Living in Spain requires a residence permit or Spanish citizenship. A Venezuelan passport starts with two advantages most nationalities do not have. You can enter without a visa for short stays, and once you live in Spain legally you can apply for citizenship after two years, or after one if your father, mother, grandfather or grandmother was Spanish by origin. A tourist stay does not give you the right to live there, and several residence permits are applied for with a visa at the consulate before you travel.
Entering Spain
Venezuelans do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area. That stay is for tourism or visits and does not allow you to work. When you cross the border, your entry is recorded in the Entry/Exit System, and ETIAS is not running yet. The documents you may be asked for at the border, and what happens with an expired Venezuelan passport, are on the Venezuela to Spain page.
If you have Spanish family
Children of a Spaniard by origin
If your father or mother was Spanish by origin and born in Spain, you can opt for Spanish citizenship, and in this case the Civil Code sets no age limit. The declaration of option is made at the Civil Registry or, from Venezuela, at the consulate.
In the meantime, or if your parent was Spanish by origin but born outside Spain, there is a residence permit for children of Spaniards by origin. It is one of the permits for family members of Spanish nationals and allows you to work as an employee or self-employed in any sector.
Spouses, partners, children and parents of Spaniards
The same family member permit covers people who live with a Spaniard:
- a spouse over 18;
- a partner registered in a public register of an EU country, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, or a stable partner who can show at least twelve months of living together;
- children under 26, or older if they are dependent;
- parents who depend on the Spaniard and have no family support in their own country.
If the Spanish relative lives in Spain, they can file the application themselves at the immigration office. If both live abroad, the foreign family member applies, and the Consulate General of Spain in Caracas processes the residence visa for family members of Spanish nationals.
Grandchildren of Spaniards
The Democratic Memory Law route, which let many children and grandchildren of Spaniards opt for citizenship, is closed: the deadline to request an appointment ended on 22 October 2025. A grandchild of a Spaniard by origin can still get citizenship by residence after a single year of legal residence in Spain.
Citizenship by residence
The general rule is ten years of residence, but nationals by origin of Ibero-American countries only need two. One year is enough for someone born outside Spain to a father, mother, grandfather or grandmother who was originally Spanish, and also for someone who has been married to a Spaniard for a year without being separated. In every case the residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before the application.
You have to pass the Instituto Cervantes test of constitutional and sociocultural knowledge of Spain (CCSE). Venezuelans do not have to sit the Spanish language exam (DELE), nor do they have to give up Venezuelan nationality when they swear allegiance as Spaniards.
Residence routes you apply for from Venezuela
The Consulate General of Spain in Caracas processes national visas including non-lucrative residence, employment, self-employment, entrepreneur, highly qualified worker, study, remote work (digital nomad), researcher, internship, family reunification and family members of Spaniards. Four of those routes ask for this:
| Route | What you have to show |
|---|---|
| Non-lucrative residence | €2,400 a month (400% of the 2026 IPREM) plus €600 a month for each dependent family member, for the whole length of the permit, which lasts one year. Health insurance. You cannot work |
| International remote work | Working remotely for companies outside Spain, with an employment or professional relationship of at least three months and companies with a year of real activity. A degree from a university, vocational school or business school of recognised standing, or three years of experience. Freelancers can bill Spanish companies for up to 20% of their work |
| Study | Admission to or enrolment at a school or university in Spain. You can work up to 30 hours a week |
| Employment | A job offer from an employer in Spain that meets the requirements of the regulation |
For non-lucrative residence you need, for example, €28,800 for one year if you go alone, and €36,000 if one dependent family member comes with you. The money can come from savings, income or any source you can prove.
The remote work permit can also be requested from inside Spain if you are already there legally, for example during the visa-free stay. It lasts up to three years and is renewed for two years at a time.
If you are already in Spain: arraigo
Anyone who has been in Spain for at least two years in a row can apply for a residence permit on grounds of settlement (arraigo), even without having had papers. There are five types:
- socio-labour, with one or more contracts adding up to at least 20 hours a week and paying at least the minimum wage or the collective agreement wage, in proportion to the hours;
- social, if you have close relatives with residence in Spain and means of at least 100% of the IPREM (€600 a month in 2026) or, if you do not, an integration report from the regional government;
- socio-educational, for people enrolled in recognised training, which allows you to work as an employee up to 30 hours a week;
- second chance, for people who held a residence permit not granted on exceptional grounds in the previous two years and did not renew it for reasons other than public order;
- family, for parents of a minor or carers of a person with a disability who are citizens of another EU country, the European Economic Area or Switzerland. This one needs no minimum time in Spain.
Arraigo permits last one year, except the family one, which lasts five. Claiming asylum affects arraigo: you cannot apply while an international protection claim is pending, and the time that claim takes does not count towards the two years. You also need a clean criminal record in Spain and in the countries where you lived for the five years before arriving.
The extraordinary regularisation of 2026, for people who were in Spain before 1 January 2026, accepted applications until 30 June 2026 and is now closed.
Venezuelan documents
Venezuela has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 1999, so its public documents (birth certificates, marriage records, criminal record certificates, degrees) are apostilled in Venezuela and do not need consular legalisation.
An expired passport has an exception that only applies inside the country. A joint instruction from January 2025 lets you use an expired Venezuelan passport for immigration procedures and for the foreigner identity card (TIE), but not to enter Spain. To travel you need a valid passport.
Frequently asked questions
Can I enter as a tourist and apply for residence from Spain? It depends on the route. Non-lucrative residence and employment are applied for with a visa at the consulate. The remote work permit can be requested from Spain if you are there legally, and so can the family member of a Spaniard permit, when both of you are in Spain. Arraigo requires two years in the country.
Do I have to give up Venezuelan nationality to become Spanish? No. The Civil Code exempts nationals of Ibero-American countries from renouncing their nationality.
Do I need the DELE for citizenship? No. Venezuelans are exempt from the Spanish language exam, but they must pass the CCSE.
Can I still apply for citizenship under the Democratic Memory Law? No. The deadline to request an appointment ended on 22 October 2025. People who applied in time continue their process with the consulate.
Guide verified on 31 October 2026. Sources: Royal Decree 1155/2024, Regulation of Organic Law 4/2000 on the rights and freedoms of foreigners in Spain (BOE, consolidated text including the amendment by Royal Decree 316/2026; articles 57, 61 to 63, 94, 95, 97 and 125 to 127 and twenty-first additional provision); Law 14/2013 on support for entrepreneurs, articles 74 bis to 74 quinquies (international remote work); Civil Code, articles 20, 22, 23 and 24; Royal Decree 1004/2015, Regulation on the procedure for citizenship by residence, article 6; SEPE, 2026 IPREM and minimum wage amounts; Consulate General of Spain in Caracas, catalogue of consular services (national visas); Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, joint instruction of January 2025 on expired Venezuelan passports; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, notice on the end of the deadline under the eighth additional provision of Law 20/2022 on Democratic Memory (27 October 2025); Hague Conference on Private International Law, status table of the Apostille Convention. Amounts and requirements can change: check those for your route with the consulate or the immigration office before you pay.