Spain Digital Nomad Visa income in 2026: why you see two different numbers
Plain Spain editorial team · · Updated · 4 min read
For a single applicant in 2026, the Spanish consulate in Houston publishes a Digital Nomad Visa income requirement of €2,442 a month. Plain Spain uses €2,849 a month gross as a conservative planning amount. These figures come from different ways of expressing Spain's minimum wage. Our higher amount is a budgeting assumption, not a minimum we can attribute to every deciding office.
If your income falls between them, do not rule yourself out. Check the instructions for the office handling your application. The full Digital Nomad Visa requirements cover the other conditions that income alone cannot settle.
Key takeawaysLink to this section
- The published rule uses 200% of Spain's minimum wage for the main applicant, with additional amounts for family.
- Houston's official visa page explicitly lists €2,442 a month for 2026. Its instructions apply to applicants in its consular district.
- Our €2,849 planning amount doubles the annual minimum wage divided by twelve. Meeting it covers both calculations, but does not establish eligibility for the visa.
- The UGE checklist states the percentages and asks for gross income evidence. It does not explicitly prescribe that annual-to-monthly division.
- Confirm the amount, family calculation and evidence with your filing office before relying on a number.
Why do two different income figures circulate for this visa?Link to this section
Real Decreto 126/2026 sets the minimum wage at €1,221 a month in article 1 and an annual floor of €17,094 in article 3. The monthly figure corresponds to fourteen payments; spreading the annual amount across twelve months produces a larger monthly equivalent.
| Calculation | Monthly base | Twice that base |
|---|---|---|
| Published monthly minimum wage | €1,221 | €2,442 |
| Annual floor divided by twelve | €1,424.50 | €2,849 |
The arithmetic explains the €407 monthly difference. It does not tell you which calculation your office requires. For the distinction between the minimum wage and the index used by the Non-Lucrative Visa, see IPREM and SMI explained.
Which figure does the office deciding your file actually use?Link to this section
Use that office's published instructions. Houston's page gives a concrete lower figure; it is an example from one consular district, not a rule for all applicants worldwide.
For an application from inside Spain, the UGE document checklist gives the 200%, 75% and 25% percentages and specifies gross amounts before deductions. It does not explicitly say to divide the annual minimum wage by twelve. We therefore cannot present €2,849 as a universally confirmed UGE minimum or claim that all approved files use it.
Ask the office handling your case for clarification if its instructions leave the calculation unclear. Keep the written answer with your preparation records.
What does the gap do to a family application?Link to this section
The UGE percentages are 75% of SMI for the first family member and 25% for each additional member. Applying them to the two bases gives:
| Household member | Published monthly SMI calculation | Our annual÷12 planning calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant | €2,442 | €2,849 |
| First family member | +€915.75 | +€1,068.38 |
| Each additional member | +€305.25 | +€356.13 |
These are calculated amounts rounded to cents, not quotations of every office's table. Houston publishes its family add-ons as whole euros: €916 for the first member and €305 for each additional member. Follow your own office's stated figures and rounding.
For a couple, the two calculations give €3,357.75 and €3,917.38 a month. Our eligibility check uses the higher planning calculation below. Confirm both who qualifies as a dependent and the applicable amount before filing.
| Household | Monthly planning amount | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Just you | €2,849 | €34,188 |
| You + 1 family member | €3,917.38 | €47,008.56 |
| You + 2 family members | €4,273.51 | €51,282.12 |
| You + 3 family members | €4,629.64 | €55,555.68 |
What if my income lands between the two numbers?Link to this section
You may meet your consulate's published amount. Being below our planning figure is not, by itself, evidence that your application fails. Compare your actual gross income, household and filing route with the current official instructions.
For UGE applications, the checklist asks for the previous three months' payslips or invoices and matching bank certificates. If earnings fall below the applicable minimum, it allows documented savings or other liquid income to cover the difference throughout the requested authorization. That is a route to examine, not an automatic approval. A consular application needs its own office's evidence requirements checked separately.
For example, a monthly shortfall of €200 over a requested 36-month authorization would mean €7,200 to cover that difference. This is an illustration of the multiplication, not a decision on the amount or duration of your case.
So which number should I plan against?Link to this section
Use €2,849 a month gross, plus our family add-ons, if you want a cautious starting budget. Use your filing office's current instructions to establish what you actually have to prove. Leave room for exchange-rate changes and check the applicable minimum wage again before submitting.
The free eligibility check gives you a possible route and a planning amount without asking for an email address. You can continue to an account even when your income needs a closer look. The application guide explains the preparation steps.
Income interpretation corrected on 14 September 2026. An earlier version described the higher figure as settled office practice. The official sources above do not support that claim.