Spain: New Immigration Regulation (Real Decreto 1155/2024) enters force

Who it affects

All non-EEA residents and applicants to Spanish residence permits from 20 May 2025.

Sources

Primary: BOE — Boletín Oficial del Estado (Spanish Official Gazette) ↗

Corroborating: Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones ↗ · La Moncloa — Spanish Government ↗

Verified 2026-04-19 · methodology · report a correction

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National short-term rental registry (Registro Único de Alquileres) mandatory

From 1 July 2025 all operators of short-term rental accommodation (Airbnb, Booking, direct-bookings) must register with the national Registro Único de Alquileres and display the registry number in listings. Designed to enforce licensing compliance in major tourist cities. Related municipal moratoria (notably Barcelona's plan to eliminate tourist rental licences by 2028) continue separately.

Who it affects: Short-term rental hosts and tourist-accommodation operators.

BOE — Boletín Oficial del Estado (Spanish Official Gazette) ↗ · La Moncloa — Spanish Government ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 20 May 2025

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Family regrouping permitted after one year of residence

Under the 2025 Immigration Regulation, non-EEA residents with permits including the DNV, HQP, and NLV can apply for family regrouping after one year of residence — rather than waiting until the first renewal (typically two years). Materially shortens the timeline for reuniting with a spouse and dependent children.

Who it affects: DNV, HQP, NLV, and other non-EEA residence-permit holders seeking family regrouping.

Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones ↗ · BOE — Boletín Oficial del Estado (Spanish Official Gazette) ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

In force 3 Apr 2025

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Golden Visa (investor residency via real-estate) abolished

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Who it affects: High-net-worth non-EEA applicants to the Spanish investor-residence route via real estate.

BOE — Boletín Oficial del Estado (Spanish Official Gazette) ↗ · La Moncloa — Spanish Government ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

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Repealed Taxation

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RDL 9/2024, enacted in December 2024 with a broad package of individual-taxation amendments, was rejected by Congress during its mandatory convalidation vote on 22 January 2025 and therefore repealed retroactively. The net effect is that the tax rules in force before December 2024 (including the Beckham Law as constituted under the 2023 Startups Law) remained unchanged. A political signal of the Sánchez coalition's fragility during this period.

Who it affects: Beckham Law beneficiaries and other individual-tax regimes potentially affected by RDL 9/2024.

BOE — Boletín Oficial del Estado (Spanish Official Gazette) ↗ · Agencia Tributaria (Spanish Tax Authority) ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

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Retroactively effective 1 January 2025, the SMI rose from €1,134 to €1,184 per month (14 payments per year). This has flow-through effects on residence-permit income thresholds pegged to SMI — notably the Digital Nomad Visa minimum income requirement (200% SMI = €2,368/month) and derivative permits.

Who it affects: Low-wage employees; DNV applicants and other permit categories with SMI-linked income thresholds.

BOE — Boletín Oficial del Estado (Spanish Official Gazette) ↗ · La Moncloa — Spanish Government ↗ · verified 2026-04-19

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US W-2 employees confirmed eligible for Digital Nomad Visa

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Who it affects: US remote workers employed through standard W-2 arrangements with US companies.

Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, UE y Cooperación ↗ · Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones ↗ · verified 2026-04-19