Deadline for the Spanish Golden Visa Announced

On 3 January 2025 confirmation of the abolishment of the Spanish Golden Visa was published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and will enter into force three months after its publication. According to the published decree, the Spanish authorities will stop accepting applications for ‘golden visas’ for investors as of 3rd April 2025.

Visas and authorisations for investors that are in force on the date of entry into force of this transitional provision will remain valid for the period for which they were issued,’ the document states. Furthermore, the document adds: ‘In the event that renewal applications are submitted, they shall be processed and resolved in accordance with the regulations in force on the date the initial authorisation was granted’.

In other words, the law includes a transitional clause to protect the visa of investors or their family members who applied before the entry into force of the new legislation. Visa renewals will be processed and decided according to the rules in force at the date of the original authorisation.

Therefore, after the vote in December 2024, the Spanish Congress of Deputies approved the abolition of the ‘Golden Visa’ programme and the publication of the new reform last January, foreign individuals interested in obtaining a residence permit in Spain through real estate investment will only be able to apply for it until 3 April 2025.