The digital nomad visa, more than meets the eye?

The long awaited digital nomad visa is here and by the 31st March 2023, the system should be in place for applicants to start enjoying their new digital life in the sun.

It’s all in the details …

There’s a good reason why this new digital nomad visa has been introduced as part of the “Ley de Start-Ups” investor’s law and to find out why, we need to take a closer look at the eleven “General Articles” or primary aims:

The general objectives of this law are the following:

1. a) To promote the creation, growth and relocation of new companies in Spain, especially microenterprises, small and medium-sized entrepreneurial companies, also promoting conditions that favour their capacity to internationalise
2. b) To attract talent and international capital for the development of the Spanish ecosystem of startup companies.
3. c) Stimulate public and private investment in emerging companies.
4. d) To increase intercompany relationships and financing agents, with special attention to the promotion of emerging companies in rural environments, and especially in those areas that are in danger of losing population.
5. f) To facilitate and increase the transfer of knowledge from Universities, public research organisations and other public agents of the Spanish System of Science, Technology and Innovation to the business world.
6. g) Eliminate existing gender gaps in the Spanish ecosystem of startup companies.
7. h) Support the development of centres of excellence for companies and investors.
8. i) Promote innovative public spending with start up companies.
9. j) Guarantee the efficiency and coherence of state financial assistance for innovation-based entrepreneurship.
10. k) Participants will be required to proactively monitor the ongoing development of the ecosystem of emerging companies and the effectiveness of this law.

While you would expect to see all these points detailed in an updated entrepreneur and investor law, point d) is of particular interest.

It’s well known that rural areas of Spain have been suffering from ‘depopulation’ for years, as successive younger generations leave their home villages in favour of living and working in the larger towns and cities. The Spaniards even have a name for it – España Vacia, Empty Spain.

The fact that a specific article refers to this issue, means that one of the key reasons for turbo-charging the entrepreneur/investment law is to encourage the repopulation of Spanish rural areas.

Add further investment in an already excellent broadband service (75% of Spain has access to fibre-optic broadband), and it’s clear that this new law is a key part of a grand plan to breathe new life into rural areas.

You can read the original law as published in the Spanish BOE by clicking HERE, and we have also published below in this article the specific points in Spanish 

a) Fomentar la creación, el crecimiento y la relocalización de empresas emergentes en España, en especial de las microempresas, de las pequeñas y las medianas empresas emprendedoras, fijando además las condiciones que favorezcan su capacidad de internacionalización.

b) Atraer talento y capital internacional para el desarrollo del ecosistema español de empresas emergentes.

c) Estimular la inversión pública y privada en empresas emergentes.

d) Favorecer la interrelación entre empresas, agentes financiadores y territorios para aumentar las posibilidades de éxito de las empresas emergentes, con especial atención al fomento de polos de atracción de empresas emergentes en entornos rurales, y especialmente, en aquellas zonas que están perdiendo población, en aras de una mayor cohesión social y territorial.

e) Impulsar el acercamiento entre la formación profesional y la universidad y las empresas emergentes.

f) Contribuir a incrementar la transferencia de conocimientos de la Universidad y de los organismos públicos de investigación y restantes agentes públicos del Sistema Español de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación al mundo empresarial.

g) Eliminar las brechas de género existentes en el ecosistema español de empresas emergentes.

h) Apoyar el desarrollo de polos de atracción de empresas e inversores.

i) Impulsar la compra pública innovadora con empresas emergentes.

j) Garantizar la eficacia y coherencia del sistema estatal de ayudas al emprendimiento basado en innovación.

k) Promover el seguimiento participativo de la evolución del ecosistema español de empresas emergentes y de los resultados de esta ley.