Investment approach
Moving to Spain and buying property: where to start
Buying a home in Spain gives no residence permit: the golden visa was abolished on 3 April 2025. Moving and buying are decided separately: status, tax residence by 183 days, checking the home, squatters, choosing the area.
Moving to Spain and buying property are two separate decisions, and the starting point is status, not the property. Buying a flat or a house gives no right to live in the country: residence by investment has been abolished since 3 April 2025 (Ley Orgánica 1/2025), and without a permit a non-EU citizen stays in Schengen no more than 90 days in any 180-day period (Regulation (EU) 2016/399). The order: grounds for a residence permit with an immigration lawyer, then NIE and a bank account, then checking the property, and only then the deposit.
Does buying property give a residence permit in Spain
No. A residence permit in Spain is an authorisation to reside on grounds set by law, and the amount invested in housing no longer counts as such grounds: articles 63 to 67 of Ley 14/2013 have been left without content. Applications filed before 3 April 2025 are processed under the old rules; buying for 500,000 € or for a million changes nothing.
The remaining routes are covered in the article on residence permits for investors after the golden visa: residencia no lucrativa without the right to work, the entrepreneur permit with an ENISA report, the permit for remote work for companies outside Spain and the highly qualified professional permit. None is tied to buying property; whether any of them fits you is for an abogado de extranjería to decide.
What changes after 183 days in Spain
A tax resident of Spain is someone who spends more than 183 days a year in the country or has the centre of their economic interests here (art. 9 LIRPF). For a homeowner the status changes the filings: a non-resident with an empty or owner-used flat files Modelo 210 with imputed income of 1.1% or 2% of the cadastral value and pays 19% if resident in the EU or EEA and 24% in all other cases (Modelo 210). When a non-resident sells, the buyer withholds 3% of the price on account of IRNR (art. 25.2 TRLIRNR).
| Question | Non-resident | Tax resident |
|---|---|---|
| How it is determined | up to 183 days a year, centre of interests abroad | more than 183 days or centre of economic interests in Spain |
| Empty home | Modelo 210, imputed income of 1.1% or 2% of the cadastral value, rate 19% or 24% | declared in IRPF, calculation with an asesor fiscal |
| Sale of the property | the buyer withholds 3% of the price on account of IRNR | no 3% withholding, the tax goes through IRPF |
The Beckham regime is the special regime under article 93 of the IRPF law for those who relocate on grounds set by law and were not resident in Spain in the five preceding tax periods: a scale of 24% up to 600,000 € and 47% above, lasting six tax periods. It does not apply to a flat owner who does not relocate; its applicability is checked by an asesor fiscal. The owner's tax map: taxes for the foreign investor.
What to check before buying so that a home does not turn into a loss
The check is the same as an investor's: a home will be sold one day. Before the deposit you need the nota simple with encumbrances (cargas), the cédula de habitabilidad, the ITE report, the community's debts (liability for debts) and a match between what was built and what was authorised (illegal works). The full list is in the due diligence checklist.
The NIE is obtained before signing the arras: without the number the notary will not execute the deed, the fee is 9.84 € (NIE). The law does not require a Spanish bank account, but it is needed for IBI, the community and tax filings; the bank will ask for NIE, passport and proof of the source of funds (account for a non-resident). A large transfer is sent with a margin of several business days, otherwise a compliance delay can cost the deposit (transferring money).
Purchase tax in Catalonia follows the ITP scale: 10% on the part of the price up to 600,000 €, 11% up to 900,000 €, 12% up to 1.5 M€ and 13% above, for transactions from 27 June 2025 (Agència Tributària de Catalunya).
What an empty home risks: squatters
Okupas are people who occupy someone else's property without the owner's consent. If the property is someone's permanent home, it is allanamiento de morada; if it is empty, usurpación; both are criminal offences. Since 3 April 2025 Ley Orgánica 1/2025 allows a juicio rápido for them with a reference of about 15 days to the hearing, but the courts are overloaded, and usurpación without violence, the most frequent scenario with an empty flat, often falls outside the fast-track procedure.
