My Spain Digital Nomad Visa Experience as a Resident of Bahrain (September 2024)

Last Updated on April 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi

First, I want to express my gratitude to everyone in this group. I’ve been a silent reader from Bahrain and learned so much from all of you! I’m thrilled to share that I received my Spain Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) approval for 3 years yesterday, Sep 2! I applied on my own on Aug 7, and everything went smoothly—no additional documents were requested.

A bit about me: I’m an Algerian resident in Bahrain with a valid Schengen visa. I work as a business consultant specializing in company setup and visa processes in Bahrain. This background gave me the confidence to handle my application myself.

Here’s a brief overview of my application process:

• NIE Application: I applied for my NIE at the Spanish Embassy in Kuwait and confirmed my identity with Spain’s Honorary Consul in Bahrain, since there’s no Spanish Embassy in Bahrain. The entire process took just 13 days from submission to receiving my NIE.
• Arrival in the Schengen Area: I traveled from Rome and received my “declaración de entrada” in just 15 minutes upon landing in Barcelona.
• Digital Certificate Appointment: I had booked an appointment to verify my identity for the Digital Certificate, which I completed on the same day I arrived.

Documents Submitted for Spain Digital Nomad Visa:

• Stamped “declaración de entrada,” boarding pass, and all passport pages.
• Tasa 038 modelo 790 with receipt, which I paid through BBVA ATM.
• MI-T form.
• Client contracts (in Spanish).
• 3 months of bank statements and invoices, along with letters from clients confirming payments.
• Commercial Registration certificates (apostilled and sworn translated).
• Authorization letters from clients (in Spanish).
• Experience letter from my previous employer (in Spanish).
• CV (in Spanish).
• Letter of commitment to register as autónomo (in Spanish).
• Good Conduct Certificate from Bahrain (apostilled and sworn translated) with my Bahrain ID.
• A responsible statement indicating no criminal records in the last 5 years (in Spanish).

I prepared all the documents independently, with a bit of help from a Spanish-speaking friend for translations. My clients were incredibly supportive in providing signatures and stamps.

I’m so happy with the outcome and can’t wait to move to Spain! Now, I’m just waiting for my TIE appointment—hoping to secure one for next week.

Questions and Answers

Q1: “The letters from clients and certificate of employment don’t need to be apostilled?”
A1: “On my application, I didn’t do apostille for the docs you mentioned.”

Q2: “Did you have to get criminal records both from Algeria and Bahrain?”
A2: “No, I only needed the criminal record from Bahrain, as it was my last two years of residency.”

Q3: “Where did you book the digital certificate appointment?”
A3: “I booked the digital certificate appointment through this link: Agencia Tributaria Digital Certificate.”

Comments

“Congratulations! I’m also based in Bahrain and would love to connect with you as I plan to apply soon. Your insights are so helpful!”

“I also went through the Spanish Embassy in Kuwait, and it was a smooth process. Thanks for sharing your experience!”

Conclusion

This experience provides valuable insights into the Spain Digital Nomad Visa process for residents of Bahrain and Kuwait.

Key takeaways include the smooth handling of NIE applications at the Spanish Embassy in Kuwait, the importance of having documents correctly translated and apostilled, and the ease of booking appointments for Digital Certificates.

Bruno Bianchi CEO & Spain Immigration Expert

Bruno Bianchi is the founder and CEO of Spainguru, Spain's largest expat immigration community with 150,000+ members. Since 2014 he has helped thousands of people relocate to Spain through expert guides, webinars and vetted professional services covering visas, residency, taxes and life in Spain.

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