We are familiar with images of people in deckchairs, equipped with a laptop and a cocktail, brilliant blue sky and sparkling sea in the background, happily working in exotic locations – but how realistic a picture is this here in Spain?
The pandemic has seen huge changes in the way many work, with WFH (working from home, or working remotely) becoming a reality for the lucky millions who were able to do so. The choice of returning to your office or continuing to work from your kitchen table may not always have been yours to make, with employers holding differing views about both supervision and the benefits of having colleagues close at hand.
Whatever the case, for some, WFH continues, perhaps only for a few days a week, but for many their employer doesn’t mind where they are located, as long as the job gets done.
Spain has now joined other countries in offering a specific working visa to those who satisfy the requirements. Since Brexit, many from the UK have seen their dream of moving to Spain shattered by the much tougher visa requirements that now apply. I have written before about the Golden and Non-Lucrative Visas, which favour the wealthy retired, but will this new route provide a real opportunity?
The Digital Nomad Visa is part of new legislation that is designed to encourage business start-ups, to try to improve Spain’s attractiveness to entrepreneurs, and which includes reduced levels of tax for individuals and businesses setting up here.
