How to Move from Germany to Spain on a Digital Nomad Visa: The Complete 2026 Guide

Here is the first thing most guides to this move get wrong: Germans don't need Spain's Digital Nomad Visa. Spain's Visado de Teletrabajo Internacional (International Telework Visa), with its €2,849-a-month income bar, apostilled documents and consular appointment, exists for non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals — Americans, Britons, Canadians, Indians and others. As a German citizen you hold EU citizenship, and EU free-movement law already lets you live, work remotely, freelance or run a business in Spain. You skip the visa entirely.

What you do need is quieter but more consequential: register in Spain once you pass three months, get your NIE (foreigner ID number), and — the part that catches Germans specifically — work out exactly when unlimited German tax liability (unbeschränkte Steuerpflicht) ends, because Germany does not let you simply declare yourself gone. There is a narrow but expensive exit-tax (Wegzugsteuer) trap for anyone holding 1% or more of a company, a Spanish tax-residency test that can pull you in even before 183 days, and — for remote employees — a surprisingly useful Beckham Law option whose statutory wording is broader than most visa-focused guides suggest.

This guide covers the whole journey for Germans: why "digital nomad visa" is the wrong lens, the actual Spanish registration steps, German tax exit mechanics, EU social-security coordination (A1 certificates), pensions, health insurance, driving, cost of living, and the 10-year road to Spanish citizenship.

Key facts at a glance

Item	2026 detail
Visa needed	None. EU citizens use free-movement rights (Real Decreto 240/2007) — no telework-visa application, no income bar, no consulate step
Registration	Certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión, applied for within 3 months of arriving, using form EX18
Where	The provincial Oficina de Extranjería (or the relevant police station) for the province where you will live
Fee	Tasa Modelo 790, código 012 (a small fee payable at a bank; check the current amount on the police portal)
What you get	A certificate issued on the spot showing your NIE, address and registration date
Currency	Both countries use the euro — no exchange-rate conversion
Spain's visa income bar (for comparison, non-EU only)	€2,849/month — does not apply to you
German tax exit	Ends when you lose both your Wohnsitz and gewöhnlicher Aufenthalt in Germany — a facts test, not a form
Exit tax (Wegzugsteuer)	Only hits holders of ≥1% of a corporation (§6 AStG); payable in 7 annual instalments, usually against security
Spanish tax residency	More than 183 days in a calendar year, or your main economic interests are in Spain, or (presumption) your spouse and minor children live there
Beckham Law	24% flat on Spanish-source income to €600,000 (47% above), up to six tax years, for qualifying movers — see below
Social security	EU Regulation 883/2004; an A1 certificate can keep posted employees in the German system
Permanent residence	5 years of continuous legal residence
Citizenship	10 years of residence; Spain generally requires renouncing prior nationality

Do Germans need a digital nomad visa to move to Spain?

No. The telework visa created by Spain's startup law (Ley 28/2022, building on Ley 14/2013) is a non-EU instrument: it gives third-country nationals a way to live in Spain while working for foreign clients or employers. Germany is an EU member state, so German citizens may enter, reside, work and run a business in Spain under EU free-movement rules, implemented in Spain by Real Decreto 240/2007 on the entry, free movement and residence of EU citizens (BOE consolidated text, accessed 2 November 2026).

Article 7 of that decree grants a right of residence beyond three months to EU citizens who are workers (employed or self-employed) in Spain, or who have sufficient resources not to become a burden on Spanish social assistance plus health insurance covering all risks in Spain (BOE, accessed 2 November 2026). If you work remotely or freelance you fit the first limb; the resources test is aimed at people with no income. There is no published euro threshold comparable to the visa's €2,849.

If you are researching this for a non-EU partner, colleague or friend, Atlas covers the full visa route that EU citizens get to skip: the US → Spain guide, the UK → Spain guide and the India → Spain guide. The Spain country page holds the visa data.

What EU free movement actually gives you

• Enter and stay up to three months with a valid passport or national ID card; no registration yet.
• Stay longer as a worker, self-employed person, or an economically inactive person with sufficient resources and health cover.
• Work without a permit — employed remotely for a German company, freelancing, or running a business, with no Spanish work-permit step.
• Bring family, including non-EU family members, who then follow a separate residence-card procedure.

The three-month rule and registration

The official Spanish police guidance says EU/EEA/Swiss citizens who plan to stay more than three months must apply for registration "en el plazo de tres meses desde la fecha de entrada en España" — within three months of the date of entry (Policía Nacional — Certificado de registro de ciudadano de la UE, accessed 2 November 2026). Real Decreto 240/2007, Article 7(5), repeats the three-month deadline (BOE, accessed 2 November 2026).

