Question
I want to renew my Spain Digital Nomad Visa. I am from the UK. I am having massive problems renewing my A1 certificate and cannot find a way to persuade HMRC to renew it. What am I missing?
Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Spain Digital Nomad Visa group members:
“You could return to the UK for two months and reapply or change to autónomo. Or buy a Spanish business.”
“How do I tell them I am back in the UK though? That seems arbitrary for the A1? Because right now I am in the UK for other reasons but I don’t know how to communicate that?”
“Not sure, do you just give it two months past the end date?”
“Just phone HMRC. They are really friendly once you speak to someone. You might jump around the houses.”
“Has anyone actually done this yet and been successful? This is likely to be what I do but I’m not sure there’s been anyone that tried it?”
“How do you move to autónomo if you work for another company and aren’t self-employed?”
(Professional answer) “As far as we know, you submit the self-employed contract and pledge to register as autónomo upon Spain Digital Nomad Visa renewal.”
“Missing nothing. Autónomo is the usual way forward after the A1 expires….”
“You are missing nothing… they won’t extend beyond 2 years.”
“I was advised to move to Autónomo which would be accepted as part of the renewal process.”
“You’d have 3 options.
- Return to the UK long enough to apply for a new A1.
- Get HMRC to extend your A1 (very unlikely).
- Get your employer to register to pay social security in Spain (costly and unlikely).”
“If you return to the UK, it’s unclear how this affects taxation, especially if you’re under Beckham Law or on an NT tax code.”
Conclusion
Members of the Spain Digital Nomad Visa group report consistent challenges in renewing the A1 certificate, especially for UK nationals. Most confirm that HMRC rarely extends it beyond the two-year limit.
For renewal of the DNV, switching to autónomo (freelancer status) in Spain is the most common path forward. The process often involves submitting a freelance-style contract from your employer along with a written commitment to register as autónomo once the new authorization is granted. This route is widely accepted and has already seen approval in various cases.
Returning to the UK for at least two months to requalify for a new A1 is another possible option, though its success is less predictable. Employers paying social security in Spain is technically feasible but usually not realistic due to high costs and legal complexity.
The key takeaway is to plan your transition from A1 to autónomo in advance, ideally before the initial DNV period ends.
Join our community!
Make sure to join our dedicated Spain Digital Nomad Visa group here!
