From a Canadian T4 to Spanish residency.
Spain's Digital Nomad Visa is the cleanest legal long-stay route for Canadian remote workers - no investment required, no spousal route needed, and a 6-year Beckham Law tax window at a flat 24% on Spanish-sourced income up to €600k.
Beckham Law eligible · No Spanish entity required · Hague Apostille since Jan 2024
Income · 2026
€2,849/mo
≈ C$4,200/mo gross
Police clearance
RCMP Certified Criminal Record Check (fingerprint-based)
Hague Apostille (live since Jan 2024)
Where you apply
Spanish consulate covering your province
Toronto · Montréal · Ottawa
Your roadmap from Canada to Spain
- 1
Confirm income & employer authorisation
DNV applicants need 200% of Spain's SMI (€2,849/mo in 2026, ≈ C$4,200). T4 employees need a remote-work authorisation letter; sole proprietors need 3+ months of invoices and contracts.
- 2
Order RCMP Certified Criminal Record Check (fingerprint-based)
Use an accredited fingerprinting agency, then submit to the RCMP. Allow 4–8 weeks. Spain requires the long-form fingerprint check, not a name-based local police check.
- 3
Provincial authentication + Hague Apostille
As of January 11, 2024 Canada is on the Hague Apostille Convention. Most provinces issue the apostille directly; Global Affairs Canada handles the rest. Confirm your province's process before mailing.
- 4
Sworn translation into Spanish
Use a sworn translator from Spain's MAEUEC list. Canadian 'certified' translations or notarised English-to-Spanish work are not accepted by Spanish consulates.
- 5
Book at the consulate covering your province
Toronto covers Ontario plus most of central and western Canada. Montréal covers Québec and the Maritimes. Ottawa handles diplomatic and limited general intake. Slots open ~90 days out.
- 6
Land in Spain → TIE within 30 days
Enter on the visa, register your padrón, get your TIE within 30 days, and decide between Beckham and autónomo within 6 months of becoming Spanish tax resident.
Your tax picture in Spain
The Canada–Spain tax treaty prevents double taxation on most income types. T4 employees keep their Canadian payroll on file but become Spanish tax-resident once they spend 183+ days in Spain. The Beckham regime applies for 6 years on Spanish-sourced employment income, sole proprietors usually do better as autónomo with accounting deductions.
24% flat
Beckham rate on Spanish-source income up to €600k.
6 years
Beckham window for qualifying new tax residents.
Treaty-backed
Canada–Spain tax treaty avoids double taxation on most income types.
Free tool
Beckham vs. Autónomo, which nets you more?
- Toggle annual income & tax scheme
- 2026 autónomo social-security tiers
- Side-by-side vs. your Canadian take-home
Free single-scenario tool. The full multi-scenario suite (Income, Tax, City, Emergency Fund) lives in the $15 DNV Smart Toolkit.
Estimates only. Confirm Beckham eligibility with a Spanish-licensed asesor within 6 months of becoming Spanish tax resident, miss the window and you're locked into standard IRPF. Canadian departure-tax and RRSP rules also apply when you sever Canadian tax residency.
Canada-specific FAQs
Tap a question to expand the answer.
Three steps from idea to TIE in hand.
Most Canadian applicants succeed by stacking the Free Guide, the Smart Toolkit, and an Application Review Pack before they book the consulate. Pick where you are.
Free DNV Guide
12-section starter guide with 2026 income thresholds, RCMP/Apostille timeline, and the Beckham vs. Autónomo decision tree.
Get the guideDNV Smart Toolkit
Income Calculator, Tax Estimator (Beckham vs Autónomo), City Comparison and Emergency Fund, all in EUR/CAD with T4 and sole-proprietor presets.
Get the ToolkitApplication Review Pack
Send your draft. We return a written PDF Review Report plus written follow-up Q&A by email, catches mistakes before the consulate does.
Get the Review PackNot sure where you stand yet?
Take the 2-minute eligibility quiz, see your DNV readiness in plain English.