Income Requirement for Spanish Residency: IPREM Explained
Nearly every income threshold in Spanish immigration is expressed not in euros but as a percentage of IPREM: a state indicator frozen at 600 euros per month since 2023. Once you know the formula for your permit type, you can work out the exact figure for your family in a minute and focus on what actually decides cases: how the income is evidenced.
First, a quick routing note: the non-lucrative visa, family reunification, student stays and arraigo are calculated from IPREM, and this page covers them. The digital nomad visa, employment contracts and the startup visa are pegged to the minimum wage, SMI: those are covered in a separate SMI guide.
Contents
- What IPREM is
- The formula for each permit type
- Figures for 2026
- If your case runs off SMI
- How to evidence the income
What IPREM is
IPREM (Indicador Público de Renta de Efectos Múltiples) is the official income indicator the Spanish state uses as a single reference point for benefits, subsidies and immigration thresholds. Its value is fixed in the national budget law; because no new budgets have been passed, the figure set by Ley 31/2022 has carried over through 2023, 2024, 2025 and remains in force in 2026. For immigration purposes the monthly value is the one that matters: all the percentage formulas below are calculated from it.
The formula for each permit type
The income requirements are set out in the Immigration Regulation (RD 1155/2024) and the official information sheets of the Ministry of Inclusion. Formulas age better than euro amounts, so the formulas are what you should remember.
| Permit type | Formula (monthly) |
|---|---|
| Non-lucrative visa | 400% of IPREM for the applicant + 100% of IPREM per family member |
| Family reunification | 150% of IPREM for a two-person household + 50% of IPREM for each additional member |
| Student stay (estancia por estudios) | 100% of IPREM for the student (50% if accommodation is prepaid) + 75% of IPREM for the first family member and 50% for each further one |
| Arraigo social (own means or family support) | 100% of IPREM in own means; if relying on a relative: 100% of IPREM held by the relative + a further 100% for the applicant |
| Job-seeker / business start-up residence | 100% of IPREM for the applicant (50% if accommodation is prepaid) + 75% for the first family member and 50% for each further one |
Two important exceptions:
- The digital nomad visa is calculated from the minimum wage (SMI), not IPREM: 200% of SMI for the applicant, plus 75% of SMI for the first family member and 25% for each further one. Formulas and figures: SMI in Spain.
- Family reunification involving minors is softened: a stable income source at SMI level is deemed sufficient, and for a two-person household where one member is a minor the floor is 110% of the guaranteed annual amount of the Ingreso Mínimo Vital, plus 10% for each additional minor. This rule comes from the official information sheet and is frequently misquoted online, with IMV wrongly replaced by IPREM.
Figures for 2026
IPREM in 2026: €600 per month, €7,200 per year. For the NLV: €28,800 per year for the applicant (400% IPREM) + €7,200 per dependant (100% IPREM)current for 2026
Worked examples at the current monthly IPREM of 600 euros (all figures indicative: check the current indicator value before filing):
Non-lucrative visa
| Household | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Single applicant | EUR 2,400 | EUR 28,800 |
| Couple | EUR 3,000 | EUR 36,000 |
| Family with one child (3 people) | EUR 3,600 | EUR 43,200 |
At the initial application funds are shown for one year (the length of the first card); at renewal for two years, so a single applicant renewing evidences 57,600 euros.
Family reunification
| Household | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Sponsor + 1 family member | EUR 900 |
| Sponsor + 2 family members | EUR 1,200 |
| Sponsor + 3 family members | EUR 1,500 |
If your case runs off SMI
The digital nomad visa, the salary floors in employment contracts and the softened threshold for reunifying minors are pegged to the second indicator: the minimum wage, SMI. Unlike the frozen IPREM, SMI rises almost every year (for 2026: 1,221 euros per month in 14 payments), so these thresholds climb from one filing to the next. The formulas, 2026 figures and the employment-law side of SMI are covered separately: SMI: Spain’s minimum wage and thresholds.
