Question
Scenario: a person has £90,000 to show for Spain non lucrative visa renewal years 2/3 for a family of 4. They then need to spend some of this money for bills and food.
When it comes to renewal years 4/5, that £90,000 that is still needed to show is now less and falls short of the requirement due to paying household bills and food (no mortgage to pay though as mortgage free).
So the question is, do you actually need to have £90,000 plus more on top?
Answers
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“Yes of course, your living costs are irrelevant to the visa requirements, I’m afraid that’s something you will have to allow for. At current IPREM for a family of 4 you will need €100,800 for renewal if based on savings only, and living expenses on top.”
“Depending on your number of dependants, if £90,000 is the figure required for renewal at 2/3 then the same amount would be required for years 4/5 plus whatever the increase is as it generally goes up a bit each year.”
“You need it at renewal for 2/3 and 4/5. You can spend it in between but it needs to be there for renewal. So if, for example, during year 2 you spend it, knowing a lump sum is due to replenish it before 4/5 application (maybe a pension lump sum?) then it’s fine.
Once you complete 4/5 renewal there are no further financial requirements if you apply for permanent at end of year 5, provided you are eligible for permanent.”
“It can be a combination of passive income, such as pension, and funds on hand.”
“We were told it could not be a combination by our consultant and when I read how it was worded in Canada—because every freaking embassy seems to say something different, it did say “or”, we needed the full amount.”
“It’s more than £90,000 unless you also have passive income. It’s also a minimum amount. If you are close to the mark they can refuse renewal. You can use credit cards to show funds but not loans. You will also need to prove where the money has come from if you have spent it and then added more to your account.”
“As long as passive income and savings are at the required amount there is no problem. Too many people are still scaremongering saying you need a fortune in savings. Taking into account passive income the amount in savings required could be minimum.”
“Simple answer is yes. You need to factor in what you’re actually going to live on as you are correct, those funds are needed for the final renewal.”
“If it’s £90,000 now it will be more than that for 4/5. Nothing else matters, you need those funds.”
Conclusion
For those renewing the Spain non lucrative visa, the consensus from Spainguru’s community is clear: you must show proof of having the full financial requirement again at each renewal, even if you’ve spent part of your savings on living costs.
The renewal for years 4/5 requires demonstrating the full amount (e.g. £90,000 or more, adjusted to reflect the updated IPREM thresholds), regardless of previous approvals.
While passive income can help reduce the total amount of savings required, some applicants report inconsistent interpretations across consulates—some allow combining income and savings, others do not.
Ultimately, funds must be available and provable at the time of renewal, and replenishment of savings from other income sources (like pensions) is acceptable as long as it’s documented. Applicants are advised to plan for living expenses separately from what is needed to meet visa renewal thresholds.
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