Question
I just got my Spain digital nomad visa as a W-2 American employee approved! I started working on collecting documents in January then I got an answer in 15 Spanish working days!
Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Spain Digital Nomad Visa group members:
“Congratulations! I’d love to hear more about your process as I too were approved with a COC from the US, but everyone in the DNV group who are experts and are also chiming in here said the UGE wouldn’t accept it but they did. Did something change since last July? Very curious! But I still ended up registering Autonomo. And I’m paying Spanish taxes. I have private health insurance and public because I registered.”
“Does your employer have to be involved in any way for you to obtain the COC?” – “The COC is free, they can apply for it or you can if they give you their information.”
“What is the COC? Like what does it stand for?” – “Certificate of coverage.”
“Awesome!!! Did you need to get the Social Security Certificate? That’s the only line item holding me back at the moment. I own my business, started paying myself a salary, will leave a responsible party in the US, and looking to do beckham’s.”
“If you own your business you cannot apply for Beckham’s Law without some serious rejuggling. Do not let a lawyer convince you otherwise.”
“Were you previously employed by the company for a while or did you start this new job for the remote work/to apply for the DNV?” -“It’s my mother’s company and I started working my current position back in August.”
“Lucky you! It’s much better for you that way on many levels.”
“Congrats! This means you qualify for Beckham Law, right?”
“Would you be able to explain the process? I thought as a US employee, we couldn’t apply through W2. This would be such a game changer!”
“Is it better to be a W2 vs contractor?”
“I’m applying in July and so nervous! It’s nice to read these success stories. Please DM me the lawyer you used.”
“Congrats! Do you know how long SSA issued the COC for? I’ve heard that for example UK residents have to renew theirs after 2 yrs which means they have to come back to their country to do this even if the visa is for 3 yrs.”
“Wouldn’t your US company need an entity in Spain to legally have employees in Spain?”
“No doubt you’ll be inundated with questions! I’ll add my own: how long did it take for the CoC Certificate from the SSA to arrive and does it mention that you are a remote worker?” – “No! Not at all!”
“I requested my SSA CoC on Dec 13 2024 and received it Feb 3 2025. It does not mention remote work. I will apply for the DNV from Spain in July. We’re double-checking the UGE will accept the certificate because it’s actually dated Dec 19, 2024.”
“In my case the government still accepted it. Mine doesn’t have remote work in it.”
“I ordered mine the second week of January. My coverage period is from June 2025 to August 2028.”
“Ok similar timelines then. I ordered mine in December for July 2025 – July 2028.”
“There is no time limit for a CoC to be issued or less than 6 months old.”
“Just clarifying that you think my CoC will still be valid for a July app?”
“I see no problem. The end date can be an issue. The residency will be granted until the end date of the COC.”
“I’m eager to see how it goes. My family will pursue the DNV for three year residency but apply for Spanish citizenship at year 2 via my husband’s Mexican citizenship.”
“Did you have to sign anything that said if your CoC wasn’t accepted you’d sign up as self employed?” – “No! Not at all.”
Conclusion
This community conversation reveals a groundbreaking confirmation: the Spain Digital Nomad Visa can be approved for a US W-2 employee.
While many applicants and even experts have previously believed that the DNV was only for freelancers or contractors, the successful approval of a W-2 employee challenges that assumption.
Key to this process appears to be obtaining a Certificate of Coverage (COC) from the U.S. Social Security Administration, which affirms continued participation in the U.S. social security system.
Despite the COC not mentioning “remote work,” in this case, it was accepted by the Spanish government.
Applicants also noted no requirement to register as self-employed (autónomo) if the COC was valid.
This case may mark a shift in how strictly Spanish authorities interpret W-2 employment for remote workers and opens the door for more traditional U.S.-based employees to apply for the DNV.
However, due to the complexities and inconsistencies in application processing, consulting a legal or visa expert is highly recommended.
Join our community!
Make sure to join our dedicated Spain Digital Nomad Visa group here!
