Note

Existing Spain golden visa holders: what to do now

§ 1The gap in the sources

The government’s release says that investor residence visas were repealed from 3 April 2025. The release does not cover permits already granted, renewals or pending applications. The Ministry of Inclusion’s page on investors sets out the transitional rules, and we read it on 26 October 2026, but not in the gazette text. The first transitional provision says investors and family members who applied before the law took effect may receive the visa or authorisation under the rules in force on the date of their application. The second says valid investor visas and authorisations keep their validity for the period for which they were issued, and renewals are handled under the rules in force when the first authorisation was granted. The ministry’s management criteria of 10 June 2025 add detail. It is not the operative text, and a lawyer should confirm how it applies to you. Holders in that situation have a few steps to take, set against the background in the golden visa explained.

§ 2Keep your documents

Keep your residence card, the approval, the application receipts, the deed of the property and the registry extract. Keep proof of the investment and of the payments. Keep any notices from the foreigners’ office. These papers are your evidence, and a lawyer will ask for them first.

§ 3Note the dates

Write down the expiry date of the card, the date from which a renewal can be filed, and any other deadline in your permit. Missing a deadline in immigration matters can cost more than most mistakes in property. Ask the office or your lawyer what the process and the lead time are.

§ 4Get the transitional rules read

The rules that govern holders sit in the transitional provisions of the law and in the regulations that implement the permits, and the ministry’s page summarises them. They need to be read for your date of application and your type of permit. A lawyer who handles immigration can do that. Ask for a short written opinion that states the rule, the provision it comes from and the consequence for you.

§ 5Property and the permit

If your permit was based on a property, be careful with decisions about the property. Selling, mortgaging or transferring it may affect the conditions, depending on the permit. Do not act until you know. The old route is described in the old property route explained, and the abolition itself in the abolition explained.

§ 6If you want another route

Holders who prefer to move to a different type of residence can look at the alternatives, compared in outline in Alternatives to Spain golden visa. A change of route is a separate application with its own requirements.

§ 7Family members

If your permit covered family members, their position may depend on yours. Do not assume that a change to your permit leaves theirs untouched. Ask the lawyer to cover every person named in the file, and keep their documents together too.

§ 8What not to do

Do not pay a large fee to anyone who promises to “secure” your permit without reading your file. Do not let a deadline pass while you wait for advice. Do not hand over original documents without a receipt. And do not rely on a forum post for a rule that decides whether you can stay.

§ 9Where to ask

The foreigners’ office of your province is the first point of contact. Immigration lawyers can read the law and advise on your file. Avoid advisers who promise outcomes without reading your documents, and avoid paying large fees before they have identified the rule that applies.

Legal note. How the process works in general. It is not legal advice, and it never replaces an independent Spanish lawyer acting for you.