EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
No visa. For stays over three months, apply for the EU registration certificate within three months of arrival. You must qualify as a worker or self-employed person, have sufficient resources and comprehensive health cover, or meet the student requirements, including enrolment, health cover and sufficient resources. The certificate shows your NIE; the fee is €12 (Policía Nacional (opens in a new tab); fees (opens in a new tab)). The NIE can also be requested separately and earlier, for example to buy a property, but on its own it is not a residence document.
The Policía Nacional directory lists NIE, TIE and EU-regime services at the Estepona office, Calle Valle-Inclán 1 (Policía Nacional (opens in a new tab), checked October 2026). Confirm the correct appointment category and office for your procedure before booking.
Registering on Manilva’s municipal roll (empadronamiento) is a separate step, through the town hall’s offices in Manilva and Sabinillas, by appointment (Ayuntamiento de Manilva (opens in a new tab)). It records where you actually live and it is needed for many local services. It is not a residence permit and not the same as tax residence.
Everyone else
Buying property no longer gives you residence. Spain’s Golden Visa closed to new applications on 3 April 2025 under Organic Law 1/2025. Applications made before then, permits already granted and their renewals follow a transitional regime. A great deal of older material online still says otherwise.
Two routes relevant to many non-EU buyers:
- Non-lucrative residence, for people with sufficient means who will not work: in 2026, €2,400 a month, €28,800 a year for a single applicant, with €600 a month more per family member, plus qualifying public or private health cover. The funds do not have to come from a pension. The permit does not authorise work of any kind, including remote work, while it is held.
- Digital nomad visa, for people working remotely for employers or clients outside Spain: the main applicant must demonstrate monthly financial resources equivalent to 200% of Spain’s minimum wage, with additional amounts for family members. Confirm the current calculation and evidence required with the consulate or UGE handling your application.
If your permission requires a TIE card, book the police appointment promptly: the general deadline is one month, and when it starts depends on your route.
Income thresholds are tied to Spanish indices (IPREM and the minimum wage) and reviewed annually, and consulates differ in how they apply the requirements. General information, not immigration advice.