Documents the police portal lists:

• Form EX18 (application for registration in the Registro Central de Extranjeros)
• Proof of payment of Tasa Modelo 790, código 012
• A valid passport or national ID card, with a copy
• Documents proving you meet the Article 7 conditions (for example an employment contract or proof of self-employment, or proof of resources plus health insurance)

The certificate is issued immediately at the appointment and shows your name, nationality, address, NIE and registration date. Note that it carries no photograph, so it does not replace your passport or ID for identification. The fee can be paid at a bank without holding an account there; some offices want proof of payment before the appointment and others let you pay afterwards, so follow your own office's instructions.

What happens if you skip registering

The police portal does not list a penalty for late registration, and this guide did not find an official fixed fine figure — so we do not quote one. Practically, an unregistered stay beyond three months leaves you without the NIE-bearing document that banks, landlords, employers, Hacienda and the health system increasingly ask for, and it muddies your proof of when residence began. That date matters for the five-year permanent-residence clock and for Spanish tax-residency questions. It is a short administrative step; do it on time.

Is there an income or savings threshold?

No fixed one. There is no €2,849 monthly figure, no savings requirement and no family add-on that applies to you. If you are employed or self-employed you qualify as a "worker" under Article 7. The resources test only matters if you move with no income, and even then it is a facts-based "not a burden on social assistance" standard.

Getting your NIE

The NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) is your foreigner tax and ID number. For an EU citizen settling in Spain it appears on the registration certificate, which means the registration appointment doubles as your NIE issuance. You will use it to sign a lease, open a bank account, register for utilities, contract a mobile line and file taxes. Some Germans obtain a standalone NIE earlier for a property purchase or bank account; that is a separate, shorter procedure, but the registration certificate is what formalises your residence.

The padrón (empadronamiento)

Registering your address at the local town hall (ayuntamiento) — the padrón — is separate from the EU registration. You typically need it for healthcare enrolment and many practical tasks, and offices often ask for a rental contract or proof of address. Rules on minimum lease length vary by municipality.

Opening a Spanish bank account

Easier than for non-EU arrivals: your German passport or ID, NIE and proof of address generally suffice. Many Germans keep a SEPA-wide fintech account for the first months. Because Germany and Spain both participate in the OECD Common Reporting Standard, your accounts are reported to your tax-residence country; there is no FATCA-style complication as there is for US citizens.

Keeping your German job, or going freelance in Spain

• Stay a German employee, working remotely from Spain with your employer's agreement. This keeps German payroll and benefits, and — with an A1 certificate (below) — German social security. Your employer should check whether a long-term remote employee in Spain creates a permanent establishment tax exposure for the company.
• Freelance or run a business, registering as an autónomo in Spain's self-employed regime (RETA). Because you enter under free movement, you may take Spanish clients too — the telework visa's "foreign clients only" condition does not apply to you.

Do you still pay German tax while living in Spain?

Germany taxes your worldwide income if you have a Wohnsitz (a dwelling available to you, §8 Abgabenordnung) or a gewöhnlicher Aufenthalt (habitual abode, broadly more than six months, §9 AO) in Germany. Either alone triggers unbeschränkte Steuerpflicht. It is a facts test, and deregistering your address is not conclusive proof that liability has ended if a German flat remains at your disposal.

Once neither condition applies you move to limited tax liability (beschränkte Steuerpflicht): Germany taxes only German-source income, such as rent from a German property or wages for work physically performed in Germany, subject to the treaty.

The Abmeldung: deregistering your German address

Under §17(2) Bundesmeldegesetz, if you move out of Germany you must deregister with the local registration authority within two weeks after moving out, and deregistration is possible at the earliest one week before the move (§17 BMG, gesetze-im-internet.de, accessed 2 November 2026). Missing the deadline is a regulatory offence under §54 BMG. Skipping the Abmeldung can leave you treated as a resident for the broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag), health-insurance billing and tax-office correspondence.

When do you become a Spanish tax resident?

Spain's personal income tax law (Ley 35/2006, Article 9) treats you as resident if any of these applies: you spend more than 183 days in Spain in the calendar year; the main base of your activities or economic interests is in Spain; or — as a rebuttable presumption — your non-separated spouse and dependent minor children habitually live in Spain (AEAT — Habitual residence in Spanish territory, accessed 2 November 2026). Temporary absences generally count toward the 183 days unless you can prove tax residence elsewhere with a certificate. The economic-interests test can bite below 183 days — for example if most of your income comes from Spanish clients. See also Atlas's overview of how nomad-visa taxes work.

