A legal way to stay in Spain and work for yourself — the self-employed residence permit (cuenta propia) with no investment and no income threshold
A modification of your current status — student visa, digital nomad, start-up visa or No Lucrativa. Students can apply right after graduation, permits up to 4 years. We build an error-free case and take you all the way to the TIE card.
Who the cuenta propia modification is for
The conditions depend on your current status. Find yours — and see the terms, the timing and what you get. Not sure? Take the 2-minute test.
From a student visa (estancia por estudios)
- Apply after successfully finishing your studies — a diploma or certificate is required
- No separate residence period to wait out after graduation
- New permit — 4 years straight away
From the digital nomad visa
- Requires ≥1 year of residence in Spain
- Freelancers / sole traders — a new 4-year permit straight away
- Remote employees of a foreign company — 1 year
- No more proving an income of 200% of the minimum wage (≈€2,849/month)
From the start-up visa (Ley 14/2013)
- Requires ≥1 year of residence
- New permit — 4 years straight away
- A good fit if your project has outgrown the "innovation" framing or you are moving into a classic business
From No Lucrativa (the non-working residence permit)
- Requires ≥1 year of residence
- The key gain: the legal right to work — no more living on passive income alone
- The permit takes effect once you register with Seguridad Social
- New permit — 1 year
From arraigo
- A detail few people know: all arraigo types (except arraigo socioformativo) already include the right to work for yourself
- Modification makes sense for the 4-year term once you have ≥12 months of residence — not for the right to work itself
Who cannot use the modification
- Cross-border workers and several humanitarian permits
- Family reunification permits follow their own procedure
- Not from a tourist visa — a valid legal status is required
From which status → what you get
| Current status | Min. residence | Legal basis | New permit term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student (estancia por estudios) | After finishing studies (diploma required) | art. 190 | 4 years |
| No Lucrativa | ≥1 year | art. 191.4 + 84 | 1 year |
| Digital nomad — freelancer / sole trader | ≥1 year | art. 191.3 + 86 | 4 years |
| Digital nomad — employed | ≥1 year | art. 191 | 1 year |
| Start-up / emprendedor | ≥1 year | art. 191.3 + 86 | 4 years |
| Arraigo | <12 mo → art. 84; ≥12 mo → art. 86 | art. 131, 191 | 1 or 4 years |
What you get with the cuenta propia permit
Cuenta propia is residence with the right to work for yourself — as an autónomo (sole trader) or through your own company. There are two ways to get it: through a consulate in your home country, or by "modification" (modificación) of your current status right in Spain, without leaving. This page is about the second route.
Many years at once — students, start-uppers and freelance nomads get a 4-year permit straight away
Tax savings for nomads — no need to maintain a 200% minimum-wage income, you pay on what you actually earn
A much simpler business plan than for the start-up visa: no innovation requirement, no fixed income figure
Sit out the years to permanent residency and citizenship — time on cuenta propia counts in full
Work for yourself legally in Spain — for Spanish and foreign clients alike, no restrictions
Your family comes with you — family members modify their status in the same submission
How much it costs
One fixed price in the contract — and a transparent breakdown of government costs below, no surprises.
The Standard plan — full-service modification
- A business concept developed for you from scratch
- A business plan written to the reviewing authority’s requirements
- Guidance on every document
- All application forms filled in for you
- Government fee forms generated for you
- Your digital certificate set up and the application submitted
- Fingerprints appointment booked
Full breakdown: government costs and services
Cuenta propia under the general regime requires fees 790-052 and 790-062 (form 038 is for nomads and the start-up visa under Ley 14/2013) — we pay the right forms for you.
| Cost item | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Fee 790-052 (residence authorisation) | €11–16 |
| Fee 790-062 (cuenta propia work authorisation) | €203.84 |
| Fee 790-012 (TIE card) | ~€16 |
| Association report (informe, optional) | ~€290–420 |
| Sworn translations and apostilles | from €50–80 per document |
| Social security contributions in year one (tarifa plana) | ~€88/mo |
| El Relocator services (Standard plan) | €2,500 (+€750 per family member) |
Government fees and mandatory costs are paid separately — all amounts are in the breakdown above, no surprises. For complex cases, pricing is discussed individually in a consultation.
