LM Lawyers Valencia

17/03/2026

The Most important Day of the Valencia Fallas!
March 17th - St. Patricks Day.

14/03/2026

𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐍𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐃 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫

There are 4 ways to apply for the Digital Nomad(DN):
1. DN employee
2. DN contractor
3. DN Business owner passthrough as Self-employed
4. DN business owner (not recommended)

A business owner may have all 4 options, but which one is best?
You must consider two separate issues:
-The Immigration DN application process and what is required.
-The serious Tax implications that can come AFTER approval of immigration residency.

A major difference in Spain compared to most other countries is that if you are a business owner from a tax perspective you as an individual are not completely separate from your company. You cannot be an employee and must register as an Autonomo Societario (self-employed business owner).
While these rules do not directly apply to foreign company structures it can cause a conflict of paperwork when you apply for Digital Nomad and later with the Social Security and Tax office. A careful preparation can avoid these conflicts and trigger words that lead to more documents, deadends or massive tax issues.

𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐘𝐄𝐄
You can apply with an employee contract to your company.
You will also need a Certificate of Coverage(CoC or A1) issued by your country’s Social Security office and letter from your ‘employer’ stating you are transferred/displaced to Spain for XYZ reason.

This has 2 advantages:
a). You avoid registering as self-employed(autonomo) in Spain which can be messy and expensive.
b). As an employee with a CoC/A1 you can apply for Beckham’s Law flat tax rate of 24% on Income generated from Spain. Income from outside Spain, Capital Gains, Dividends are not taxed.

The disadvantages are:
a). Your country may not have a Social Security CoC agreement with Spain.
b). The CoC/A1 can have a set limit of time, example 2 years for the UK A1.
c). If you are a DN + with a CoC + Beckhams Law + business owner you may have more risk of scrutiny from the Spanish tax office.

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑
You can have a contractor contract for services with your own company.
You will also need a government issued document that you are registration as Self-Employed for at least 3 months before application.

Advantages:
a). Slightly easier process.
b). When you register as autonomo(self-employed) in Spain you are less on the tax office radar as a business owner.
c). You and your family will be covered by Spanish Healthcare which is pretty good.

Disadvantages:
a). You cannot apply for Beckham’s Law.
b). You must register as Autonomo in Spain which is messy and requires SS registration and payment every month and quarterly invoice declarations to the tax office.

𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐄𝐑 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐝
If you are a sole business owner you can use your LLC or Ltd as a passthrough to prove your registration as self-employed. Therefore 100% of your earnings are shown on the DN application and later with the tax office.

Advantages:
1). If you cannot get a document that shows you are self-employed this can work.
2). The advantages of being a contractor (see above).

Disadvantages:
1). You must have a contract with a 3rd party business. Individuals are not accepted.
2). You must provide all documents related to your company plus the client company.
3). Payments are made by your client to your company and from your company to you for the same value.
4). 100% of income received into the company is tax liable in Spain.
5). The disadvantages of being a contractor (see above).

𝐁𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐎𝐖𝐍𝐄𝐑
There is a lot of confusion on this point and in this case ‘Business owner’ means applying on the basis that you own the business and not as a contractor or employee.
It is not recommended because while it is possible in theory, in reality it hits problems in the DN application process and later after DN approval serious issues with the tax office.

For the DN application you will have to show 3rd party contracts with other businesses and proof your company is registered for more than one year, is currently active and has proof of production (bills, expenses, sales documents showing real business).
The biggest problem comes after approval with the Tax office. As a business owner you must register as an Autonomo Societario (self-employed business owner). When you do that you need to register your business in Spain. Therefore you will be working for a Spanish company and invalidating the DN residency as working for a non-Spanish company.
The Director of the DN office(UGE) recommended in a conference in Nov 2025 and Feb 2026 NOT to apply as a business owner for the above reason.

