Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
How long did it take everyone to receive their Social Security Certificate from the USA before applying for the Spanish Digital Nomad Visa? Been over a month and as far as we can see it hasn’t even been assigned to anyone yet (I’m freelance, partner is remote)
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These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
”As a freelancer, you should commit to registering as autónomo in Spain and pay social security taxes in Spain. As others have pointed out, the SSA will not issue certificates of coverage for W2 employees that are working remotely. Many people are working around this by switching to a 1099 contractor role for 3 months and then applying for the DNV”
”An immigration lawyer in Spain said that Spain will no longer accept US social security certificates. So, it doesn’t matter. They won’t accept it even if we get it. We’re rethinking what we’re going to do. Going the “freelancer” route seems expensive with Spanish social security and taxes”
”The UGE has literally said that they will consider any SSA certificates presented with DNV applications as obtained fraudulently as they know the SSA doesn’t issue them to teleworkers. They also said they are in communication with the SSA, so please don’t bombard them with emails, it’s hard enough as it is to get any answered at the moment”
In concusion, according to Spainguru Facebook group members, it appears that there is confusion and uncertainty regarding the issuance and acceptance of Social Security Certificates from the USA. One member suggests that freelancers should register as “autónomo” in Spain and pay social security taxes there, while another state that Spain will no longer accept these certificates. Additionally, it is mentioned that the UGE considers such certificates obtained by teleworkers as fraudulent. The situation seems complicated and individuals are advised not to flood authorities with emails due to existing difficulties in obtaining information.
The UGE, or Unidad de Grandes Empresas, is the Spanish official authority that takes the Spanish Digital Nomad Visa applications in Spain.
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