Build your own innovative venture or join a Spanish startup as a co-founder. We shape the business plan, coordinate the ENISA review and file the three-year residence case for you and your family.
The approved venture becomes the residence basis, with full work rights, family access and a three-year initial permit.
The business plan carries the case.
There is no fixed investment or job count. ENISA reads the innovation, scalability, financing, founder role and value the project can create in Spain.
Own project or co-founder path
Bring your own idea or join an innovative Spanish team in a genuine founder role.
Full work rights
Live, work and run the approved venture in Spain while the family holds residence with you.
Three-year initial permit
The founder route grants a direct residence authorisation rather than a short job-search period.
The 24% tax regime is an application
Eligible founders can apply for the Beckham regime within the relevant deadline. It is never automatic.
Spain or Portugal
Spain Startup, Portugal D2 or Portugal D8.
Use the venture route when a company and founder role are real. Use D2 for a Portuguese business, or D8 when existing remote work is the actual basis.
Best forWhat carries the caseInvestment floorWork rightsInitial residenceService from
Spain StartupBest forInnovative foundersWhat carries the caseENISA-approved business planInvestment floorNo statutory amountWork rightsFull, for the ventureInitial residence3 yearsService from€6,900
Portugal D2Best forFounders and operatorsWhat carries the casePortuguese company and viable planInvestment floorNo fixed minimum; savings requiredWork rightsRun the Portuguese businessInitial residenceTwo-year permitService from€5,990
Portugal D8Best forExisting remote workersWhat carries the caseStable foreign remote incomeInvestment floorNot an investment routeWork rightsKeep remote workInitial residenceTwo-year permitService from€2,490
We test whether the project, the founder role or the existing income is the strongest truthful evidence before a plan is commissioned.
How ENISA reads the project
The project must look innovative, credible and useful to Spain.
The assessment joins the market problem, solution, team, financing and economic value into one founder story.
Innovation
Explain what is genuinely new
The plan needs a clear product, technology or operating innovation, not only a standard local business.
Market
Show why the market can grow
ENISA reads the addressable market, route to customers, competition and credible scale.
Founder
Connect your role to the company
The CV, ownership, responsibilities and project need to show that you are a real founder, not a nominal participant.
Value for Spain
Make the economic value concrete
Financing, local activity, partners, jobs or specialist value need a truthful and coherent explanation.
Spain · founder base
Why build in Spain
Why Spain for an innovative founder
The route gives the approved venture a three-year residence base, family access and the ability to work on the company from Spain.
No fixed investment minimum
The project quality carries the case. ENISA does not use a statutory investment or headcount threshold.
Family on the same plan
Spouse or partner and children can apply with the founder, with added financial evidence.
Schengen mobility
Travel across 29 Schengen countries while Spain remains the residence and company base.
Long-term residence after five years
Continuous legal residence counts when renewal and absence conditions stay satisfied.
Tax planning follows the founder facts. We test the Beckham application and filing deadline separately from the residence case.
Fit check
The Spain Startup route fits a real innovative founder role.
Use this as the first filter. We confirm the project and founder evidence before you commit to a business plan.
The route is worth checking if
The project has a defensible innovative element
The market and financing plan can support credible scale
Your background explains why you will build this company
You want to run the approved venture from Spain
Check another route if
The business is a standard local service with no innovation case
You only need residence and do not intend to hold a real founder role
Existing remote work, not the venture, pays for the move
The company story depends on achievements or facts that cannot be documented
Government fees, health insurance, apostilles and sworn translations are separate unless the signed engagement says otherwise. Payment is 50% upfront and 50% before submission.
Spain Startup versus France Talent: evidence-led comparison
Spain Startup Visa
France Talent (innovative-project route)
Financial means
Sufficient resources for applicant and family, measured against the Spanish minimum wage: about €2,442/month (about €29,300/year) for the main applicant on the UGE scale, plus an amount per family member.
Resources for applicant and family at least annual gross SMIC (€22,404.20 in 2026). F16922 specifies no fixed extra amount per dependant.
Capital and project
ENISA reviews the innovative business project; the law sets no minimum startup capital.
The innovative-project route requires ministry recognition; €30,000 financing applies to the separate business-creation route.
Decision timing
UGE-CE resolution has a 20-working-day statutory period. ENISA review and visa scheduling are separate.
Innovation recognition and visa/card processing are separate stages; the official procedure sets no single end-to-end deadline.
Citizenship horizon
Ordinary residence condition: ten years for most nationalities, with exceptions.
Ordinary residence condition: five years, with other naturalisation requirements.
Family
Qualifying family members may apply jointly or successively; sufficient means and evidence are assessed for the family.
Talent family route; sufficient resources must cover applicant and family.
