Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

Yes of course however it is clear that many are viewing as an alternative to the NLV- that is a way of getting to live for more than 90 days in Spain. I know people who are saying that they are going to become English Language teachers working online as a way of getting this Visa whereas they should be looking at getting a work visa as automino. There is a big difference and I think many are going to find that they wont have the specific requirements to qualify. It is not an alternative to automino just because you work online.

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

Yes I agree with you - I was not trying to be flippant - this is not a shortcut to getting residencia it is aimed at a specific (nomadic) group and I hoped my post would help explain this option and inform people.

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

Yes you are right. I was only trying to highlight that some expats who are not really digital nomads in their current lifestyles seem to think that it means that anyone who claims to be working online will be able to use this visa as a way of living for more than 3 months in Spain. I'm a language teacher and I know lots of people who claim to work online teaching ( there are hundreds of companies in Russia and China recruiting teachers with no qualifications or experience - so these jobs are very easy to get and are basically pyramid schemes as the teacher is really only required to keep students paying and try and recruit more). However, all these jobs mean you are self employed and should be automino. The digital nomad visa would suggest this category of worker can avoid setting up as automino and still be resident in Spain ( which it clearly doesn't do)

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

I don't disagree with you at all.
For the sake of clarity, "working from my motorhome" meant "working from my motorhome". I'm a translator and journalist by profession. Having EU freedom of movement made it easy to work around Europe.
My observation was simply an observation, I didn't intend it to sound as if I was making a judgment. The observation was prompted more by the fact that as others have now said, I don't think this visa will deliver what some people seem to hope it will deliver - ie an easy workaround to get back the freedom of movement that Brits have lost. If I had to make a judgment then I would agree that Spain should indeed issue visas that will benefit Spain and the Spanish economy. I didn't mean to suggest that these visas should be dished out like sweeties to every wannabee online English tutor, I was just saying that anyone who thought they would, might be in for a disappointment. It is a lot more ambitious than that.

spainrico 's link is interesting.
The aim is to promote the creation and growth of innovative emerging companies based on digital technology and rapid growth, and boost measures for attracting international talent and investors.Startups must have an innovative nature etc. So I doubt that anybody working for an online language agency scheme would be granted this visa, that is not what Spain is looking for and I question whether their earnings would even cover the accommodation rates charged by the hosts.

It seems well thought out and makes a lot of sense to me. One thing that I didn't see, that I wonder whether will be included, is a route to move from this visa to a more permanent residence option at the end of five successful years. It would seem counter productive to encourage people to set up businesses that will grow year on year and then kick them out after five years, by which time they could be making a real contribution to the eoonomy. More of a win-win to offer an option for continuing what they've started, surely, especially since as has also been touched on, being a digital nomad tends to be a phase in your life, and as you get older you grow out of it. Perhaps the expectation is that a proportion of these businesses will not prosper sufficiently to justify themselves, a proportion will prosper but the worker will want to continue being nomadic and will move on, and a proportion will prosper and want to settle in Spain and Spain will want them to stay.

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

That is the thing: it gives you zero residency rights. After 5 years you need to return to UK and if you want to return to Spain you will need to make another visa application. That's the point : it is for people who do not intend to be residence because they stay temporarily. If it conferred residency rights it would allow people to get around the Brexit agreement. That is why the tax etc is non-resident.

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

As you know, the British are desperate to work around the dreadful loss of EU freedom of movement. Therefore, they will look at every new scheme as a potential escape route.

Clearly this scheme will not help most of them.

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

Of course this visa is not particularly aimed at Brits, in fact I would imagine that the majority will go to highly motivated and ambitious skilled applicants from outside Europe. Nor are Brits the only ones who would welcome an easy route to gaining residency in the EU, there is nothing specially disadvantageous about the Brexit agreement, it is only the same rules as for other TCNs and a lot of people would get around them if they could. No doubt TCNs of all nationalities who want a taste of Europe will be looking at this scheme and if it means that the high flyers are attracted to Spain rather than France, Germany etc, then the visa will be achieving its purpose and good on Spain.
You are probably right though that some Brits are still finding it hard to come to terms with TCN immigration rules applying to them.

