Buying a home on Ibiza no longer brings the right to live there. Spain closed its golden visa on 3 April 2025, so residency now depends on your passport, your income and how you plan to spend your time, not on the price of the villa. This guide is for international buyers who want more than holidays on the island: who can simply move, which visas fit non-EU buyers, when Spain starts to treat you as tax-resident, and what that does to your tax bill on Ibiza.
Golden visa closed
The tax-residence test
Balearic wealth-tax allowance for residents
Every rule cited to the law
Last updated: October 2026
By: Alexander Thornbury
Does buying in Ibiza give you residency?
No. Spain abolished its golden visa from 3 April 2025, and with it the route that gave a residence permit to anyone who invested EUR 500,000 in property. People who already held one keep it, but no new permits are issued on the back of a purchase, whatever the price. A villa in Sant Josep gives you somewhere to live, not the right to live there.
That shifts the question from the property to the person. An EU passport makes the move simple. A British, American or Gulf passport means choosing a visa that matches how you earn and how long you plan to stay. Either way, the purchase itself runs the same: our step-by-step buying guide covers it, and our main Ibiza guide sets out the costs.
Who can simply move to Ibiza?
Citizens of EU and EEA countries, and of Switzerland, need no visa. They can live on Ibiza by right, and after three months they register as residents, which gives them a registration certificate alongside the NIE, the tax number every buyer needs anyway. That covers buyers from the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Germany, Belgium and Italy, the countries that make up much of Ibiza’s international market.
Everyone else is limited to 90 days in any 180 across the whole Schengen area, not just Spain. For a British owner, that means a summer on Ibiza and a long weekend in France can use up the same allowance. Our guide for buyers from the UK works through the rule in practice.
Which visas suit non-EU buyers?
The non-lucrative visa, for most. It is designed for people who live on their own means: pensions, investments, rental income. In 2026 it needs EUR 2,400 a month for the main applicant, plus EUR 600 for each dependant, along with private health insurance, and it does not allow you to work in Spain. It suits a buyer who wants to live on the island for most of the year without a Spanish job.
The digital nomad visa is the alternative for people who keep working remotely for employers or clients outside Spain. It needs an income of about EUR 2,849 a month in 2026, twice the minimum wage. Someone moving to take up a job in Spain uses a work-based permit instead, and may then qualify for the Beckham regime described below.
| Route (2026) | Who it suits | Income needed | Work in Spain? |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU, EEA or Swiss citizen | Anyone with the passport | None set | Yes |
| Non-lucrative visa | Living on pensions or investments | EUR 2,400 a month, plus EUR 600 per dependant | No |
| Digital nomad visa | Remote work for clients or employers abroad | About EUR 2,849 a month | Remote work only |
| Golden visa (property) | Closed to new applicants since 3 April 2025 | – | – |
When do you become tax-resident?
When you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or when the centre of your business or economic interests is in Spain. There is a third test too: if your spouse and young children live in Spain, you are presumed resident unless you prove otherwise. Residence is judged year by year, and holding a residence card doesn’t settle it either way. It’s where you spend your time and where your life is centred.
Once resident, you pay Spanish income tax on your worldwide income, not just on what arises in Spain, and you must declare foreign assets above EUR 50,000 in each category on form 720. Plan the year of arrival with an adviser in both countries, because your home country may still treat you as resident for part of it, and the tax treaty then decides who taxes what.
How does moving change your tax?
It changes the basis of almost every tax. As a non-resident you pay only on the Ibiza home: a notional income tax on its cadastral value, and wealth tax on your Spanish assets above EUR 700,000. As a Balearic resident you are taxed on everything you own and earn worldwide, but the wealth-tax allowance rises to EUR 3M, and up to EUR 300,000 of your main home is exempt. For a buyer whose wealth sits mostly in the house, that can lower the wealth-tax bill. For one with large assets abroad, it raises it.
Some things don’t change. The transfer tax when you buy is the same for residents and non-residents. So is the Balearic inheritance relief: children, grandchildren, spouses and parents have had 100% relief since July 2023, whether the family lives on the island or not. Our Ibiza property tax guide runs the numbers for both cases, and our comparison with Mallorca and Marbella shows how the regions differ.
| Tax (2026) | Non-resident owner | Balearic resident |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax | On the Spanish home only: 1.1% of cadastral value at 19% (EU/EEA) or 24% | On worldwide income, at progressive rates |
| Wealth tax | Spanish assets above EUR 700,000 | Worldwide wealth above EUR 3M; up to EUR 300,000 of the main home exempt |
| Foreign assets declaration | Not required | Form 720 above EUR 50,000 per category |
| Transfer tax on buying | 8% to 13% | 8% to 13% |
| Inheritance, close family | 100% Balearic relief | 100% Balearic relief |
Is the Beckham regime worth it?