A German who registers, signs a long lease and settles will typically become Spanish-resident well before 183 days. Atlas's planner models the same 183-day toggle for every destination.

The Germany–Spain double tax treaty

The current treaty is dated 3 February 2011 and was published in the German Federal Law Gazette as BGBl. 2012 II S. 19, entering into force in autumn 2012 and replacing the older treaty (IWW — neues DBA mit Spanien, accessed 2 November 2026). Based on the OECD Model, it contains a residence tie-breaker and allocation rules. Once your German exit is clean and you are a genuine Spanish resident, the treaty rarely comes into serious play beyond German-source income such as German rent; the real risks come from an incomplete exit, when both countries claim you as resident.

Spain's standard tax rates, and the Beckham Law for Germans

Spanish residents are taxed on worldwide income at progressive rates. Atlas's data for the 2026 general schedule runs from 19% up to 47% (19% to €12,450; 24% to €20,200; 30% to €35,200; 37% to €60,000; 45% to €300,000; 47% above). Regional surcharges and variations apply.

The Beckham Law (special regime for workers displaced to Spain, Article 93 of Ley 35/2006) lets qualifying new residents be taxed as non-residents on Spanish-source income — Atlas's data models 24% on income up to €600,000 and 47% above, for up to six tax years. The statute text sets the conditions (BOE — Ley 35/2006, art. 93, accessed 2 November 2026):

• You were not Spanish tax-resident in the five tax years before the move.
• The move happens because of one of the listed circumstances. For employees this includes a work contract and — notably — it is deemed met when "la actividad laboral se preste a distancia", i.e. the work is performed remotely using exclusively computer, telematic and telecommunication systems (so regular on-site work in Spain can undermine it). The law adds that this applies "en particular" to employees holding the international telework visa. The wording is not limited to visa holders, so a German employee working remotely for a foreign employer may be able to use it without any visa — but this is the point where advisers differ, so get a written opinion before relying on it.
• Other listed routes: becoming a company director, a recognised entrepreneurial activity, or being a highly qualified professional serving startups or in R&D.
• No income attributable to a Spanish permanent establishment (with exceptions).
• Election is made under the non-resident tax rules, but you remain an IRPF taxpayer; and you stay subject to Spanish wealth tax on a "real obligation" basis, meaning only Spanish-situs assets.

Important caveats. Atlas's planner models the regime conservatively — for employees on the telework visa — and has no visa path for Germans, so its Beckham toggle is not a verdict on your eligibility. Atlas's data assumes the regime is aimed at employees, and freelancers (autónomos) are generally not treated as eligible in the planner; whether self-employed work can satisfy a listed circumstance is contested between law-firm guides. Beckham applies to Spanish-source employment income; foreign-source income is treated under non-resident rules, and foreign dividends and gains can be taxed differently. The election has its own procedure and deadline, so file early after starting work in Spain. Compare it with ordinary progressive rates in the planner.

Do you pay social security twice? A1 certificates and EU coordination

No. EU Regulation (EC) No 883/2004 (with implementing Regulation 987/2009) determines which single country's social-security system applies to someone working across EU borders (European Commission — social-security coordination, accessed 2 November 2026).

• Posted employees: if you remain employed by a German company, your employer can apply for an A1 certificate confirming you stay in the German system. The usual conditions are a German employer, German-law employment and a posting generally capped at 24 months. Note that a long-term remote worker is not always a classic "posted worker", so check with your Krankenkasse or Deutsche Rentenversicherung; some employers rely on newer cross-border-telework arrangements.
• Self-employed: a parallel route exists but needs substantial existing activity in Germany; confirm the conditions with Deutsche Rentenversicherung.
• No A1: you pay into Spain's system where you work.

Registering as an autónomo and what you pay

Self-employed workers in Spain pay into RETA, with monthly quotas based on declared net income. For 2026 the Seguridad Social publishes a table of 12 general income brackets (plus 3 reduced low-income brackets), with contribution bases from €653.59 to €5,101.20 per month, and total contributions of roughly 31.5% of the chosen base (28.30% common contingencies, 1.30% professional contingencies, 0.90% cessation of activity, 0.10% vocational training, plus the 0.90% MEI intergenerational mechanism) (Seguridad Social — cotización autónomos, accessed 2 November 2026). On the lowest base that works out to about €200 a month, rising with net profit. Atlas's planner uses a mid-scale estimate. New autónomos can usually claim a first-year flat-rate discount (tarifa plana); confirm the current amount with the Seguridad Social before budgeting.