There are lawyers and agencies that still recommend this as technically you can get approved for the DN residency. However, they usually disappear later when you will hit problems with the tax office.

Advantages:
a). There are none.

Disadvantages:
a). It is NOT recommended by the DN Director.
b). It is a more complex application requiring more paperwork.
c). It is more difficult to prove you work is 100% remote, as you run the company.
d). Spanish tax office will obligate you to register in Spain and pay corporate taxes in Spain.

𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐃𝐄?
It is best to consult with a Tax lawyer in Spain familiar Digital Nomads, Beckham’s law and the tax implications and work backwards from there to decide which option fits best.
They can also advise on the best way to set-up or present your company to avoid being considered a Permanent Establishment (PE). A PE is when the Spanish tax office considers your company effectively run from Spain so should pay corporate taxes in Spain.

If an immigration lawyer, gestor, or agency recommends applying directly as a business owner, it is advisable to obtain a second opinion or check with a Tax Lawyer. This issue is one of the factors contributing to increased DN application denials.

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘
It is possible for business owners and their families to obtain Digital Nomad residency with the correct preparation. An experienced specialist who is fully up to date with current requirements can help structure the application appropriately.
Most of are clientes are small business owners and all have been approved. Careful preparation of the documents and going into detail on why can avoid any issues.

If you need a detailed updated list of requirements please PM us your e-mail.

09/03/2026

𝗙𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗦 𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗔𝗟 𝟭𝟰-𝟭𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮

Although there are a lot of activities already underway the official start is on 14 March with the "planta" er****on of 800+ monuments all over the city, bringing a lockdown to traffic and welcoming an estimated million visitors.
It is a must see Fiesta in Spain and with incredibly beautiful 30m/100 feet high Fallas built for 5 days and then burnt to the ground.
Incredible fireworks day and night, concerts, events, street food, paella cooking and over 100,000 Falleras, the Queens of the festival offering flowers to build the huge 14 meter high Virgen Mary’s dress.
Visually impactive, noisy but a celebration of the best of Valencia

𝗠𝗔𝗜𝗡 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦
14:00 every day: Mascleta Day Fireworks at Plaza Ayuntamiento.
24:00 every day: Huge Fireworks displays, at the City of Science.
Every night: Concerts large and small all over the city.

17:30 17th to 18th March: The Ofrenda (Flower offering) with over 100,000 Falleras from all over Spain parading to the Virgins at Plaza de La Virgen.

20:00 19th March Night of Fire. Every moment is burnt with fires all over the city.

07/03/2026

𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗗 – 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟯 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀
Denials are up, alot. The Digital Nomad(DN) office, the UGE has mentioned this, more and more people are reporting online they have been denied. And law firms and specialists who deal with Digital Nomad applications are also seeing the same increase

This is due to various reasons mainly related the with significant changes in requirements on Nov 2025, then in Feb 2026. It is not exactly that the requirements have changed, but that the interpretation of them has changed and therefore how something as to be proved. Some changes were good, some bad and others confusing.
Being self-employed needed an additional document to confirm it was true because the UGE discovered many people just invented it for the application. The USA Social Security CoC technically did not cover remote work, then the US Embassy stepped in to say it did, so 2 changes one after the other. Some jobs were considered not remote enough, which is subjective. The income requirements relaxed and made it easier for families. But it became tougher for Business owners to apply as business owners. Letters could be less detailed. Professionals (Doctors, Lawyers, etc) did not need to homologate, etc, etc.

From the Feb 2026 Conference with the Digital Nomad Director the requirements were very clear, he went into detail with examples and explained the reasons for the changes.

𝗦𝗢 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗨𝗣?
1. People are applying with outdated or old lists.
2. Self-employed applicants do not have proof they were self-employed before applying.
3. Job descriptions are not clearly remote work

𝗢𝗨𝗧𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗦
If you do not have the most recent list of requirements, it is a major problem.
A lot of Lawyers, Gestors and Agencies also do not have the latest lists and work based on what worked last year. Unless they were at the last conference and have processed hundreds of applications, it’s very tough. Most were not conference or are not following the updates closely, so work on second hand information. This also causes a lot of confusion and contradiction online.