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

Hardly surprising is it, considering a massive swathe of the UK population have had part of their citizenship ripped away from them against their will and remember, this is unprecedented in peacetime.

It's a horrible situation and I'm so glad I have the privilege of an Irish passport. Others are not so fortunate.

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

Well Rosemary will shout at us if we get into anohter Brexit argument.
But let's see if I can get away with saying: I didn't want it and I hate everything about it but I don't think crying sour grapes helps. It's politics, it's not about individuals' wishes. I didn't have EU "citizenship" when I was born. It was given to me when I was in my teens as a result of a national political decision, I didn't ask for it but I was very glad to have it. It was taken away from me again when I was in my 60s as a result of another national political decision. I didn't want to give it up but thankfully I still have the right to reside, and could apply for French citizenship if I wanted to. Yes, personally I think it's sad that for the foreseeable future at least Brits won't enjoy the opportunities that the previous couple of generations of Brits enjoyed. But I don't see it as a birthright, Out of all the countries in the world there are 27 countries whose citizens do currently enjoy that freedom. This may change in the future as new members join and old members leave. Freedom come, freedom go... as the line goes.

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

I was planning on applying for this, with the hope that after the 5 years i could apply for residency.
Im a software engineer, and i work for a uk based (now taiwanese owned, i was an owner/director, now an employee, uk citizen) medical transplant diagnostics company. I work predominantly from home, and have been spending a month or so at a time in spain (keeping within the 90/180 day limits)
Im 55, and had planned to go down the nlv route, but brexit has made it difficult, I could probably still do it, but healthcare may be a prohibitively expensive issue.
this digital nomad visa looked ideal for me, take me up to 60, then i could apply for residency. But what im reading here says that wont be an option? I’m sure that ive read somewhere that you could apply for residency once you have been there for 5 years. Can anyone confirm this is definitely the case or do I just have to wait and see what the final version of the bill says

cheers

john

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

I don't think you have said anything in your post that anyone could object to.

I take your point about only 27 countries enjoying the right to EU freedom of movement but I think it's having it taken away that many UK nationals object to, particularly if it's against their will.

On the topic of this thread, I know that many Brits were hoping this new scheme would be a path to eventual residency but it doesn't look like it is. That will be a huge disappointment for many.

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

Unfortunately I don't think this visa will give you any residency rights beyond five years.
Also you say.and the law seems to say
Startups must have an innovative nature. The term Startup is defined as: New companies or companies less than 5 years old (7 years for biotechnology, energy, industrial and other strategic companies, or that have developed their own technology designed entirely in Spain). They cannot be listed on a stock market, distribute profits, or have annual revenues that exceeds 5 million euros
I am not sure that as the employee of a UK-based Taiwanese owned company, you would be eligible because I can't see what the company itself will be contributing to the Spanish economy. Presumably it won't be paying corporate tax there, or does it have plans to invest in Spain and set up an entity there? Is it in fact a start-up/emerging company?

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

This visa still wouldn't help if you are worried about healthcare costs.
If its like the ones in other countries a valid continuous private health policy will be one of the conditions.
Because there is no hope of residency, how would you be able to avail yourself of the local health service, as its for legal residents only to pay into?

I have two friends and an ex colleague in Barbados on the nomad visa they issue and healthcare was one of the priority requirements. (that and earning over a certain amount a year).

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

I'm pretty hazy on how this scheme works but I suppose there is nothing stopping you from renewing every year until your five years is up and then applying for a NLV.

This scheme does not entitle you to full time residency at the end of the five years so you would have to start again with the NLV process.

Re: New Digital Nomad visas
 

Thanks for everyone’s feedback.
maybe i have misunderstood, or the scheme hasn’t been fully defined yet. Last time i looked it appeared that it would be open to remote workers, who work for a foreign company, and get at least 50% ( i think, or maybe it was higher) of their income from abroad. If this is the case then there is no input into the spanish economy other than the person being in the country and buying goods and services, and the foreign company would not have any direct investment in spain.
I did not see that there was any requirement that the company was a startup company, but i accept i could have missed that.

i appreciate that this sort of visa is to attract younger people than me, but i thought i might just squeak in ;)

Thanks again

john