The investment route is closed
As of 3 April 2025, Spain stopped issuing visas and permits for investors under the former regime of Ley 14/2013. Old promotional pages no longer describe a valid route.
Read in orderBuying real estate, a deposit, or an investment no longer creates a new Golden Visa basis. An investor chooses a different status based on real activity, income, or family situation.
When the routemakes sense
- You need to check an old approval or renewal of an existing status.
- The property has already been bought and a separate residence plan is needed.
- Entrepreneur, Digital Nomad, or No Lucrativa are being considered.
- It is important to separate the investment transaction from the immigration basis.
- An old article or ad promises a valid Golden Visa.
What exactly was discontinued
Ley Orgánica 1/2025 left the articles of Ley 14/2013 on visas and permits for investors without content. The change is in force as of 3 April 2025 and concerns not only residential real estate but the former investor regime as a whole.
Transitional situations and permits already issued cannot be assessed by a single phrase. For them, the application date, the decision, the valid card, and the renewal rules are checked.
Real estate remains an asset, but not a visa
A foreigner may buy housing while complying with civil, banking, and tax rules. But the transaction does not grant the right to live or work in Spain permanently.
Before the purchase, the property, the financing, the taxes, the use restrictions, and the basis for stay are checked separately. This order protects against a situation where there is an apartment but no suitable status.
The alternative is chosen based on facts
Remote work may lead to Digital Nomad, living on one's own means to No Lucrativa, an innovative project to the entrepreneur regime, and studying to a study-based stay.
None of the routes is a direct replacement for the Golden Visa: each has its own requirements for activity, time in Spain, taxes, and renewal.
A working set ofdocuments
Not a universal list but a framework. The exact set depends on your nationality, the place of filing, your family and the facts of your case.
- 01
the date and confirmation of the old application, if there was one
- 02
the decision and the family's valid cards
- 03
the notarial contract and the nota simple of the property
- 04
proof of the source of the investment
- 05
tax documents for the transaction
- 06
chronology of stay and renewals
- 07
documents for a new potential basis
- 08
a written opinion on the transitional situation
The order of work
Each next step begins only after the previous one has been verified.
- 01
Separate the advertising
We check the publication date and the current version of the law.
- 02
Record the status
We gather old filings, decisions, visas, and cards, if they exist.
- 03
Check the asset
We analyze the real estate as a separate legal and tax transaction.
- 04
Choose the basis
We compare work, funds, business, study, and family mechanisms.
- 05
A new plan
We build the dossier without relying on the cancelled investment program.
Where a case breaks
Selling a cancelled service
If a consultant promises a new Golden Visa, ask them to show the current rule and the official filing channel.
Urgency around the apartment
The phrase "last chance" after 3 April 2025 does not create a legal basis.
An alternative called an equivalent
Other types of residence permit require a real match and carry different restrictions.
Short answers
If the answer changes with a single fact, that is not a detail — it is a reason to review the situation separately.
01Can the Golden Visa still be applied for?
The new investor route is closed as of 3 April 2025. Transitional and already existing cases are checked separately.
02What if you buy housing worth more than €500,000?
The value no longer creates an investment residence permit. The purchase and the immigration status are separate matters.
03Were the old cards cancelled?
Closing new applications does not mean an automatically identical result for all previously issued permits. You need to look at the specific decision and the transitional rules.
04Which route is now closest for an investor?
It depends not on the amount of capital but on the plans: to work remotely, run an innovative business, live without working, study, or join family.
Check before filing
The file was updated from official materials in July 2026. Specific amounts, forms and practice may change.