Moving to Spain from Australia

Staying a year or longer

The visa for international teleworking lets you live in Spain and work remotely for up to a year, or for the length of your work if shorter. Once you are in Spain on that visa, you can apply for a teleworker residence permit valid for up to three years. The income test is at least 200% of the Spanish minimum wage each month. To be safe, have more than €2,900 a month.

• You need at least three months with your employer or clients, a company active for at least a year, and a degree or three years' experience.
• Freelancers may take Spanish clients for up to 20% of their work.
• The non-lucrative visa is not a fit here. It does not allow work, and it asks for 400% of IPREM, a public reference amount that is €600 a month in 2026.

Sources: Embassy of Spain in Australia (consular section), Consulate General of Spain in Sydney, Boletín Oficial del Estado (Real Decreto 126/2026), Spanish Social Security (Seguridad Social), Consulate General of Spain in Washington. Checked 15 October 2026.

Documents, fees and timing

The embassy lists a passport valid for a year with two blank pages, a criminal record certificate for the last five years, health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain, an Australian Business Register certificate for the company, proof of income and a NIE. Foreign documents need an apostille and a Spanish translation. The legal deadline for a decision is 10 days, and it can be extended if an interview or more documents are requested.

• The criminal record certificate needs name and fingerprint checks. The AFP says fingerprint checks take 15 to 30 business days.
• The embassy in Canberra only covers the ACT and Queanbeyan. Everyone else applies to the consulates in Sydney or Melbourne.
• You need a NIE before the visa application. It is normally issued within two weeks and sent by email.

Sources: Embassy of Spain in Australia (consular section), Consulate General of Spain in Sydney, Australian Federal Police. Checked 15 October 2026.

Tax

A year in Spain does not by itself end Australian tax residence. Australia's tests include a domicile test: someone domiciled in Australia stays resident unless they have a permanent place of abode outside Australia. Spain treats you as resident if you spend more than 183 days there in a calendar year, or if your main economic interests are there. Residents are taxed on all their income, wherever it arises and wherever the payer is based.

• Australia and Spain signed a tax treaty in 1992, in force since 10 December 1992 and modified by the Multilateral Instrument from 2022. If both countries treat you as resident, its tie-breaker rules apply.
• If you stop being an Australian resident, assets other than taxable Australian property are generally treated as sold, unless you choose otherwise.
• As a citizen, you cannot cash out your super for leaving, so it generally stays preserved.
• Employees on the teleworking visa may be able to opt into Spain's special regime for people moving there, if they were not Spanish residents in the previous five years. It withholds 24% on employment income up to €600,000, but you are then not resident for treaty purposes.

Sources: Spanish Tax Agency (Agencia Tributaria), Australian Treasury, Boletín Oficial del Estado, Australian Taxation Office, Federal Register of Legislation (Australian Government), Embassy of Spain in Australia (consular section), Spanish Social Security (Seguridad Social). Checked 15 October 2026.

Setting up

Spain is not on Australia's list of reciprocal health care agreements, so do not assume Medicare-style access. The visa asks for insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain covering all the risks of the public system, unless Spanish public healthcare already covers you. Once you are housed, register on the padrón of the municipality where you usually live. Spanish law requires everyone living in Spain to do so.

• A basic payment account is open to people legally resident in the EU. Fees are capped at €3 a month for core services and 120 payments a year.
• Other accounts vary by bank. Check the fees and whether your Australian documents are accepted.

Sources: Victorian Department of Health, Embassy of Spain in Australia (consular section), National Statistics Institute (INE), Banco de España (Portal del Cliente Bancario). Checked 15 October 2026.

Living in Zaragoza

Zaragoza is the city the research looked at most closely. Historical averages show 322 mm of rain a year and January maximums of about 10.5°C, with cold, foggy days in winter. July maximums average 32.4°C, and there are about 22 days of fog and 23 frosty days a year. We found no official source for rents or other living costs there, so they are unknown here.

Sources: Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET). Checked 4 October 2026.

Other places we looked at

The research also looked at Valencia and Seville, for contrast. We found no official source for rents in either place, so they are unknown here.

• Valencia: January maximums average 16.4°C and there are 2,696 hours of sun a year. The National Statistics Institute (INE) recorded its rents rising 5.9% in 2024, the most of any provincial capital.
• Seville: July maximums average 36.0°C, with mild January days around 16°C. INE lists it among the 20 provincial capitals with the largest rent rises in 2024.

Sources: Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), National Statistics Institute (INE). Checked 4 October 2026.