Residency After the Golden Visa in Marbella
Costa del Sol, Málaga province
Marbella was one of the Golden Visa's biggest markets, and it is where the abolition is least understood. To be direct: buying property in Marbella has given no route to residence since 3 April 2025, when Ley Orgánica 1/2025 repealed the investment visa. Anyone still presenting a purchase here as a path to a permit is either out of date or selling you something.
What remains available suits this market well, because the typical Marbella applicant has means rather than a Spanish job offer. The non-lucrative route is built precisely for that profile: sufficient passive income or capital, private health cover, and no work in Spain. It is decided on financial evidence, which means the file is won or lost on how that evidence is documented, translated and presented — not on the value of any property you own.
Local context: Marbella
| Extranjería office | None locally — appointments are at the Oficina de Extranjería de Málaga |
|---|---|
| Local registrations | Empadronamiento at the Ayuntamiento de Marbella |
| Local context | A high-value property market with a large share of non-resident owners, where independent legal due diligence matters more than anywhere else on this list |
| Work authorisation | Granted by the central Oficina de Extranjería |
| Tax administration | Agencia Tributaria (state) + Agencia Tributaria de Andalucía for regional taxes |
| Language | Spanish only — no co-official language |
Sources: Cita previa — Sede electrónica · Portal de Inmigración · Agencia Tributaria
What we handle: Residency After the Golden Visa
Spain’s Golden Visa is closed — here are the live alternatives.
- Honest briefing: why the Spanish Golden Visa is closed
- Digital Nomad Visa (remote workers & freelancers)
- Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) for the financially independent
- Entrepreneur and self-employed routes
Questions about this service
I bought in Marbella before April 2025. Does that still count?
Applications made under the old law before it was repealed are treated under the rules in force at the time, and existing permits and their renewals were not cancelled by the repeal. But a purchase completed before the cut-off does not create a new right to apply now. Whether you have anything live depends on what was actually filed and when — worth checking properly rather than assuming either way.
Can I still live in Marbella on the non-lucrative route?
Yes, if you meet the financial and health-cover requirements and do not work in Spain. Owning a home here helps evidence your address and makes the housing question moot, but it is not itself a qualifying factor. The route is national — Marbella is where you live under it, not why you get it.
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