Greece and Spain both run residence routes for non-EU remote workers, and on the surface the programmes look alike: prove foreign income, buy insurance, collect apostilles, move. The differences that matter sit deeper — income thresholds, permit length, family arithmetic and, above all for founders, what happens to your taxes after arrival.
This comparison is for remote employees, freelancers and founders choosing between the Greek digital nomad visa (Law 4825/2021) and Spain's international teleworker permit (Law 28/2022, the Startup Law). It is general information, not legal or tax advice; confirm the current rules with the consulate or a qualified adviser before you apply, sign or pay.
Who qualifies for each visa?
Both programmes target non-EU/EEA nationals working remotely for employers or clients established outside the destination country; EU citizens do not need either visa.
Greece requires the work to be performed remotely for employers or clients outside Greece — the visa cannot be used to serve the Greek market. Spain is more prescriptive: employees need a foreign employer with real activity for at least a year and an existing work relationship; self-employed applicants work for foreign clients and may keep Spanish clients only within a small share of activity (around 20%). Spain also asks for a relevant degree or three years of professional experience.
What income do you need to show?
Greece applies a monthly net income threshold of EUR 3,500 for the main applicant, commonly increased by 20% for a spouse or partner and 15% per child. Spain ties its threshold to the national minimum wage (SMI): 200% of the SMI for the main applicant, plus 75% for the first family member and 25% for each additional one. Both thresholds are revised over time, so verify the current euro amounts with the official source before relying on them.
Evidence matters as much as the number: payslips, contracts, company accounts and bank statements should tell one consistent story, because a threshold met only on paper invites refusal.
How long can you stay, and how does renewal work?
- Greece: a national (type D) visa for 12 months, convertible into a two-year digital nomad residence permit, renewable while the conditions are still met.
- Spain: a consular visa of up to one year, or — applying while lawfully in Spain — a three-year permit renewable for two more; this time can count towards long-term residence after five years, so model the full timeline and the effect of absences.
Which documents should you prepare?
- Proof of the remote-work relationship: employment or client contracts, plus company registration certificates.
- Income evidence: payslips, invoices, recent bank statements.
- Private health insurance valid in the destination country.
- Criminal record certificate, apostilled and officially translated.
- For Spain: proof of your social security position (certificate of coverage or self-employed registration).
- Family civil status documents (marriage and birth certificates), also apostilled and translated.
Legalisation and sworn translation is the slowest workstream in most files — start it first.
How does the tax picture differ after arrival?
In both countries, spending more than 183 days in a year generally makes you tax resident on worldwide income. The visa does not change that: it is an immigration document, not a tax election.
Spain offers a separate opt-in: the special expatriate (Beckham) regime, extended to remote workers by Law 28/2022. It taxes employment income at a flat 24% up to EUR 600,000 for the arrival year plus five more, provided you were not Spanish tax resident in the previous five years and apply within the statutory deadline. Founders should read the exclusions: income earned through a Spanish permanent establishment and most self-employment income does not qualify.
Greece attaches no automatic special regime to the visa. Separate incentives exist — including a 50% exemption for certain people who transfer tax residence and take up work in Greece — but their conditions rarely fit a nomad working for a foreign employer; verify eligibility before counting on them.
What should founders check before choosing either country?
- Place of effective management: if you run your company from your new home, the company itself can become locally tax resident.
- Permanent establishment: habitually concluding contracts locally can create a taxable presence even if the company stays foreign-registered.
- Social security: where you and your company owe contributions, and whether a bilateral agreement applies.
- Dividends and exits: how each country taxes distributions and share sales realised while you are resident.
- Your departure country: exit tax, deregistration formalities and treaty tie-breaker rules.
What are the most common mistakes?
- Choosing a country for lifestyle and only afterwards discovering the tax result.
- Assuming the visa itself grants a special tax rate — in both countries the tax file is separate.
- Missing the application window for Spain's special regime after arrival.
- Showing gross income where the rules ask for net, or the reverse.
- Ignoring corporate residence and permanent establishment while running a foreign company.
- Starting apostilles and sworn translations too late.
As a rule of thumb, an employee earning enough for Spain's flat-rate regime and planning a multi-year stay tends to gain more from Spain, while a freelancer or founder wanting a lighter first commitment often finds Greece simpler — with dependants the arithmetic can flip. Fix your facts — employer or clients, family size, income, length of stay — and test both programmes against them. Corpenza supports founders and remote workers with the visa file, the company structure and the tax mapping in one sequence. Talk to the Corpenza team before you book the consulate appointment.
Official sources: Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum; Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs — digital nomad visa.