For someone moving to Spain for a job, often yes. The Beckham regime lets a new arrival pay a flat 24% on Spanish employment income up to EUR 600,000 a year, for the year of the move and the five years after. Most foreign income stays outside Spanish income tax during that time, and wealth tax applies only to Spanish assets, as it would for a non-resident. You qualify only if you haven’t been resident in Spain in the previous five years.
It doesn’t help a retiree or an investor with no Spanish job. For them, the choice is simpler: stay non-resident and keep Ibiza as a second home, or move fully and accept Spanish tax on worldwide income. Where on the island to settle is a separate question, and our guide to Ibiza’s prime areas takes each part in turn.
Key takeaways
- Property buys no residency since Spain closed its golden visa on 3 April 2025.
- EU, EEA and Swiss citizens simply register after three months on the island.
- Non-EU buyers usually need the non-lucrative visa: EUR 2,400 a month in 2026, and no work in Spain.
- Tax residence follows 183 days or your centre of economic interests, and brings worldwide income into Spanish tax.
- Moving lifts the wealth-tax allowance to EUR 3M but taxes worldwide assets.
- The Beckham regime gives job-movers a flat 24% on Spanish salary for six years.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still get a golden visa by buying property in Ibiza?
No. Spain closed the golden visa to new applicants from 3 April 2025. Existing permits stay valid, but buying property no longer leads to residence, at any price.
Do EU citizens need a visa to live in Ibiza?
No. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can live in Spain by right. After three months they register as residents and receive a registration certificate, alongside the NIE tax number.
How long can a British owner stay in Ibiza without a visa?
90 days in any 180, counted across the whole Schengen area. Time spent in France or Italy uses the same allowance. Longer stays need a visa, usually the non-lucrative visa.
How much income do I need for Spain’s non-lucrative visa?
EUR 2,400 a month for the main applicant in 2026, plus EUR 600 a month for each dependant, with private health insurance. The visa does not allow work in Spain.
Can I work remotely from Ibiza?
Yes, with the digital nomad visa if you’re not an EU citizen. It needs an income of about EUR 2,849 a month in 2026 from employers or clients outside Spain.
When do I become tax-resident in Spain?
When you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or when the centre of your economic interests is in Spain. A spouse and young children living in Spain also make you presumed resident.
Does owning a villa in Ibiza make me tax-resident?
Not on its own. Residence depends on your days in Spain and where your interests are centred. A non-resident owner pays Spanish tax only on the Spanish property.
What happens to my wealth tax if I move to Ibiza?
The allowance rises from EUR 700,000 to the Balearic EUR 3M, and up to EUR 300,000 of your main home is exempt, but your worldwide assets come into the tax instead of only your Spanish ones.
What is the Beckham regime?
A regime for people moving to Spain for work: a flat 24% on Spanish employment income up to EUR 600,000, for the year of the move and five more. You must not have been resident in Spain in the previous five years.
Do I have to declare foreign assets once I’m resident?
Yes. Spanish residents declare foreign assets above EUR 50,000 in each category, such as accounts, securities or property, on form 720.
Does moving change inheritance tax on the Ibiza home?
Not for close family. Children, grandchildren, spouses and parents get the 100% Balearic relief whether or not the family lives in Spain.
Sources
- BOE – Organic Law 1/2025 (end of the golden visa from 3 April 2025)
- BOE – Income Tax Act, Law 35/2006 (tax residence art. 9; Beckham regime art. 93)
- BOE – Non-Resident Income Tax Act, Royal Legislative Decree 5/2004
- BOE – Wealth Tax Act, Law 19/1991 (main home exemption; non-residents)
- BOE – Balearic Legislative Decree 1/2014 (EUR 3M wealth-tax allowance art. 8; inheritance relief art. 36)
- Agencia Tributaria – Wealth tax for non-residents
- BOE – Law 14/2013 on entrepreneurs (international mobility visas, including remote work)
- BOE – Royal Decree 557/2011, Immigration Regulation (non-lucrative residence)
Figures current at October 2026. Visa income thresholds are updated each year with the IPREM and the minimum wage, and should be confirmed with the Spanish consulate before you apply.
About the author
Alexander Thornbury is a published author who writes on international property, tax and residency for high-net-worth buyers across Europe. His work focuses on the practical mechanics of cross-border purchase: what a buyer actually pays, owes and signs. More at alexanderthornbury.com.