Employed workers in Spain pay roughly 6.5% employee social contributions on wages up to a 2026 cap of about €61,214 a year, per Atlas data.

What happens to your gesetzliche Rentenversicherung

Contributions already paid into German statutory pension insurance are not lost. Under EU coordination, insurance periods in other EU/EEA states and Switzerland are aggregated when deciding entitlement. With an A1, German contributions simply continue. As a Spanish autónomo with no A1, German contributions generally stop, though limited voluntary contributions can sometimes continue. Confirm with Deutsche Rentenversicherung.

Riester and Rürup

Subsidised Riester contracts carry a residence clause: Zulagen can be clawed back if you give up German residence for a non-EU/EEA country. Spain is in the EU, which is the favourable pattern, but check your specific contract and provider. Rürup contracts are less residence-sensitive for subsidy purposes but have separate deduction and payout rules a cross-border adviser should review.

The Wegzugsteuer: Germany's exit tax, and who it hits

Under §6 Außensteuergesetz, certain shareholders are treated as if they sold their shares at fair market value when they cease to be German unlimited taxpayers (§6 AStG, gesetze-im-internet.de, accessed 2 November 2026).

• Who is caught: natural persons holding shares within §17(1) EStG (a corporation stake of at least 1%), who were German unlimited taxpayers for at least seven years in total within the last twelve years before the trigger. Ceasing unlimited liability by giving up your Wohnsitz and gewöhnlicher Aufenthalt is the main trigger.
• Who is not: ordinary employees and freelancers with no qualifying company shareholding.
• Payment: on request, the tax can be paid in seven equal annual instalments, interest-free, but the application is "in der Regel nur gegen Sicherheitsleistung" — normally granted only against security. The first instalment is due within a month of the assessment, the rest on 31 July of later years, and the outstanding tax falls due early if you sell or transfer the shares, miss an instalment or become insolvent.
• Return clause: if the absence is only temporary and you become unlimited taxpayer in Germany again within seven years (extendable by up to five on application if the intention to return persists), with the shares neither sold nor transferred, the tax claim lapses, subject to conditions on distributions and taxing rights.
• Rate: the gain is taxed under the normal partial-income rules for §17 EStG; get a number from your own adviser.

Church tax and the solidarity surcharge

Kirchensteuer (8–9% of income tax for registered church members) ends with your German unlimited liability and civil registration. The Solidaritätszuschlag (5.5% of income tax) already exempts most taxpayers; the 2026 exemption threshold is €20,350 of income tax for singles and €40,700 for joint assessment (Techniker Krankenkasse — Solidaritätszuschlag 2026). With no German-source income it has nothing to apply to.

Wealth tax and Modelo 720: Spain's extras

Spain taxes net wealth (Impuesto sobre el Patrimonio) for residents on worldwide assets, although several regions apply large rebates, and Spain adds a national Solidarity Tax on very large fortunes. Portugal, the usual comparison, has no general wealth tax. Spanish residents with foreign assets above set thresholds — broadly €50,000 per category (bank accounts, securities, real estate) — must also file Modelo 720 by 31 March. If you hold German accounts or a German property, this is a new obligation; Beckham Law users face wealth tax on Spanish assets only, and some advisers say they are also outside Modelo 720 — confirm with your gestor. Check current thresholds with them too.

Your annual filing calendar

When	What	Side
Within 3 months of arriving	EU registration and NIE	Spain
Within 2 weeks after leaving	Abmeldung at the German registration office	Germany
By 31 March	Modelo 720, if thresholds are crossed	Spain
Apr – Jun (approx.)	Modelo 100 annual income-tax return (Beckham filers use Modelo 151)	Spain
31 July (general deadline; extensions via advisers)	German Einkommensteuererklärung for your departure year, if required	Germany

How taxes work in your first, split year

Germany treats you as an unlimited taxpayer until your Wohnsitz and habitual abode genuinely end; Spain taxes the whole calendar year as resident if you cross its 183-day test, and Spanish tax years run January to December, matching Germany's calendar year. Keep a clean paper trail: departure date, Abmeldung date, lease start, and the day you cross 183 days.

