Side-by-side comparison · Last verified October 8, 2026
Spain vs Italy digital nomad visa
Spain and Italy sell the same dream — Mediterranean life, EU residency, southern-European pace — but their visas are at opposite ends of maturity. Spain's program, running since the 2022 Startup Law, is a well-oiled machine: file from inside the country, get a three-year permit in about 20 working days, renew up to five years, and lean on the Beckham Law for tax. Italy's digital nomad visa only became operational recently, and it shows. The income floor is the lowest of any major program at roughly €24,790 a year (about €2,066 a month), which makes Italy the budget pick on paper. But consulates still handle applications inconsistently, the initial permit is one year with a hard three-year ceiling before you must switch visa types or leave, and the qualification bar is the strictest in this guide — degree, professional license, or five years' experience without one. This is a contest between a proven system and a cheap but unpredictable newcomer.
Head to head
| Dimension | Spain | Italy |
|---|---|---|
| Program | Digital Nomad Visa (Telework Visa) | Digital Nomad / Remote Worker Visa |
| Minimum monthly income | €2,849/month · 200% of Spain's minimum wage (SMI), per month | €2,066/month · ≈ €24,790/year gross from non-Italian sources |
| Savings requirement | No fixed savings figure is published; 3–6 months of expenses in reserve is advisable. | No fixed savings figure is published; consulates expect to see stable ongoing income rather than a lump sum. |
| Maximum stay | Up to 5 years | Up to 3 years |
| Renewable | Yes — 1-year visa when filed at a consulate, or a 3-year residence permit when filed in-country via the UGE-CE. Renewable up to 5 years total, with a path to permanent residency. | Yes — 1-year residence permit (permesso di soggiorno), renewable annually up to 3 years total. After that you must switch to another visa type or leave. |
| Processing time | 15–45 working days at the consulate; about 20 working days for in-country UGE-CE decisions. | Around 30–60 days at the consulate, plus another 2–3 months at the questura after arrival. You must apply for the permesso di soggiorno within 8 days of entry. |
| Application fee | From ~€80 visa fee, plus €90–€200 for the residence card. | Varies by consulate — confirm the current fee before booking your appointment. |
| Family rules | Spouse or registered partner, dependent children and other dependent relatives may join. The income bar rises by roughly €1,068/month for the first family member and €356/month for each additional dependent. | Spouse, civil partner and minor children may join, subject to government approval, with a higher income requirement. |
| Apply from abroad | Yes — Apply at the Spanish consulate serving your place of residence. This route yields a 1-year visa, convertible to a residence permit after arrival. | Yes — Consulate only. Apply at the Italian consulate serving your place of residence — requirements and handling vary noticeably between consulates. |
| Apply from inside the country | Yes — Spain is the only country in this guide that lets you enter as a tourist and apply from inside the country. Filed through the UGE-CE (Large Companies Unit), it grants a 3-year residence permit directly — the fastest route to long-term status. | No — There is no in-country application route. |
| Degree / experience | Required — A university degree (or recognized professional qualification) OR at least 3 years of documented professional experience in your field. | Required — A university degree or accredited professional license, OR at least 5 years of relevant professional experience (3+ years with a degree). The bar is 'highly skilled' work. |
| Remote-work history | 3+ months — At least 3 months working with your current employer or clients; the company must have operated for 1+ years. | 6+ months — At least 6 months of documented remote-work history in the activity you will continue in Italy. |
| Health insurance | Required | Required |
| Tax notes | Qualifying new tax residents may elect the Beckham Law: a 24% flat rate on Spanish-source income up to €600,000 for up to 6 years, with foreign-source income potentially exempt entirely. This is the single most valuable tax feature of any visa in this guide — confirm eligibility with a Spanish tax advisor. | Italy offers a 7% flat tax for qualifying new residents who move to southern regions. A dedicated digital-nomad tax bonus has been discussed for 2026 but is not settled law — do not budget around it without advice from an Italian tax professional. |
| Official source | Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Telework (Digital Nomad) Visa ↗ | Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Digital Nomad visa requirements (official consulate document) ↗ |
Our verdict: Spain unless the income bar is your binding constraint
Choose Spain if you want predictability. Every step of the Spanish process — consulate or in-country filing, timelines, renewals, the five-year path to permanent residency — is documented and routinely executed. Italy cannot promise that yet; applicants report meaningfully different experiences depending on which consulate handles their file.
Choose Italy if Spain's €2,849/month bar is genuinely out of reach and you have the patience for a younger bureaucracy. At roughly €2,066/month equivalent, Italy is the cheapest ticket into southern Europe on this list, and the 7% flat tax for new residents in southern regions is a real sweetener. But go in clear-eyed: the one-year permit, the three-year hard cap, and the strict qualification rules mean Italy is a foothold, not a base.
The honest summary: Italy competes on price, Spain competes on everything else. If you can clear Spain's income bar, Spain is the better visa in every dimension that compounds over time — duration, renewability, tax, and process reliability.
Frequently asked questions
Sources & verification. Figures above are drawn from the Spain guide and Italy guide, each linked to its official consulate source and last verified October 8, 2026. Spot an error? Report it.
Not legal advice. Visa rules change frequently and consulates interpret them differently — always verify current requirements with the official source before applying.
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