This is not a minimum-investment visa
Spain's entrepreneur route under Law 14/2013 is for an entrepreneurial and business activity that is innovative and/or of special economic interest to Spain. The official UGE-CE information expressly states that there is no fixed minimum investment and no fixed minimum job-creation requirement.
That does not make the route easy: the project must obtain the required favourable assessment, and the evidence must show why this particular project and this particular founder fit the legal test.
What ENISA assesses
The current official framework focuses on three areas:
- The applicant's professional profile and real involvement in the project.
- The business plan, including the project, product or service, financing needs and possible sources of financing.
- The added value for the Spanish economy, innovation and/or investment opportunities generated by the project.
When there are several shareholders, the role and participation of each founder can matter. A cap table by itself does not explain who is actually developing or directing the project.
The immigration file and the business case must be coherent
Founder profile, corporate documents, business plan, financing and the explanation of the activity should reinforce each other. Generic startup language is not enough if the evidence does not show what is innovative, why Spain is relevant to the project or how the applicant will be involved.
Filing through UGE-CE
The entrepreneur authorisation is processed under Law 14/2013 and filed electronically before the UGE-CE. The current law also regulates the scenario in which the applicant is outside Spain and the authorisation and visa are processed consecutively through the applicable procedure.
The residence authorisation has the statutory validity provided by Law 14/2013 and can be renewed if the requirements continue to be met.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a large investment automatically qualifies the project.
- Writing a business plan for investors instead of addressing the immigration assessment.
- Failing to explain the founder's own role when several partners are involved.
- Claiming innovation without evidence of the product, technology, model or economic value.
- Preparing the immigration documents separately from the ENISA assessment.
What to tell us before sending the full business plan
Give us a short description of the project, its current stage, your role and shareholding, where the company is or will be established, how the project is financed and why the activity is innovative or has special economic interest for Spain.
