In short: non-lucrative temporary residence lets you live in Spain without working (neither employed nor self-employed), by proving sufficient financial means and a health insurance. The initial permit lasts one year and is applied for as a visa at the Spanish consulate in your country of residence (arts. 61–63 RD 1155/2024).
In person or by representative? It is mixed. You apply for the visa in person at the Spanish consular office for where you live, or at the external service provider or the consulate designated by the Foreign Ministry (information sheet 6). Art. 26.1 of RD 1155/2024 also allows electronic filing where a dedicated online system exists. It also allows a representative where the law provides for it (for example, a minor's legal representative, according to sheet 6) or, exceptionally, for distance, transport or illness that make travel hard. Once it is granted, you collect the visa personally within a month of the notification (sheet 6). In Spain, you apply for the TIE in person at the police station within a month of entry (art. 63.5). The renewal goes to the immigration office (art. 64.1): in person, online via Mercurio or through a representative with a notarial power of attorney or an apud acta authorisation (art. 197.1 and 197.4). Information sheet 7 (May 2025) only mentions Mercurio and the holder: that route was mandatory under art. 197.2 b), which the Supreme Court annulled (ruling). Since the official sources do not match, the safest option is to file it yourself.
It is the usual route for people with their own income who do not need to work (pensioners, rentiers, people with sufficient savings). It does not allow working: to carry out an activity you must apply for a different permit or a modification.
Requirements (arts. 61–62):
- Sufficient financial means for the authorisation period, or a regular income source: 400% of the IPREM monthly for the holder + 100% of the IPREM per dependent family member (minimum amounts; the figure in euros depends on the current IPREM — check the current value).
- Health insurance (public or private, with cover in Spain).
- Not being within a no-return commitment assumed when voluntarily returning to your country of origin.
- No criminal record and not posing a threat to public order, security or public health.
- Paying the processing fee.
Visa documents (arts. 38 + 61–62): application form (form EX01) completed and signed; passport or travel document valid for at least one year; criminal-record certificate from the countries of residence over the last five years; medical certificate proving no diseases with serious public-health impact (International Health Regulations 2005); proof of sufficient financial means; proof of health insurance; proof of fee payment. (Each consulate may require legalisations/translations and additional documents; form EX01 and the information sheets detail the list per case.)
Steps:
- Gather the documents and fill in form EX01 (Application for non-lucrative temporary residence, inclusion.gob.es).
- Apply for the non-lucrative residence visa at the Spanish consular office in your country of residence (the visa application includes the authorisation; art. 63.1). Consular info: Citizen services — Exteriores.
- The immigration office decides on the authorisation within a maximum of one month from the consular communication; silence means refusal (art. 63.4).
- Once the visa is granted, enter Spain and, within the month after entry, apply in person for the TIE (foreigner identity card) (art. 63.5).
- To keep it, renew during the two months before it expires at the Oficina de Extranjería, proving means, insurance and, if you have dependent minors, their schooling; you must have resided more than 183 days in the calendar year (art. 64). Once the renewal is granted, apply for the new TIE in person within a month (art. 64.9).
Official source: RD 1155/2024, arts. 61–64 (BOE-A-2024-24099); form EX01 and information sheets at inclusion.gob.es.
Informational only; requirements, documents and the IPREM amount vary — check the official source, your consulate and a professional for your specific case.