If you apply on your own without the updated list, it is possible in theory, but incredibly risky. There are many small details, precise wording for the key documents.

SOLUTION: Get the new detailed list, study it. Even better do a consultation with an experienced DN Specialist or hire one for the whole process. Avoid partial or old lists or sales pitch lists online, they will confuse you. ChatGPT works on what is online but what's online can be old or incomplete so make sure of the source

𝗦𝗘𝗟𝗙-𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗬𝗘𝗗
You must have a Government (SS, tax, county, state) issued document with: your name: “self-employed” or “1099” and it must be at least 3 months old. This must be apostille stamped & translated. Without it you will be denied.

SOLUTION: It can be difficult to get this in many countries but the UGE have published a list of about 10 documents are accepted. USA, Canada, UK, etc self-employed applicants are obtaining it and being approved. If your country has zero of these documents you can route your payments through an LLC and use that as proof.

𝟭𝟬𝟬% 𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗞
This has always been a requirement, but it became sloppily presented in the documents. The UGE mentioned people would contradict themselves in their job description in the letter, work contract and CV. Therefore they began to tighten down to make sure it really was 100% remote and not 95% remote.
Your job maybe a 100% clear for you but how does it look on the documents.
We see this a lot, and work on clearing it up.
If your tasks mention meetings, change it to online meetings or Zooms.
Teacher? Make sure it is online teaching. Film Director/Editor? Emphasize it’s Digital.
Any company doing physical work: Plumbing companies, Garden, Building, TV, etc. all imply being there in person, especially if you are a manager.
A Marketing Manager can be remote but can a Production Manager? a CEO? Sales? Designer?

SOLUTION: Get someone to check your documents and see if it makes sense to them that your job title is 100% remote. Avoid director or high management titles that imply you are where the main workforce is. If in contact with people, production, outdoors, etc. clarify that it is done from your laptop.

𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗜𝗗 𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗟
-Make sure you are working with the most updated list of requirements.
-Consult with a DN specialists who has hundreds of approvals.
-Understand the small details behind each document.

If you have any questions please let me know in the comments below.

12/02/2026

𝗗𝗜𝗚𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗡𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗗 – 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 & 𝗥𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗹𝘀

At the conference with the Director of the Digital Nomad Office, we were able to clarify many doubts regarding the recent changes, confirm the exact requirements for both initial applications and renewals, and better understand the shift in direction and the reasons behind these changes.

The DN office has been reorganized with more seasoned professionals to create a specilized team for different reasons but mainly to improve the service, streamline applications and be tougher on meeting the exact requirements.
A lot of the changes are due to fraud and people not registering with Social Security.
There are two types of fraud. Fake documents, particularly related to work contracts, company registration of companies that do not exist. Also gestors/agents who are using the same documents from various clients but just changing the names. If one any fraud is found then all application of the dodgy agent will b reviewed or cancelled.

REQUIREMENT CHANGES
• The job title and job description must clearly reflect a 100% remote position and must not imply physical activities or management of production.
• Professionals who will not be practicing their profession in Spain do not need to homologate their degree, nor make a declaration or registration stating that they will not work in their field.
• Autónomo registration must be completed as soon as possible. It does not have to be done on the same day as the residency approval.
• Business owners are not advised to apply as business owners, as this would require registering the business in Spain and would disqualify the applicant from the Digital Nomad residency.
• If the required income threshold is not met, applicants may supplement it with savings.
• For a family of two or more, the minimum income requirement is €43,000 per year (€3,583 per month).
• Certificates of Coverage are accepted from:
The USA, with a Letter of Displacement (following negotiations between the American Embassy and the Spanish government).
The UK (A1 certificate).
Other countries (e.g., Canada, Colombia, Russia) must provide both the Certificate of Coverage and an additional certificate/document from their national Social Security authority confirming remote work status.

