Applying for the Spanish Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) is an exciting step toward a new chapter of living and working in Spain. But let’s be honest—there’s always that lingering worry about the possibility of being denied.
At Move to Spain Guide, we’ve processed over 1,000 applications in the past 2.5 years, and while the vast majority have been successful, there have been a few that weren't. With a 98% success rate, it’s clear we know what we’re doing—but you’re probably curious about those rare cases where things didn’t go as planned, aren’t you?
Based on our experience and insights from members of our Facebook group/those who we help though DNV DIY calls, these are the five most common reasons for denials. We’ve also included practical tips to help you steer clear of these challenges.
1. Changes in Requirements
The requirements for the Spanish Digital Nomad Residency have changed over time, and some loopholes have been closed. For example:
- At first, a basic PDF scan of the company’s certificate of incorporation used to be enough, but this made it hard for the UGE to confirm that the company was genuine. Now, the certificate needs to include an apostille from the issuing country.
- Work experience requirements were tightened, moving from simple employer letters to official documentation like social security reports or tax returns (more on this below).
- Believe it or not, there was a time when applicants could simply purchase a ready-made company, inject some funds, and pay themselves for three months just to meet all the DNV requirements. Unsurprisingly, this loophole has been closed, and applicant-owned companies are subject to much stricter scrutiny to verify that they are a real active company.
When this occurs during the application process, applicants can often be caught off guard, as they are given just 10 working days to submit additional documents.
Keeping up with the changes has been hard work. At Move To Spain Guide, we always start with a thorough 30-minute consultation for every prospective client. We only take on clients when we’re confident they can comfortably meet all the requirements. Our policy is to fully support our clients every step of the way, right up until they’re approved. As a business, it doesn’t make sense for us to take on clients we don’t believe will be successful. When the requirements change—even if it’s out of our control—we go above and beyond, putting in extra hours and doing everything we can to make sure our clients can stay in Spain.
2. Failure to Submit Extra Company Owner Documents
As we mentioned before, if the UGE finds out that you own the company you're using to apply for the DNV, they'll probably ask for extra documents. They want to make sure your company is strong enough to support you during the three years of your residency.
How does the UGE know you own the company? If the company shares your name, it’s pretty obvious. If not, they sometimes figure it out from the documents submitted or from the official register of the relevant country, if publicly available.
At first, the UGE always wanted to see B2B contracts—agreements between companies and their business clients—along with the client companies' certificates. We got some denials because the company only had individual clients instead of businesses, so they couldn’t provide a company certificate.
Luckily, the UGE have become more flexible and offer the following alternative option:
- The company’s latest tax return
- Evidence of investment in production assets (e.g., machinery)
- Official documentation confirming the employment of staff (such as a social security report)
Not every company has employees or has invested in production assets, and that’s where a good consultant, like us, comes in. We can make the case that your business is still solid and should be considered capable of supporting you for 3 years, even if you’re unable to provide the exact document requested by the UGE.
3. Lack of Evidence for Related Degree or Work Experience
To get the Spanish DNV, one of the key requirements is showing that you either have a relevant degree or at least 3 years of professional experience in your current field.
If you didn’t have a degree, all it used to take was a signed letter from a previous employer confirming how long you worked there. The problem was, the UGE had no way to verify if those letters were legit. Now, while the letters are still needed, they’re also asking for:
- Official reports from your country’s social security organization (the equivalent of the Spanish vida laboral).
- Tax documents like 1099s, or W2s.
This change is meant to ensure authenticity, but it’s caused some applicants to be denied if they can’t provide these official records.
We’ve got the process figured out now, but at the start, there were no clear instructions on which documents were acceptable, whether they needed an apostille, or what alternatives could work.It wasn’t fair to those caught up in the change since there wasn’t enough time to prepare the right documents.
4. Insufficient Income
Meeting the income requirement is non-negotiable. Initially, the UGE accepted other forms of income such as savings, pensions, or rental income as alternatives to earnings. However, the DNV is designed for people working from Spain, so most of the income should come from a job or self-employment.
The current standards are as follows:
- The main applicant should meet the income threshold with a small margin for exchange rate fluctuations.
- Savings can be used to make up shortfalls to cover family members.
There’s no set rule for how much of income can be replaced by savings – it all comes down to an individual assessment by the UGE.
Our advice? Find ways to boost your work income—ask for a raise, take on a second client, or pick up some overtime—rather than counting on other income sources. Keep in mind, the main goal of the Digital Nomad Visa is to bring in more tax and social security revenue for Spain.
5. Missed Notifications for Additional Documents
We see this happen a lot in our Facebook group with people applying without professional help. The UGE sends a notification asking for extra documents, but the applicant doesn’t get an email or realize they need to check their notifications regularly with their digital certificate. They miss the deadline, and their application gets archived.
This is where working with a specialist can make all the difference. We check for notifications multiple times every day, and you'll find out within hours if more documents have been requested.
Examples of Specific Denials
Although 98% of our applications are approved on the first attempt, the high volume of submissions we handle inevitably results in a few denials. Here are a few of the most memorable and personal cases we’ve handled—some that caused real heartbreak, and others that ultimately had a happy ending after plenty of persistence and advocacy on our part:
- Holiday-period Denials
For some unknown reason, there seem to be more unfair decisions made around Christmas time and other holiday periods. It could be that the UGE are run off their feet, with staff away or using supply staff from different departments with less experience to cover gaps. Last Christmas, we had a client with a very old drinking and driving offense denied her DNV application. She was incredibly upset and returned to the UK for New Year, but when she came back to Spain in January and reapplied with the EXACT SAME documents, she was approved with no issues!
- Adoption-related Challenges
The most heartbreaking case was a family whose adopted daughter was initially denied residency because they were given 10 working days to legalise the adoption certificate in Spain—an impossible task. We appealed the decision, pointing out how discriminatory it was, and 5 months later, we got the great news that our appeal was approved! The family, including their adopted daughter, is now happily living together in Spain, and the clients didn’t have to undergo the expensive process of legalisation in Spanish courts.
- Missing Documents in Early Days
When the Digital Nomad residency first began in 2023, one of our very first clients was denied because her A1 certificate didn't arrive in time. She had only a handful of Schengen days remaining, and we naively believed the A1 certificate would be issued just days after submitting the application. It didn’t, and our client had to leave Spain and return to the UK, where she no longer had a home. From there, she had to apply for a one-year visa through the Spanish Consulate in London so she could return to the property she had already rented in Spain. Running a business is a constant journey of learning and growth—this experience is a major reason why we now require every prospective client to attend a 30-minute consultation call—so we can make sure every requirement is covered and avoid emotional rollercoasters like this in the future.
Learn More or Book Your Consultation
Whether you’re gathering documents or already planning to make the move, expert guidance can make all the difference. At Move to Spain Guide, we’ve refined our process to help applicants successfully meet every requirement while minimizing stress and surprises.
Don’t leave your future to chance—book a 30-minute consultation today and ensure your move to Spain starts on the right foot.
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