Guide · Step 1 of 7Section 1
Check yourself in 5 minutes
Your status in Portugal decides. Only two statuses work reliably: a valid Portuguese residence permit and temporary protection with an issued document.
Your self-employment needs only 3 months of registration. It is the client company that needs a year of activity. Register before signing the contract; the client relationship also needs 3 months.
The head of UGE named an informal floor of about 2 400 €. The official minimum is 2 850 € a month for one person. The 2 400 € and about 3 300 € for a family come from practice, not the rules.
UGE has already refused CEOs of the employer company. UGE holds that a director’s visits to authorities and the tax office cannot be done remotely. It sees your role in public registers.
Guide · Step 2 of 7Section 2
Choosing the route: from Spain or via a consulate
From Spain a permit for up to 3 years, via a consulate a D visa for up to 1 year. UGE takes applications online, fee 73,26 €. At the consulate you apply in person, standard fee 90 €.
The consulates in Lisbon and Porto do not describe the nomad visa. No public booking and no applicant reviews for 2025–2026. The guide says to pay for apostilles only after the consulate answers in writing.
A Spanish consulate will not take a foreign or credit card. The D visa fee is paid in cash or with a Multibanco debit card. Standard fee 90 €, more in some cases.
Fingerprint appointments in Madrid take 4–6 weeks. Unofficial, early 2026: the same in Barcelona, 2–4 weeks in Valencia and Málaga. The card itself takes another 3–8 weeks.
Guide · Step 3 of 7Section 3
Entry and legal stay in Spain
EES does not record a move from Portugal to Spain. There will be no stamp. You prove your entry date with a police declaration, filed within 3 days of arrival.
At Barcelona airport you call the police on an intercom. From practitioners: terminal T1, 2nd floor, end of the corridor. Press «2» and say «Necesito una Declaración de entrada».
After you apply you may stay in Spain beyond 90 days. Art. 76 of Ley 14/2013 allows it while the first application is pending. You must apply in time, and it covers Spain only.
«You don’t need the declaration» applies to tourists only. That advice is about entering from outside Schengen. Coming from Portugal, the declaration is your main proof of the date.
Guide · Step 4 of 7Section 4
NIE, electronic signature or a representative
Cl@ve and a Portuguese NIF will not let you apply. You need an electronic certificate, and without an NIE it is almost out of reach. That is why a representative submits with their own signature.
A simple power of attorney is enough, no notary. A gestor, a lawyer or any adult with an electronic certificate can submit. A Spanish template is in the guide.
The consulate in Porto does not issue an NIE for a future permit. Lisbon states no such limit. Inventing a reason like buying a flat or opening an account is not allowed: it is false information.
An ACCV certificate by video costs 3,40 €. You need an ID document and an NIE; it takes from a few hours to 5 working days.
Guide · Step 5 of 7Sections 5–7
Documents: yours, from your home country and from Portugal
Do not translate into Spanish via Russian. UGE does not require Russian. A jurado translates straight into Spanish; only Turkmenistan has its own consular route.
A Portuguese criminal record certificate without an apostille will not do for a foreigner. The EU apostille exemption does not cover foreigners. The apostille costs 10,20 €, the certificate is valid 90 days.
A one-year contract with auto-renewal can get you a one-year permit. The law allows up to 3 years, but the term follows the proof of work. The guide recommends an open-ended or 3-year contract.
Ukraine’s electronic criminal record certificate cannot be apostilled. The official service directory says so; unofficial guides claim otherwise. You need the paper certificate, apostille 51 UAH.
Guide · Step 6 of 7Section 8
Applying through UGE, step by step
Silence means approval after 20 working days. The positive-silence certificate is issued within 15 days of the request; take it to the TIE appointment.
A file in «Otra Documentación» does not attach by itself. After choosing the file, press the blue upload button on the right. Otherwise the power of attorney or entry declaration never reaches the application.
Never merge a translator’s signed PDF with a scan. Re-saving breaks the electronic signature of the jurado or the apostille. The guide shows where the signed file goes.
A request for documents counts as received even if you never open it. After 10 calendar days the clock starts, with 10 working days to reply. The email is only a notice; the request sits in the notifications inbox.
Guide · Step 7 of 7Section 11
After approval
You can join RETA for free and without your own certificate. There is an office that registers you with the tax agency and RETA, and UGE itself recommends it. First-year contribution 88,64 € a month.
A freelancer without RETA puts the whole family’s permit at risk. UGE FAQ, question 7: if a check shows you did not join RETA right away, the permit ends for you and your family.
The Modelo 149 deadline runs from your social security date, not the TIE. Beckham law: 24% up to 600 000 € of employment income, employees only. Apply within 6 months.
Years in Portugal do not count towards Spanish permanent residence. The 5 years to permanent residence start with the Spanish permit.
The rest is in the guide: 21 sections, 16 documents, 8 templates
Also in this section: 9 statuses in Portugal, family income up to 4 630 €, savings instead of income, experience instead of a degree
Also in this section: 7-point route comparison, the 6-step UGE path, timelines by stage, consulate addresses
Also in this section: the 90/180 rule, police at Madrid airport, certified boarding passes, why not to leave before the decision, family
Also in this section: electronic power of attorney via Apodera, NIE at the police for 9,84 €, the ACCV certificate, FNMT via a consulate
Also in this section: 16 documents for the applicant and 9 per family member, pages for 12 countries, social security and A1, matching the numbers
Also in this section: choosing the application type, 13 files named in Latin letters, the 24 MB limit, common errors, positive silence
Also in this section: TIE for 16,08 €, registration of address, Modelo 036 and IAE codes, Modelo 130 and 303, Beckham law, renewal