Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
I know we must sell our home in the USA to move. Do I have to pay off my student loans, credit card and personal loan prior to moving on a non lucrative Spain visa? I was hoping to keep paying these monthly and not paying them all at once before moving.
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
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Start the Moving to Spain Hub →“It’s the California consulates (San Francisco and Los Angeles) that have this requirement. While personally I believe it’s a good idea not to have debt, I don’t know how they would know. Unless you’re needing to provide bank statements. Then they might notice notations like Mortgage or Loan on regular payments.”
“The no mortgage rule is only selected consulates. For instance DC doesn’t require any information about mortgages or other loans.”
“Nobody has ever mentioned denial due to loans besides a mortgage at the California consulates, and I’ve been watching for three years. I think this rule is because they don’t want to worry about people moving to Spain with loans that are easily more than $500,000 or a million+.”
“LA consulate Does NOT require you to have no mortgage It is showing as a requirement because they are standardizing the requirements across consulates and just posted one list of requirement for all California consulates. LA has never had this requirement and when we asked about it during our appointment for non lucrative Spain visa they told us that their website is maintained by the IT team in Madrid and hasn’t been updated. No mortgage has never been a requirement for LA. What IS a requirement and you will be asked for it but it isn’t listed is the letter of intent of why you want to live in Spain.”
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Explore Cities →“LA consulate won’t ask about a mortgage. If you have one or not. So don’t worry if you have a mortgage. LA consulate doesn’t care. We showed them our 1040 with mortgage interest and they don’t care. Not a requirement to pay off your mortgage.”
“When I applied in DC there was no form or anything that asked about debt or mortgages so I don’t see how they would even know. I don’t think you have to sell your home but I am not a legal expert.”
“I received my NLV from the Los Angeles consulate. I have two mortgages, and it wasn’t an issue. Mind you I didn’t volunteer this information, but it was on my 1040 tax form. In my opinion the no mortgage is a technicality that they don’t necessarily enforce.
They never asked, or looked for at any additional debt.”
Related reads:
Can student loans hinder the Spanish Non Lucrative visa application?
In conclusion, the question of whether or not one needs to pay off loans before applying for a non lucrative Spain visa is a tricky one. It seems that certain consulates, such as those in California, have a “no mortgage” rule, while others, like those in DC, do not inquire about debt or mortgages. Some members of Spainguru’s Facebook group who have received the visa have stated that having a mortgage did not present an issue during the application process, while others believe that it is a technicality that is not necessarily enforced. Ultimately, it is best to do thorough research and check with the specific consulate in which you plan to apply to understand their requirements fully.
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