How to evidence the income
Official guidance admits any means of proof, but in practice there is a clear hierarchy of persuasiveness.
Periodic, stable sources carry the most weight: a pension (award certificate plus statements showing the payments), long-term rental income (the lease plus proof of regular payments and the tax returns declaring that income), dividends and coupon income (proof of ownership of the assets and a payment history). If the funds derive from shares in companies operating in Spain, you will additionally need a certificate from the company confirming you perform no work in it, together with your own sworn declaration to that effect.
Savings are accepted in the form of a bank certificate confirming the balance and availability of funds; certified cheques and credit cards also qualify if the bank confirms the available limit in writing. Online banking screenshots and plain printouts without bank certification are weak evidence.
As for the period, aim for an inflow history of at least 6, and ideally 12, months: the examiner assesses the stability of the picture, not a snapshot on a single date. Every document issued outside Spain must be filed with a sworn translation (traducción jurada) into Spanish and, where required, an apostille.
One further tool from practice: the declaración responsable de suficiencia de recursos, a signed declaration of sufficient means. Formally it is the template for researchers and students under EU Directive 2016/801 and for the job-seeker and business start-up residence permits, but in practice it is accepted more widely, including in startup visa filings under Ley 14/2013. In the declaration the applicant lists the sources of funds in three blocks: bank accounts and deposits (institution, IBAN, amount in euros), shares or participations, and other assets with their origin and location. Its legal nature matters: under article 69.4 of Ley 39/2015, any essential inaccuracy, falsehood or omission terminates the right the declaration supports, with potential criminal, civil and administrative liability, and the administration may demand documents proving what was declared. The declaration therefore does not replace bank certificates; it works alongside them: declare only what you are ready to substantiate.
Common mistakes when proving funds
-
Calculating from the wrong base. Annual IPREM exists in two versions: 12 payments and 14 payments. Immigration formulas run off the monthly value multiplied by 12. Getting the base wrong leaves you thousands of euros short.
-
Large recent deposits with no explanation of origin. A big transfer landing a month before filing raises questions: the examiner wants to see the money is genuinely yours and will stay available. Document the sale of an asset or a gift properly.
-
Salary from your current employer as the source for the NLV. This permit prohibits work, and income that presupposes continued employment contradicts the very nature of the authorisation. Consulates refuse on this point regularly.
-
Statements instead of bank certificates. A printout of account movements without the bank’s signature and stamp is not certified evidence. Ask the bank specifically for a certificate of balance and availability of funds.
-
Missing sworn translation or apostille. Financial documents from another country are not accepted without a traducción jurada, and this is one of the most frustrating ways to stall a file: the income is there, the form killed it.
Frequently asked questions
What is IPREM in plain terms?
IPREM (Indicador Público de Renta de Efectos Múltiples) is a state income indicator set in Spain's national budget law. It has been frozen since 2023 at 600 euros per month, or 7,200 euros per year. Immigration income requirements are almost always written as a percentage of IPREM, so every threshold you see ultimately derives from this one figure.
How much income do you need for the non-lucrative visa?
400% of the monthly IPREM for the main applicant, which is 2,400 euros per month or 28,800 euros per year, plus 100% of IPREM for each family member: another 600 euros monthly or 7,200 annually per person. At renewal the funds are assessed for two years ahead, so the required amount effectively doubles.
Do savings count instead of regular income?
Formally yes: official guidance accepts any admissible means of proof, including bank certificates of balance, deposits and even credit cards backed by a bank letter confirming the available limit. In practice consulates favour stable periodic income such as pensions, rent or dividends. The strongest file combines both: regular inflows plus savings covering the full period requested.
Should you show more than the minimum?
Legally the formula minimum is enough, but in practice a 10-20 percent buffer noticeably reduces the risk of refusal or follow-up requests. The examiner weighs stability as much as the number: income sitting exactly on the threshold from irregular sources looks weaker than the same amount arriving from a pension or a long-term lease.