Moving to Spain from the US with your family

Visas for a US family

You apply at the Spanish consulate that covers the state where you legally live, in person and by appointment. Document lists differ a little between consulates, so read your own consulate's page before you start collecting paperwork.

The non-lucrative visa is for people who won't work at all. The consulate says it doesn't allow teleworking either. You need 400% of Spain's IPREM index for the main applicant and 100% for each family member. With IPREM at €600 a month, that's €28,800 a year for the main applicant and €7,200 for each extra person, so €50,400 a year for a family of four. Health insurance has to come from a private policy with no deductible, no co-payments, no waiting period and no coverage cap. Travel insurance isn't accepted.

The telework visa, usually called the digital nomad visa, is for people working remotely for companies outside Spain. The Washington consulate asks for 200% of Spain's minimum wage, which is €2,442 a month in 2026, plus €916 for the first family member and €306 for each one after that. A family of four needs about €3,970 a month. You need at least three months with your employer or clients, a contract that allows remote work, and either a degree or three years of professional experience. Freelancers can take Spanish clients as long as that work stays under 20% of their total. The visa itself lasts up to a year. If you are already in Spain legally, you can apply for the telework residence permit from inside Spain instead.

Both visas need an FBI background check for each adult, with a federal apostille from the State Department in Washington and an official Spanish translation. For the non-lucrative visa the check can't be more than six months old, and the medical certificate has to be dated within 90 days of applying. Consular fees for Americans were $140 for the non-lucrative visa and $190 for the telework visa in 2026. Once you land, you have one month to apply for your foreigner identity card (TIE).

This isn't legal advice. Requirements and amounts change, and each consulate interprets them slightly differently, so check with your consulate or a qualified immigration lawyer before you apply.

Cost of living compared with the US

These are our own estimates for a family of four, in US dollars per month, from the cost-of-living calculator. Use them to compare, not as a budget.

Leaving out school fees and childcare, we estimate about $2,550 a month in Valencia and $3,260 in Madrid. The same basket comes to roughly $4,630 in Austin, $4,590 in Denver and $7,000 in New York. Rent and healthcare make up most of the gap. A three-bed flat in Valencia runs about $1,200 against $2,200 in Austin, and family healthcare about $160 against $700.

Add one international school place and childcare and Valencia comes to about $4,100 against $7,730 in Austin. Spanish salaries are lower than American ones, so the saving mostly helps families who bring their income with them.

Schools

School is compulsory from 6 to 16 and free in publicly funded schools. Each region runs its own schools within national rules, which matters if you're choosing between places like Valencia, Catalonia or the Basque Country, where a co-official language is used in class alongside Spanish.

The choice is usually between public, state-funded private (concertado) and international schools, and international fees add a lot to the budget. If you have teenagers who may go to college in the US, check how their school's qualifications will be read by US admissions before you choose a city.

Healthcare

Check what your US plan covers abroad, but plan on a private Spanish policy from day one. For the non-lucrative visa it has to meet the rule above: no co-payments, no deductible, no waiting period. For the telework visa the consulate asks for cover from an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, and travel insurance isn't accepted for either.

Non-lucrative visa holders don't get public healthcare automatically. After a full year of continuous residence you can apply to join the public system through the special agreement (convenio especial), which costs €60 a month per person under 65 and €157 for those 65 or over. It isn't open to people who already have public cover some other way.

Banking and moving dollars

Spain has a FATCA agreement with the US, so Spanish banks report accounts held by US citizens to the tax authorities. A 2019 report from the US Government Accountability Office found that some foreign banks closed Americans' accounts or refused to open new ones because of FATCA costs and risks. In practice that means you may need to try more than one bank, and arrive with your passport, NIE and proof of address ready.

Keep a US account and address open for cards and statements. When you move larger sums, compare the exchange rate you're getting, not just the fee. Every Spanish account also counts towards your FBAR and FATCA reporting (see the tax section).

Taxes on both sides

The US taxes its citizens wherever they live, so you keep filing a US return every year. People living abroad get an automatic two-month extension to June 15. The foreign earned income exclusion lets you exclude up to $132,900 of earned income in 2026 if you pass the bona fide residence test or the physical presence test (330 full days abroad in 12 months). It only covers earned income, so pensions, dividends and rental income aren't covered, and it doesn't reduce self-employment tax. The other tool is the foreign tax credit, which offsets US tax with tax you've paid in Spain. Which one works better depends on your income, and an adviser can run both.

You also have to report foreign accounts. An FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) is due if your non-US accounts together go over $10,000 at any point in the year. Form 8938 applies when you live abroad and your foreign assets are over $200,000 at year end (or $300,000 at any time) if you're single, or $400,000 (or $600,000) if you're married filing jointly.

On the Spanish side, you're tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, if your main economic interests are there, or (presumed unless you prove otherwise) if your spouse and dependent children live there. Spanish residents are taxed on worldwide income. The US and Spain have had a tax treaty since 1990, updated by a protocol signed in 2013, which sets out which country taxes what.

Remote workers who haven't been Spanish tax residents in the previous five years may be able to opt into Spain's special regime for inbound workers, often called the Beckham law. It covers the year you move and the five years after, and you have six months from your Spanish social security registration to opt in.

This isn't tax advice. Talk to an adviser who handles both US and Spanish returns before you move.

A realistic timeline

1. 9 to 12 months before

   Choose your visa route, find your consulate, and check your income against the 2026 thresholds.

2. 6 to 9 months before

   Order birth and marriage certificates and get them apostilled by the issuing state. Talk to a cross-border tax adviser.

3. 4 to 6 months before

   Request FBI background checks, then get the federal apostille and Spanish translations. Arrange Spanish health insurance and book your consulate appointment.

4. 3 to 4 months before

   Submit your application. Consulates have up to three months to decide.

5. 1 to 2 months before

   Research school places in your chosen region and line up short-term housing. Get an international driving permit.

6. First month in Spain

   Register on the padrón at the town hall and apply for your TIE card within one month of arriving.

7. First six months

   Open a Spanish bank account, enrol the children in school, and get a Spanish driving licence before your US one stops being valid.