Do you qualify?
- Does your trip as a visitor last 90 days or less within a 180-day period?
- Do you have a named and closed exit ticket?
- Can you show €122.10 per day of stay, with a minimum of €1,098.90?
- Have you already chosen a legal residence route (studies, job offer, remote work or family)?
- Do you plan to stay in Spain after your stay expires without a permit?
Answer the questions to see where you stand.
A first check against the rules in this guide. The consulate checks your own case.
Key facts
- Visa to visit Spain
- Not needed: up to 90 days in any 180-day period 1
- Money they can ask for on entry
- €122.10 per day, minimum €1,098.90 per person 2
- Study and work
- Higher education studies with permission to work up to 30 hours a week 4
- Remote work (digital nomad)
- Minimum income of €2,442 a month in 14 payments 7
- Spanish nationality
- 2 years of legal and continuous residence for nationals by origin of Ibero-American countries 9
- Staying without a permit
- Serious infringement: fine of €501 to €10,000 or expulsion 8
What visa-free entry allows
Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua are in annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, the list of countries whose nationals are exempt from a visa to cross the external borders of the Schengen area 1. The exemption covers stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period 1. That stay is for tourism, visits or errands. Working in Spain without authorisation is a serious infringement 8.
At the entry check they can ask you to show financial means 2:
- For your upkeep, 10% of the minimum interprofessional wage for each day of stay and for each person in your care, with a minimum of 90% of the minimum wage per person.
- The exit ticket or tickets, named and closed.
With the 2026 minimum wage, set at €1,221 a month 3, that gives €122.10 per day and a minimum of €1,098.90 per person. For a 30-day trip, that is €3,663.
The legal residence routes from your country
To live in Spain you need a visa or a permit according to the reason 4. These are the routes most used from Central America:
| Route | The essentials | Who applies |
|---|---|---|
| Higher education studies | Admission to a recognised centre and tuition paid | You, at the consulate, or from Spain if you are in a regular situation |
| Employed work | An offer from a company and an immigration permit | The company, and then you for the visa |
| Remote work (digital nomad) | €2,442 a month from companies or clients outside Spain | You, at the consulate |
| Family of a resident | A relative with residence in Spain who reunites you | Your relative, in Spain |
| Family of a Spaniard | Spouse, partner, children or dependent ascendants of a Spanish person | You, with your Spanish relative |
The sources for each row: studies 4, work 5, remote work 7, family of a resident and of a Spaniard 4.
The visa is requested at the consular section of the Spanish Embassy in your country. Check its page for the list of documents and whether it works by appointment.
Studying in Spain
The stay permit for higher education studies requires that you have been admitted to a recognised higher education centre and have paid the tuition 4. From your country, you apply for the visa at least two months before the start of the studies 4.
The regulation also allows the application for higher education studies to be filed from Spain if you are in the country regularly, you are of age and you file it at least two months before the studies begin and two months before your legal situation ends 4. With a 90-day stay, that margin is short: you need the admission and the documents ready from the first month.
The higher education studies permit allows you to work as an employee or self-employed, without any additional procedure, as long as it is compatible with the studies and with a maximum of 30 hours a week 4. Going over that limit is a cause for the permit to lapse 4.
Working with a job offer
The Spanish company first requests your residence and work permit at the immigration office and you then request the visa at the consulate of your residence 5. The national employment situation must allow the hiring: the occupation is in the catalogue of hard-to-fill occupations or the company proves that it cannot find candidates in Spain 5.
One of the requirements is not being in Spain irregularly 5. People from Honduras are exempt, under an agreement with Spain, from the consular fee for the work visa and from the fee for the initial temporary residence permit 6.
The full step by step, with deadlines and documents, is in the guide on the work visa with a job offer.
Why it pays to arrive with the permit
Staying in Spain without an extension of stay or a residence permit is a serious infringement 8. It is punished with a fine of €501 to €10,000 8, and expulsion carries an entry ban of up to five years 8.
It also closes doors for the future. The work permit requires not being in Spain irregularly 5. And Spanish nationality, which nationals by origin of Ibero-American countries can request after two years of residence, requires that residence to be legal, continuous and immediately prior to the application 9.
The safest way to emigrate is to choose a route before travelling, gather the documents in your country and enter with the right visa.
Step by step
- Step 1 of 5Choose your route
Studies, work with an offer, remote work or family: each one has its own requirements 4.
- Step 3 of 5Apply for the visa at the embassy
At the consular section of Spain in your country; for studies, at least 2 months before the course 4.
- Step 4 of 5Travel with the required means
Bring the visa, the ticket and the proof of means they may ask for at the border 2.
- Step 5 of 5Apply for the TIE on arrival
With the work visa, the TIE is requested in the month after registration with Social Security 5.
Documents you will need 7 documents
- Valid passport(for work, with at least 1 year of validity)
- Named and closed exit ticketif you travel as a visitor
- Proof of financial means for the stay
- Admission and tuition paymentfor studies
- Residence and work permit and stamped contractfor work
- Criminal record for the last 5 yearsapostilled
- Medical certificate under the International Health Regulations of 2005
Questions
Do I need a visa to travel to Spain from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador or Nicaragua?
Can I work if I enter as a tourist?
No. Working in Spain without a work permit and without valid residence is a serious infringement 8.
How much money can they ask me for at the airport?
Can I apply for the student visa while already in Spain?
For higher education studies, the regulation allows it if you are in a regular situation, you are of age and you file the application at least two months before the studies begin and before your legal situation ends 4.
How many years do I need for Spanish nationality?
Two years of legal residence, continuous and immediately prior to the application, as a national by origin of an Ibero-American country 9.
Before you rely on this
- The list of visa-exempt countries can change: the EU strengthened its mechanism to suspend exemptions in 2025. Check the current annex II before buying the ticket 1.
- We could not open the Ministry of the Interior page on entry requirements. The figures for financial means come from Orden PRE/1282/2007 and the 2026 minimum wage; the border check may ask for other documents, such as proof of accommodation 2 3.
- The European ETIAS system, which will require a prior authorisation from visa-exempt travellers, has no confirmed start date in the official sources we could open. Check its status before travelling.
- The remote work figure comes from the consulate's page in Buenos Aires; confirm the one from the Spanish embassy in your country 7.
- Filing the studies application from Spain has very tight deadlines with a 90-day stay. Before planning it, ask an immigration lawyer in Spain whether your case fits article 54 of the regulation 4.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change: confirm with the consulate or a lawyer before you apply.
Sources9 sources, 9 official
- Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, consolidated text of 30 December 2025 (article 4 and annex II)officialEUR-Lex, European Union
- Orden PRE/1282/2007, on financial means for entry into SpainofficialBoletín Oficial del Estado
- Cuantías anuales: SMI 2026 (Real Decreto 126/2026)officialServicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE)
- Real Decreto 1155/2024, Reglamento de la Ley Orgánica 4/2000 (consolidated text)officialBoletín Oficial del Estado
- Hoja informativa 12: Autorización inicial de residencia temporal y trabajo por cuenta ajenaofficialMinisterio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones
- Visado para trabajo por cuenta ajenaofficialEmbassy of Spain in Honduras, consular section
- Visado de residencia para teletrabajo (nómada digital)officialMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Consulate General in Buenos Aires
- Ley Orgánica 4/2000, de derechos y libertades de los extranjeros (articles 53, 55 and 58)officialBoletín Oficial del Estado
- Código Civil, article 22officialBoletín Oficial del Estado