Payment in 2 stages — before submission
We answer for the result
- 99% approvals — we only take cases we are confident in
- Fixed price — no extra charges along the way
- We handle the whole family in one application
- We answer document requests ourselves — nothing for you to figure out
- We stay with you after approval — renewal, permanent residency, taxes
- Official contract and transparent staged payments
One person stays in touch throughout — handles document requests and walks you through to the card. You will never get lost in the correspondence.
We went through the move and the bureaucracy ourselves — and built a team that knows every pitfall.
What happens next: how the process goes
We guide you through every step — from strategy and the business plan to the TIE card.
We check your status, timing and chances, determine which article your case falls under (art. 190 or 191) and what to prepare.
We write the business plan to the official structure and, where useful, obtain the informe de valoración (ATA / UPTA / CIAE / OPA / UATAE).
Certificates, sworn translations, proof of funds for the project launch — we assemble the package for your specific status.
The application can only be filed with the applicant’s own digital certificate — we help you obtain it and submit together with you, online and with no queues.
We track the status and answer any requests for additional documents — the case never stalls.
After approval: paying fee 790-062, enrolling in RETA (if your autónomo is not yet registered), then fingerprints and the TIE card.
Cuenta propia vs other permits: a comparison
| Criterion | Cuenta propia | Digital Nomad | Employment | No Lucrativa | Start-up visa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right to work for yourself | ✅ Full | ⚠️ With restrictions | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Income requirement | Project viability | 200% of min. wage (≈€2,849/mo) | Contract ≥ min. wage | ~400% IPREM passive | Project |
| Permit term (on modification) | 1 or 4 years | 3 years | 1 year | 1 year | 3 years |
| Counts towards PR / citizenship | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Not sure which permit fits your situation? Ask us in a free consultation.
What Extranjería actually checks
Formally the requirements are set out in art. 84 RD 1155/2024, but they are worded broadly — much is left to the discretion of the specific Oficina de Extranjería. That is why case preparation decides the outcome.
- A valid legal status in Spain from which modification is allowed
- No criminal record in Spain or your countries of residence over the last 5 years
- Professional qualifications or sufficient experience for the declared activity; for regulated professions — a licence/professional registration, and homologación of your diploma where needed
- Sufficiency of the planned investment to launch the project — assessed individually for your specific project
- A viable business plan: the project must provide a means of living
- Compliance with activity requirements: premises licences, sanitary and industry rules
The business plan: the main reason for approvals and refusals
Extranjería does not approve «paperwork» — it approves a project it believes in. We write business plans to the official structure and take them through the business association review.
Per DGI/SGRJ/05/2007: project description, promoter, company, products/services, market analysis, planning, structure and staff, financial plan. The numbers must be realistic and consistent — that is the first thing they check.
Honestly: it is not mandatory — the law allows other proof of viability, and the report does not bind Extranjería. In practice, though, an informe from one of the five associations (ATA, UPTA, CIAE, OPA, UATAE) noticeably improves your chances. Price benchmark: UPTA — around €290 + €130/yr membership.
Approved: a clear service, proven qualifications, investment that matches the project, correct IAE/CNAE activity codes. Refused: template copy-paste plans, made-up numbers, regulated professions without a licence, investment leading «nowhere».
Documents for the cuenta propia modification
The base package is the same for everyone; the rest depends on your type of activity. The tags show where an apostille or a sworn translation is needed.
