Spain non-lucrative visa from the US in 2026: income, insurance, FBI check and which consulate

The IPREM (indicador público de renta de efectos múltiples) is the Spanish index used for this visa. In 2026 it is 600 EUR a month, or 7,200 EUR a year ¹. You need ¹:

• 400% of the IPREM for yourself: 28,800 EUR a year, about 32,000 USD;
• 100% more for each family member: 7,200 EUR a year, about 8,000 USD.

People	Per year (EUR)	Washington estimate (USD)
1	28,800	about 32,000
2	36,000	about 40,000
3	43,200	about 48,000
4	50,400	about 56,000

The dollar amounts are estimates that move with the exchange rate. Houston estimates about 33,400 USD for the applicant and about 8,330 USD per family member ². Plan with the higher figure.

If part of your means is periodic income, Washington asks for a recent document confirming you will receive it for at least the next 12 months ¹.

Each consulate sets its own paperwork:

• Washington asks for bank statements from the last 3 months for all accounts, a bank certificate per account with the balance at 31 December of the previous year and the average balance over 12 months (with a sworn translation), and your latest tax return ¹.
• Houston asks for complete bank statements for the last 12 months, showing the balance at 31 December of the previous year, or the last 5 months for retirees ².
• Los Angeles states that applicants cannot have or leave loans or mortgages in the United States when applying ³.

Read your consulate's page line by line before you order translations.

The visa does not allow any type of work or professional activity, including remote online work ¹. Los Angeles says the same: the visa does not allow teleworking ³. If you plan to keep working for a US employer or clients, look at the remote work visa.

The health insurance must ^{1 3}:

• come from an insurer authorised to operate in Spain;
• have no deductible, no copayment, no waiting period and no coverage limit;
• be valid for one year and kept for the whole stay.

Travel insurance with medical cover is not accepted, and an insurance card alone is not accepted as proof ¹.

Criminal record. You need a background check issued by the FBI, part of the US Department of Justice. State or local police checks are not accepted ¹. It must be ^{1 3}:

• issued within 6 months before you submit the application;
• legalised with the federal Hague Apostille issued by the US Department of State in Washington, D.C. ³; Washington refuses apostilles that certify a local notary's signature instead of the signature on the FBI check ¹;
• translated into Spanish by a sworn or certified translator (the apostille itself needs no translation).

Houston and Los Angeles also ask for criminal record certificates from every country you lived in during the last five years ^{2 3}.

Medical certificate. Washington asks for a certificate issued within 90 days of your application and signed by a physician; certificates signed by nurse practitioners or physician assistants are refused. The consulate's bilingual model needs no translation ¹.

You apply at the consulate for the state where you live ⁴:

Consulate	States and territories
Boston	Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
Chicago	Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin
Houston	Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas
Los Angeles	Southern California (Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties), Arizona, Colorado, Utah
Miami	Florida, Georgia, South Carolina
New York	Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
San Francisco	Alaska, the rest of California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, US Pacific territories
Washington, D.C.	District of Columbia, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
San Juan	Puerto Rico, Culebra and Vieques, US Virgin Islands

Washington, Houston and Los Angeles take non-lucrative applications at BLS International centres, in person and by appointment ^{1 2 3}. If you are not a US citizen, Houston asks for a green card, or a valid US visa with an I-20, and does not accept applications from B-1/B-2 visitors ².

Washington notes that its page follows Royal Decree 1155/2024, in force since 20 May 2025 ¹. The visa is valid for one year, and you apply for your foreigner identity card (TIE) within one month of entering Spain ¹.