• Self-employed individuals and contractors must provide proof that they have been registered in their home country for at least three months.
• University degrees must be apostilled.
• It is not possible to modify from an NLV (Non-Lucrative Visa) or any other non-work-related residency to the Digital Nomad residency.
• The UGE has a Unidad de Control (Quality Control Unit) that verifies whether applicants are properly registered with Spanish Social Security, checks that positive administrative silence cases meet the requirements, and ensures compliance.
• Autónomo applications do not require a letter of authorization.

RENEWALS
• The applicant must provide their tax declaration from the previous year and demonstrate fiscal tax residency in Spain.
• Only the biometric passport pages are required — not the entire passport.
• The applicant must hold a valid TIE card.
• For autónomo-to-autónomo renewals, only one month of invoice & income is required.
• The same Certificate of Registration may be reused.
• A Declaration of Maintenance of Relationship may be provided instead of a new marriage or birth certificate.
• Bank statements should be from a Spanish bank account where the autónomo payments are registered.

BUSINESS OWNERS
It is still possible to apply as a business owner but it must be done correctly as a contractor or employee of the company. and you should be aware of serious tax obligations after getting approved. If you apply as the Owner or Director it will trigger additional requirements and meet a deadend and it is not recommended.
The options and exact details of how to apply are available.

For more information and a new updated detail list of requirements please let me know.

I am happy to answer questions in the comments.

11/02/2026

DIGITAL NOMAD Questions & Updates
Tomorrow, Thursday 12th Feb there is a conference with the Director of the Digital Nomad office (Sub-Director of the UGE) and hopefully we can clarify the many doubts that have been coming up in the last few months, especially with the requests for more information (requirements) which are conflicting and very time consuming to answer.

Main Questions to confirm:
- Inconsistency in requirements
- Social Security registration after approval, and to renew
- Social Security Certificates of Coverage & A1; which countries can use this to apply as employees?
- Proof of 3 years experience, have requirements changed?
- Proof of Registration as Self-employment before applying
- Do University Degrees need to be apostilled?
- etc
If there are any questions you consider important, please ask them in the comment below.
After the conference any updates will be posted here and if needed the updated the List of Requirements for Employees, Self-Employed & Business owners.

31/01/2026

BOCAIRENT FESTIVALS 2026
Sat 7th Feb at 4.30pm

One of the most famous festivals is in Bociarent a beautiful old town on a mountain, 1 hour from Valencia for the annual Moros y Cristianos Festival. The main parade starts at 4:30pm with music, mini shows, and incredible costumes. As well as a battle of confetti thrown from the buildings as the parade passes.
The old town is incredible to walk around or visit the 50 interconnected Moorish caves on 3 levels, just behind the town.

05/01/2026

The 3 Kings are coming!

02/01/2026

*3 KINGS (3 Wise Men)*
On Monday 5th Jan afternoon/evening there will a large parade in the streets for the 3 Kings they will arrive at the port and walk all through the streets throwing out candy to the kids. It is s big thing in Spain as they get presents from the 3 Kings on the night of the 5th night, just like Christmas Eve.
On the 6th Jan 3 Kings Day, the family usually eat a "roscón de reyes" cake which are available in all the bakeries. Inside there is small King toy and also a bean. Whoever gets the slice with the King is of course the King for the day and does not have to do any chores. Whoever gets the bean has to pay for the roscón or wash the dishes!!
There are different variations of the theme and many kids are not happy when they get the bean.

02/01/2026

09/12/2025

This evening we had a Digital Nomad approval for a W2 employee with a Certificate of Coverage from the USA with a work around on the new requirements.

One approval could be just be luck and we hope to have another approval soon to confirm the details. When the people approved give us permission we will publish more details.