Base package for Extranjería
- The official application form + a copy of every passport page
- Diploma / certificate of completed studies (for students)
- Proof of qualifications or experience relevant to the project
- Business plan (+ the association informe de valoración — recommended)
- Proof of funds to launch the project (statements, contracts, pre-orders)
- Payment receipts for fees 790-052 and 790-062
After approval
- Tax office registration — modelo 036 (037 was abolished on 03.02.2025)
- RETA enrolment — if your autónomo is not yet registered (start-uppers and freelance nomads already have it)
- Getting the TIE card (fee 790-012)
Extras — by type of activity
Independent professional activity (freelance, consulting, IT)
- Proof of qualifications: diploma, certificates, portfolio
- For regulated professions — professional registration / diploma homologación
- Contracts or letters of intent from future clients
Retail / services in premises up to 300 m²
- Declaración responsable or an activity licence for the premises
- A lease or a preliminary lease agreement for the premises
Other activities
- Industry licences and permits (sanitary, environmental, etc.)
- An investment plan tied to the budget
We help with certificates, apostilles and sworn translations as part of the plan.
After approval: contributions and taxes
In plain words: what a sole trader (autónomo) pays in Spain, and for what. You pay based on what you actually earn — not on a «required» income figure like on the nomad visa.
This is the fixed monthly social security contribution every sole trader pays. For new autónomos it is discounted — around €80–88/month instead of the usual €200+. If your earnings stay modest, the discount extends for another year.
From year two the monthly contribution depends on your net income: earn less — pay less. In 2026 it ranges from €200 to €590 a month. If you declared less than you earned, you top up at year end; if the opposite — you get a refund.
Income tax (IRPF) follows a progressive scale, as for every Spanish resident: the more you earn, the higher the rate. Paid in quarterly instalments. VAT (IVA) at 21% is added to your client invoices and passed on to the tax office quarterly — essentially in transit.
Renewal, permanent residency and citizenship: the road ahead
To renew, you confirm real activity — taxes, filings and Seguridad Social contributions. No new business plan is required. We help you prepare for the renewal well in advance.
Larga duración — after 5 years of legal residence; absences of up to 10 months in total are allowed (up to 18 for work reasons). Years on cuenta propia count in full.
The standard track is 10 years. For citizens of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal and Sephardic Jews — just 2 years (art. 22 of the Spanish Civil Code).
Why applications get refused — and what to do
Top reasons for refusals
- A template, copy-paste business plan with no link to your actual project
- Unproven sufficiency of the investment (art. 84.c) — numbers «in a vacuum»
- A regulated activity without a licence or homologación
- Unproven qualifications or experience relevant to the project
- Debts to Hacienda or Seguridad Social, gaps in contributions
- Missing the filing window or the fee payment deadline
Appeals and plan B
- Recurso de reposición — 1 month to file
- Recurso contencioso-administrativo — 2 months
- Silencio negativo (no answer in time) — can also be appealed
If an appeal is not an option
- Arraigo social / socioformativo as a fallback route
- Rebuilding the case and reapplying — a refusal is not a «stigma»
Was it a visa refusal rather than a residence permit one? We can help with that too — ask in a consultation.
Myths about the cuenta propia modification
the law sets no fixed amount. Art. 84 requires proof that the investment fits your specific project — for online services that is notably less.
refusals go to weak business plans and unproven qualifications. A well-prepared case with realistic numbers and an association informe is a different statistic altogether.
no: what is assessed is the viability of the project. A freelancer with a laptop and contracts is a valid project without an office or staff.
year one runs on the €80/month tarifa plana, and income tax is progressive: you pay on real income. The tax burden grows with your business — not from day one.
Check if the modification fits you
Answering the key questions
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Content you can trust
Primary sources: RD 1155/2024 (consolidated text, boe.es) · RD 316/2026 · art. 22 Código Civil · Spanish Ministry of Labour Hojas informativas 14, 15, 55 bis, 58, 81 (inclusion.gob.es) · Instrucciones SEM 3/2025 · Agencia Tributaria (sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es) · Seguridad Social — RETA quotas (seg-social.es).
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