conditions attached to your original grant, which typically include keeping the qualifying investment, still govern renewal. Check them against your own file with a Spanish lawyer instead of assuming.
What Spain still offers instead
Spain is still a residence destination, but the routes now rest on income, activity or business rather than on buying a home:
- the remote-worker visa, which our Spain digital nomad visa guide covers, with an income threshold of roughly EUR 2,646 a month for 2026 and possible access to the special expatriate tax regime
- non-lucrative residence for people who can support themselves without working in Spain, whose income level and conditions are set by the immigration rules and change over time, so confirm them with the consulate
- entrepreneur and business routes: the amendment does not touch the other chapters of Law 14/2013, such as the one on entrepreneurs, but their conditions are specific and change, so take advice before relying on them
The 100% tax proposal
In January 2025 the government floated a 100% tax on property purchases by non-EU buyers. According to 2026 sources it had not been enacted. It is worth watching if you are not an EU citizen, but it is a proposal, not law.
What this means if you are buying
Buying Spanish property no longer carries a residence right, so decide on the merits: price, location, rental rules and tax. Our guides to Spanish mortgages for foreigners, new-build versus resale, capital gains tax on sale and short-term rental rules cover those. Treat any offer that links a purchase to a Spanish golden visa as a red flag.
FAQ
Is there a Spanish golden visa in 2026? No. Organic Law 1/2025 left articles 63 to 67 of Law 14/2013 without content, and the change took effect on 3 April 2025. Do existing holders lose their visa? The transitional rules say valid investor visas and authorisations keep their validity for the period issued, and renewals are decided under the rules in force when the original authorisation was granted. Can I still apply? Only applications submitted before the change took effect can still be decided under the old rules. Does buying property now give residence? No. What are the alternatives? Routes based on remote work, self-sufficiency or business, each with its own conditions. Is the 100% tax on non-EU buyers in force? Not according to 2026 sources.
How we help
We help you decide whether a specific Spanish property makes sense on its own merits: checking title and permits, the real costs and the tax position. This is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Spanish rules change, so confirm your situation with a Spanish immigration lawyer and the relevant authority before you commit.