Entrepreneur visa: starting a business or working for yourself in Spain
There are two main ways to come to Spain to run your own business. Innovative projects of special economic interest can use the entrepreneur residence under Ley 14/2013, processed through the UGE. Other businesses and freelance activities follow the standard self-employment residence and work authorisation (residencia y trabajo por cuenta propia), applied for from abroad. We help you choose the route and build a file that holds together.
This route suits
- Founders of innovative, scalable or technology-based projects
- Professionals setting up as self-employed (autónomo) in Spain
- People opening a small business, such as a shop, studio or practice
- Entrepreneurs who want their business plan reviewed before it reaches the authorities
It’s not designed for
- Remote workers whose clients are mainly abroad — the digital nomad route is usually a better fit
- People looking for residence through investment alone — those routes no longer exist
- Projects without a realistic business plan or the means to carry it out
Key requirements
Entrepreneur residence (Ley 14/2013)
For an innovative business of special economic interest for Spain. It usually requires a favourable report on the business plan from the designated public body (ENISA), and is processed through the UGE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos).
Standard self-employment authorisation
For other businesses and freelance activities, applied for from abroad. It requires a viable business plan and evidence that the activity can support you.
Investment and means
Sufficient investment for the project and sufficient means to support yourself, in line with the plan. The level depends on the activity, so we review it at consultation.
Qualifications and licences
Professional qualifications where the activity requires them — recognised or homologated where needed — and the licences or permits the business needs to operate.
Personal documents
Passport, criminal-record certificate and health cover, apostilled and with sworn translations where needed.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; we confirm your situation in a consultation.
Last reviewed: Legal basis: Ley 14/2013 · LO 4/2000 (LOEX) · RD 1155/2024 · LO 1/2025
How the process works
Route choice
We assess whether your project fits the innovative entrepreneur route or the standard self-employment authorisation, and what each would need.
Business plan review
We review your business plan for coherence and completeness — market, financials, activity and licences — and coordinate the favourable report where the route requires it.
Filing
Entrepreneur applications go to the UGE; standard self-employment applications follow the consular and Oficina de Extranjería channel. Where a filing legally requires a colegiado professional, it is submitted by our named partner (abogado or gestor administrativo colegiado).
Requerimientos and follow-up
We monitor the application and prepare any response to a requerimiento with you within the deadline.
Setting up in Spain
After approval we coordinate TIE, autónomo registration, tax registration and the other steps to start trading.
After approval
Once in Spain you obtain your TIE and register your activity. Renewal depends on the business actually operating and meeting its obligations — tax, Social Security and licences — so keeping clean records from day one matters. We track the dates and help you prepare the renewal evidence.
Why files get refused or delayed
- A business plan that is generic, unrealistic or inconsistent with the financial evidence
- Applying for the entrepreneur route without a project that is genuinely innovative
- Missing licences or qualifications that the activity needs in Spain
- Means or investment that don’t match the scale of the plan
- Certificates without an apostille or a sworn translation
- Assuming an investor or golden visa is still available as a fallback
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the entrepreneur visa and self-employed residence?
The entrepreneur route under Ley 14/2013 is for innovative businesses of special economic interest, usually with a favourable report on the business plan from ENISA, and runs through the UGE. Self-employed residence is the standard route for other businesses and freelance work.
Do I need ENISA’s approval?
For the entrepreneur route under Ley 14/2013, a favourable report on the business plan from the designated public body (ENISA) is usually required. The standard self-employment route does not need it, but the plan must still be viable.
Is there still an investor visa?
No. Since 3 April 2025, under Ley Orgánica 1/2025, all investor residence routes have been abolished — property, shares and funds, public debt, bank deposits and business projects of general interest. Existing holders keep their validity under transitional rules.
Can I freelance for foreign clients instead?
If most of your clients are outside Spain, the international teleworker (digital nomad) route is often a better fit. We compare both at consultation.
Turn this into a plan
The route finder takes two minutes. A consultation turns it into a plan.