A worked example: a German employee on €90,000 in Valencia

Take a single German software employee on €90,000 a year, paid by a German employer, moving to Valencia. The figures are illustrative and exclude regional rules, deductions and any Wegzugsteuer (none applies without a ≥1% stake).

Route	Rough Spanish income tax	Notes
Beckham Law (if eligible), 24% flat	≈ €21,600 (24% × €90,000)	Applies to Spanish-source income under the regime; confirm eligibility in writing
Ordinary progressive IRPF (Atlas 2026 bands)	≈ €31,400	Computed from the 19/24/30/37/45% bands, before allowances and regional variation
German exit incomplete (flat still available)	Spanish tax plus continuing German tax	Credits under the treaty rarely remove double taxation entirely

The progressive figure is 19% × €12,450 + 24% × €7,750 + 30% × €15,000 + 37% × €24,800 + 45% × €30,000 = €2,366 + €1,860 + €4,500 + €9,176 + €13,500 ≈ €31,400. Use the planner with your own numbers. The point is not which regime wins; it is that a clean German exit and a written view on Beckham eligibility are worth far more than any rate difference.

Health insurance

Your EHIC covers temporary stays but is not a basis for registering with a GP. Once you are resident and affiliated with Spanish social security (through employment, self-employment or an S1/A1-based arrangement), you can use the public system. If you stay on German statutory insurance as a posted employee, confirm with your Krankenkasse what cover that preserves in Spain; a self-employed German leaving the German system usually relies on Spanish public coverage plus optional private insurance. Atlas's data uses about €90 a month per person for private cover. Many nomads use private insurance for speed and the public system as the backbone.

Driving, car, belongings and pets

• Licence: EU licences are mutually recognised, so your German licence stays valid. Check the DGT's rules for the voluntary exchange after you become resident.
• Car: moving a car long-term means re-registering it in Spain and paying Spanish taxes in some cases; confirm current rules with the DGT and Hacienda before bringing one.
• Belongings: no customs formalities between EU states.
• Pets: an EU pet passport, microchip and valid rabies vaccination.

Renting an apartment

Expect a deposit of one to two months plus the first month's rent, and landlords often want a guarantor or several months upfront if you lack Spanish payslips. A common sequence: a short-term rental for the first month or two, then a longer lease once your NIE and bank account exist. Atlas's data puts a solo one-bedroom in Valencia around €1,200 a month; Barcelona and Madrid run higher.

Which Spanish city should German nomads choose?

Valencia (value, beach, good transport), Barcelona (largest community, priciest), Madrid (business hub), Málaga (growing tech and expat scene, direct flights from German hubs) and the Canaries for year-round warmth. The Spain country page ranks cost and lifestyle; compare costs in the Portugal vs Spain comparison.

Permanent residence after 5 years, citizenship after 10

Under Article 10 of Real Decreto 240/2007, EU citizens who have resided legally in Spain for a continuous five-year period are entitled to permanent residence, and the foreigners' office can issue a certificate on request (BOE, accessed 2 November 2026). The route to citizenship is 10 years of legal residence for most nationalities; shortened (two years) only for nationals of Ibero-American countries, the Philippines, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal and Sephardic Jews, per Atlas's data on the Spain page. EU citizenship does not shorten the 10-year clock.

Can you keep German citizenship if you naturalise in Spain?

Spain generally requires applicants to renounce their previous nationality, except for the nations listed above (Código Civil, art. 23) (BOE — Código Civil, accessed 2 November 2026). Germany's own rules have been liberalised toward allowing multiple nationalities, but Spain's condition is the practical constraint, so treat dual nationality as case-by-case, as Atlas's data does. If keeping your German passport matters, speak to a lawyer before applying.

Spain versus Portugal for German nomads

Both are euro-zone, Schengen, EU free-movement destinations, so Germans skip both countries' nomad visas. Differences that matter: Spain offers a Beckham 24% option that may suit remote employees, while Portugal's IFICI is narrower; Spain has wealth tax and Modelo 720, which Portugal does not; Portugal's 2026 nationality reform reportedly sets a shorter track for EU nationals than Spain's ten years (check the Germany → Portugal guide for the current position). Atlas's Portugal vs Spain guide and the Germany → Portugal guide go deeper.

Cost of living: Germany versus Spain

Atlas's cost model for Valencia (2026): rent about €1,200 solo; groceries about €290; utilities €120; internet €33; transport €40; private health cover about €90; dining about €250 per person per month. That is typically cheaper than major German cities, particularly Munich and Frankfurt, though salaries paid in Spain are lower than in Germany. See the cheapest destinations ranking and the best for families list.