Filing route
Article 69 provides a three-year entrepreneur residence authorisation for eligible applicants seeking entry or already in lawful status. Three years is not exclusive to inland filing.
If living abroad, first apply for a Talent visa at the French consulate of your residence country. After approval and entry, validate VLS-TS or apply online for the card as applicable. In-country card filing is available with an eligible long-stay visa, VLS-TS or residence title.
Every case is led and coordinated by Relovisa. We bring in the immigration consultants, lawyers, payroll and tax specialists the route needs, while Relovisa remains your single point of contact.
One coordinated case team, built around the route you actually need.
Vlad Shipilov
Founder
Leads strategy for founder, business and non-standard cases, connecting the route with the client's business, family and long-term plan.
Olia Nemirovski
COO & Chief Case Manager
Leads client and partner operations so case teams, local specialists and next steps stay coordinated from assessment to completion.
Evgenia
UK Immigration Lawyer · Specialist Partner
Supports UK immigration and Talent Visa case management where licensed legal input is required.
Supports German work immigration cases across process planning, local requirements and case coordination.
Daniela
Portugal Immigration Lawyer · Specialist Partner
Supports Portuguese residence matters that require legal review, representation or procedural escalation.
Petra
Portugal Immigration Consultant · Specialist Partner
Supports Portugal D2, D3, D7 and D8 cases, including clients with different income structures.
Marilia
Portugal Immigration Attorney · Specialist Partner
Supports global mobility for self-employed, founder and highly skilled cases through Portugal D8, D2 and D3 routes.
Thiago
Portugal Immigration Attorney · Specialist Partner
Supports highly qualified professionals and procedural cases involving residence delays and AIMA proceedings.
Vladislav
International Tax Advisor · Specialist Partner
Advises on international tax structures and non-standard cross-border situations across Europe, Asia and the United States.
Thomas
Crypto & Tax Advisor · Specialist Partner
Supports clients whose move intersects with crypto assets, international business and tax planning.
Our wider specialist network80+
experts and lawyers
Local coverage for routes and services that require authorised in-country specialists.
Spain Startup questions
Startup questions, answered
Eleven questions that decide the route, with the ENISA and tax boundaries stated plainly.
What is the Spain Startup Visa and who qualifies?
A residence route for founders of genuinely innovative, scalable ventures. ENISA needs to support the project's innovation and economic value for Spain. There is no fixed turnover or headcount test.
What are the 2026 requirements?
An ENISA-ready innovative project, sufficient resources for applicant and family under current law, a clean criminal record, suitable health insurance, a valid passport and family evidence where applicable.
How long do the ENISA and residence stages take?
Article 70 provides a 10-working-day period for the ENISA report; UGE-CE has a separate 20-working-day resolution period. Document preparation and consular scheduling are additional and case-specific.
What financial proof and documents do I need?
The law asks for sufficient resources for you and your family, measured against the Spanish minimum wage rather than a fixed figure. On the UGE scale that is about €2,442 a month, roughly €29,300 a year, for the main applicant, plus about €915.75 a month for the first family member and €305.25 for each additional one. In practice we show from €30,000, plus about €11,000 for a spouse and €3,700 per child. You also need a business plan, CV, bank statements, criminal record, suitable insurance and family documents.
Can Startup holders use the Beckham regime?
Eligible founders can apply within the relevant deadline after their qualifying status begins. The 24% rate is a separate tax application, not a visa benefit or guaranteed outcome.
How does the application process work?
We review the route, build the business plan and personal file, submit for ENISA review, file the residence case, manage authority questions and coordinate the TIE after approval.
What types of startup qualify?
Projects need a real innovative element and credible scale. Software, AI, data, biotech, medtech, cleantech and fintech can fit, but sector alone is never enough.
Do I need to stay in Spain throughout the process?
No. Physical presence is needed for the steps that require it, including biometrics. We map travel and lawful-stay timing around the actual filing route.
Do I need a long-term rental before filing?
Not for the initial founder filing. Temporary accommodation can support the move while you organise the longer-term address after the residence decision.
Must I keep running the startup after approval?
The permit is built on the approved venture. If the company or founder role changes, review the modification route before acting so legal residence stays continuous.
What is your track record on Spanish cases?
We have had Spain Startup approvals in 2025 and 2026, including founders aged 50 and over: age is not a filter for this visa. Our success-rate page explains what we count as a completed case and how incomplete cases are handled.
Reviewed against the live Relovisa page and Spain source links · Reviewed 2026-08-12
One accountable case leadThe right specialist when neededSpainInnovative founder route
Start with the project
Show us the venture. We will tell you if ENISA is the right route.
Send the idea, founder background, current company facts and family plan. We name the evidence gaps, explain whether Spain Startup or Portugal D2 fits better and quote the correct package.
Free written check first · €40 live session, credited to your package
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