Spain's golden visa was the best known programme of its kind in Europe, and it is still advertised. The programme does not exist: no new applications have been accepted since 3 April 2025, and the relevant provisions were repealed by a law passed in January 2025.
Below is what exactly changed, what remains for those who applied earlier, and what it means for a buyer looking at Spain today.
What it used to be
Residence was granted for several types of investment, and the most popular was property: a purchase from 500 thousand euros with no borrowing against that portion. More than ninety per cent of applications came through real estate.
The permit was issued for a year initially and then renewed for two year terms. After five years of lawful residence you could apply for permanent residence, and after ten for citizenship.
The programme's main attraction was not the permit itself but the fact that it required no continuous presence in the country. That is precisely why it was closed.
What changed
Spain's legislature passed a law at the end of 2024, published on 3 January 2025, repealing the relevant articles of the 2013 law. Since 3 April 2025 no applications have been accepted under any investment route, not only property.
The stated reason was official: the programme fuelled speculative demand for housing in a country short of it. The government put the shortfall at around six hundred thousand homes.
What about those who applied in time
Applications filed before 2 April 2025 are processed under the rules in force at the time of filing. Permits already issued remain valid to their expiry, and renewals follow the rules under which the permit was originally granted.
So holders of existing permits have not lost their status. But nobody new enters the scheme, and buying property today does not lead to a residence permit.
Can you still buy property in Spain
Yes. There are no restrictions on foreigners buying housing in Spain and none were introduced: what was abolished was the route to residence, not the right of ownership.
A purchase runs like this: a foreigner's tax number, a bank account, a contract before a notary, registration at the property register. Above the price you pay transfer tax, or value added tax on new builds, plus the notary, registration and legal fees. Rates depend on the autonomous community, so the exact figure is calculated for the specific region and property rather than nationally.
You can hold property in Spain without holding status there. You cannot live in it long term without status: visa free stay is limited in duration, and ownership does not extend it.
What routes remain
They exist and are unconnected to property: a non lucrative visa for those living on passive income, a digital nomad visa for those working for a foreign client, study, employment, entrepreneurship.
The conditions for each, the income thresholds and the timescales are being clarified. We do not advise on them: that is the work of an immigration lawyer in Spain, and sending someone with those questions to an estate agent is wrong.
What we can say honestly: if you need status in the European Union specifically through property, Spain no longer provides it. Bulgaria grants a residence permit on ownership of housing from 600 thousand leva, which is a different route with different presence requirements.
One point that concerns Ukrainians specifically
For Ukrainian citizens there is an additional circumstance in the Spanish picture: temporary protection in EU states. That is a separate status with its own rules, and it is not tied to property in either direction: buying an apartment neither grants nor removes it.
The practical consequence is this. If you are in Spain under temporary protection and buy a home there, the purchase does not change your status or extend it. Equally, selling or not owning property has no effect on the status.
What happens to that status next, and whether it can be converted into another, is immigration law, and the answer keeps changing. Property has nothing to do with it, and a seller who links the two either does not know or is selling you something that does not exist.
What this means for a buyer
If you were looking at Spain as a way to obtain a document, the task has to be restated: either another country, or another route into Spain that does not run through property.
If you were looking at Spain as a home for yourself and for holidays, nothing has changed. Buy because you like the place, not because someone promised you a document.
And above all: if anyone in 2026 offers you a Spanish golden visa for buying an apartment, that is either ignorance or deception. Check the date and the provision they claim to be applying.
How we work with Spain
We find properties through our partner network, check the documents and run the transaction to registration. We do not promise documents that no longer exist, and we say plainly that a purchase grants no residence permit.
Write to us with your budget, the region and what you want Spain for. If the task is status, we will tell you property does not solve it and suggest what actually does.
Is the Spanish golden visa available in 2026?
No. New applications have not been accepted since 3 April 2025, and the provisions were repealed by a law published on 3 January 2025. This covers every investment route, not only property.
What happens to permits already issued?
They remain valid to expiry, and renewals follow the rules in force when the permit was first granted. Applications filed before 2 April 2025 are processed under the former rules.
Can I buy an apartment in Spain now?
Yes, there are no restrictions on foreigners buying housing. What was abolished was the route to residence, not the right of ownership. You can buy and hold property without status in the country.
What is payable above the price in Spain?
Transfer tax, or value added tax on new builds, plus the notary, registration and legal fees. Rates depend on the autonomous community, so the figure is calculated for the region and the property.
Which EU route through property remains?
Bulgaria grants a residence permit on ownership of housing from 600 thousand leva, about 307 thousand euros, renewed annually and requiring at least half of each year in the country.
We will shortlist options for your budget and guide the deal from the first viewing to signing.