Common mistakes Germans make on this move

1. Searching for a "visa" that does not exist, then paying an agent for it.
2. Deregistering in Germany while keeping a flat at your disposal.
3. Missing the three-month registration window.
4. Ignoring the Wegzugsteuer when holding a GmbH stake.
5. Assuming Beckham eligibility without a written opinion, or missing the election deadline.
6. Forgetting Modelo 720 and wealth tax.
7. Staying on German payroll without an A1.
8. Underestimating the 183-day and economic-interests tests.

Is moving to Spain worth it for German nomads?

For employees on foreign payroll, Spain can be one of the most attractive EU destinations, because of lifestyle, cost, and a possible 24% regime. For equity holders, the exit-tax planning needs to come first. For freelancers, run the autónomo and tax numbers before committing. Run your exact figures in the Germany → Spain planner.

Your move-to-Spain checklist

1. Decide your status: German employee (A1?), autónomo or founder.
2. If you hold ≥1% of a company, model the Wegzugsteuer first.
3. Plan the end of your German Wohnsitz; sell or genuinely let your flat.
4. Do the Abmeldung (within two weeks after leaving).
5. Arrive; sign a lease; do the padrón.
6. Book the Oficina de Extranjería appointment; bring EX18, Modelo 790-012 receipt, ID and proof of work or resources.
7. Open a bank account; set up health cover.
8. Decide on Beckham eligibility and file on time.
9. Calendar Modelo 100/151, Modelo 720 and your German return.

FAQ

Do German citizens need a visa to move to Spain in 2026?

No. As an EU citizen you may live, work remotely, freelance or run a business in Spain under EU free-movement rules (Real Decreto 240/2007). Spain's International Telework Visa is for non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals. You enter on your passport or national ID and register once you stay beyond three months.

What registration do Germans need in Spain?

The certificado de registro de ciudadano de la Unión, applied for within three months of arriving at the Oficina de Extranjería (or police station) of your province using form EX18 and proof of payment of Tasa 790 código 012. It is issued immediately and shows your NIE.

Is there an income minimum for Germans moving to Spain?

No fixed figure. The €2,849 monthly income bar belongs to the telework visa for non-EU nationals. EU citizens qualify as workers or self-employed persons, or show sufficient resources and health insurance if they have no income.

Do I still pay German tax after moving to Spain?

Only until German unlimited tax liability ends. It ends when you give up both your Wohnsitz and your gewöhnlicher Aufenthalt in Germany. Afterwards Germany taxes only German-source income, subject to the 2011 Germany–Spain treaty. An Abmeldung alone does not end liability if you keep a dwelling available.

When do I become a Spanish tax resident?

If you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year, or your main economic interests are in Spain, or your spouse and minor children live there (a presumption). Registering and signing a long lease usually puts you in the first category quickly.

Can Germans use Spain's Beckham Law?

Possibly. The statute (Ley 35/2006, art. 93) requires no Spanish tax residence in the previous five years and treats employees working remotely as qualifying, with the telework visa named as a particular example. Atlas models 24% up to €600,000 and 47% above for up to six years, mainly for employees. Freelancers' eligibility is contested; get a written opinion.

What is the Wegzugsteuer and does it apply to me?

It is Germany's exit tax (§6 AStG). It applies only if you hold at least 1% of a corporation and were a German unlimited taxpayer for at least seven of the last twelve years. The tax can be paid in seven annual interest-free instalments, normally against security, and lapses if you return within seven years under conditions.

Do I pay social security in both Germany and Spain?

No. EU Regulation 883/2004 assigns one system. A German employer can request an A1 certificate to keep you in German social security during a posting; otherwise you contribute where you work, such as Spain's RETA for autónomos.

How long until Germans can become Spanish citizens?

Permanent residence comes after five years of continuous legal residence. Citizenship generally requires ten years, and Spain generally requires renouncing your previous nationality. EU citizenship does not shorten the ten-year period.

Can I drive in Spain on a German licence?

Yes. EU driving licences are mutually recognised, so your German licence stays valid in Spain.

Do I need Modelo 720 or pay Spanish wealth tax?

Spanish residents with foreign assets above set thresholds, broadly €50,000 per category, file Modelo 720 by 31 March, and Spain taxes net wealth for residents, with regional rebates. Beckham Law users are taxed on Spanish-situs assets only. Confirm current thresholds with a gestor.