Properties with squatters trade at a discount that in some cases reaches 60% of market value, but banks hardly finance them, and the eviction is run and paid for by the buyer. The rule: do not buy an occupied property without a condition of vacant handover, and do not leave a flat bought a year before the move unattended.
Which Barcelona area to choose: for living or for selling
The area for living and the area with liquidity do not always coincide. Asking prices for September 2026 according to Idealista: city average 5,462 €/m², Sarrià-Sant Gervasi 7,211 €/m², Eixample 6,648 €/m², Gràcia 5,654 €/m², Nou Barris 3,318 €/m². These are not transaction prices. The six comparison criteria, from liquidity to the rental regime, are in the article on Barcelona's districts.
The suburbs are cheaper: by Tinsa valuations for the third quarter of 2026, Viladecans 3,311 €/m², Mataró 2,507 €/m², Vilanova i la Geltrú 2,664 €/m² against 4,597 €/m² in Barcelona. A house by the sea has two constraints, the coastal strip and the airport noise map, and there are fewer buyers for detached houses than for flats in the city. Breakdowns: Castelldefels, Gavà, Viladecans and the Maresme and Garraf coast. My sources hold no data on safety by district, and I do not give rankings without a source.
Worked example: a budget of 1 M€ for a flat to live in
A worked example, not a forecast. A flat in Barcelona for 800,000 €. ITP on the scale: 10% on the first 600,000 € is 60,000 €, 11% on the remaining 200,000 € is 22,000 €, 82,000 € in total. The remainder, 118,000 €, is the reserve for the notary, the registry, the gestoría, renovation and the first year of ownership; I do not estimate those.
If the flat stands empty for a year before the move and the owner is still a non-resident: with a cadastral value of 200,000 € and the 1.1% rate, the imputed income is 2,200 €, the tax at 24% is 528 € a year, at 19% for EU residents 418 €. The return is filed even for a flat bought for your own use.
Who moving with a purchase does not suit
Those who buy for a residence permit: it has not worked since 3 April 2025. Those who have not settled their status: 90 days in 180 do not allow living in the flat all year round. Those who will leave the flat empty for years: Modelo 210 and the squatter risk do not go away. Those who expect price growth: Idealista's +5.8% for the year is the past.
A home to live in is not a DNPI project. The company runs investment projects from 1 M€: the investor buys the property, the money stays with them, they pay the seller, the contractor and the notary themselves, and DNPI runs the sourcing, the calculation, the renovation or permits and the sale and charges a fee of 50% of the project's profit. If the investor's result for the project after the fee is below the contractual 10%, DNPI tops up the difference out of its fee; this is per project, not per year, the terms are set by the contract, and it is not a guarantee of capital preservation. If the move is combined with an investment, the process is described in the investor guide and on the residential projects page; the property is checked before the deposit through the pre-purchase check.
Questions and answers
Moving to Spain: where to start if you plan to buy a home?
With the grounds for a residence permit from an immigration lawyer, because the purchase does not provide them. In parallel, NIE and a bank account; then checking the property by nota simple, cédula, ITE and community debts, and only after that the deposit.
What is a residence permit in Spain and does buying a flat give one?
It is an authorisation to reside on grounds set by law. Buying property has not counted as such grounds since 3 April 2025, when the golden visa was abolished. Routes remain that have no link to the amount invested; a lawyer chooses the right one.
When do I become a tax resident of Spain?
When you spend more than 183 days a year in the country or keep the centre of your economic interests here under art. 9 LIRPF. The status arrives by fact: the non-resident's Modelo 210 is replaced by IRPF, and the 3% withholding on a sale disappears.
Who are the okupas and why are they a danger to an owner?
People who occupy someone else's home without the owner's consent. Since 2025 such cases allow a fast-track procedure with a reference of about 15 days, but the courts are overloaded, and the occupation of an empty flat without violence often goes through the ordinary route. An empty, unattended home is the main risk.
How much does it cost to live in Barcelona in your own flat after buying?
The sources I rely on hold no cost-of-living figures. For the owner, what counts is IBI, the community, insurance, Modelo 210 until residence is obtained and upkeep. In the worked example above, with a cadastral value of 200,000 €, the non-resident's tax on the empty flat is 418 to 528 € a year.
