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Spain News: July 2026

2026-07-10 18:00 Life in Spain

Spain News, July 2026: Record Residency Numbers, Mass Regularization, New Nomad Visa Rules

Every month I round up the Spain news that actually matters for people living here or planning to move. July turned out packed: record residency statistics, the results of the mass regularization, new Digital Nomad Visa renewal rules, and plenty of useful updates for daily life. Let's go through it all

Spain Granted a Record Number of Residency Permits in 2025

The headline number: over 1.5 million residency permits in 2025. Exactly 1,577,842, which is 144,238 more than in 2024. That's +7.8% year on year and the highest since detailed records began in 2014.
❗️ Important nuance: this is the number of documents, not people. One person could get both a first permit and a renewal in the same year: that's two documents. Roughly half are first-time grants, half are renewals and updates.
Top 3 nationalities (they got 42% of all permits):
  • Ukraine: 244,579
  • Venezuela: 224,341
  • Morocco: 187,790
By region (7 out of 10 permits are in these four):
  • Catalonia: 311,038
  • Valencia: 282,897 (biggest yearly jump, +23.5%)
  • Madrid: 275,607
  • Andalusia: 232,301
Other interesting numbers. Brits: more than doubled (from 26,325 to 57,396). Five years after Brexit, their temporary TIE cards are being swapped for permanent ones. Ukrainians and Venezuelans: up almost 20% thanks to temporary protection.
❗️ But Venezuelans lost this fast track on June 12: they now go through regular arraigo. Ukrainians keep the fast path.
Student visas: 108,253 permits. Average age 27, more than half women. Top countries: Colombia (14%), Peru (9%), Morocco (8%), USA (7%), China (7%).

Almost 1.2 Million Migrants Applied for Regularization: Double the Forecast

Over the 2.5 months the measure was open, 1,174,978 applications were filed: double the government's initial forecast (they expected just over half a million). It's the biggest of the seven regularizations in Spain's democratic history.
What it was: a one-year work-and-residency permit for undocumented migrants who could prove they were in Spain before January 1, 2026 and had stayed at least five months. The only condition: no criminal record. The window closed June 30.
Already processed:
  • Over 52% of applications approved at least provisionally: 608,000+ cases in progress
  • Just accepting the application already grants a temporary permit to live and work across Spain
  • Around 11,000 already have final approval
  • State Secretary Pilar Cancela stressed: "there will be no negative silence", everyone gets a decision, with all cases promised done by end of summer
Who they are: 80% under 45, 57% men. By country, Colombia leads (around 26%), then Morocco (13.3%), Venezuela (11.8%), Peru (8.8%). Two out of three have post-compulsory education, 80% speak the language fluently.
Impact on jobs: by June 30, 159,097 people were already registered with social security on a temporary permit, 77.3% on permanent contracts. Spain added 128,500 new workers: the best June since the pandemic.
And one more thing: 2 out of 3 regularized migrants will be able to apply for citizenship in 2 years (Latin Americans get a shorter naturalization path).

New Rules for Renewing the Digital Nomad Visa

The Digital Nomad Visa renewal procedure has been updated. The good news: noticeably fewer documents. But there's a key new requirement: Spanish tax declarations.
What was removed (the good news):
  • Diploma and proof of education (and the apostille headaches: gone)
  • CV
  • Company registration certificate
  • Employer letter allowing work from Spain
  • Bank statements and invoices
  • Proof of 3 years' work experience
💡 Why experience is no longer needed: those 3 years are covered by your first residency period. You've already "lived" them.
What's now required (the current list):
  1. Social security coverage certificate (for employed nomads) or Vida laboral (for autónomo nomads)
  2. Passport: data page only. It must be current: if you changed passports in these 3 years, show the latest
  3. Fee and payment receipt
  4. MIT form: new: preferably with a digital signature, not by hand
  5. Valid contract (or several, as before)
  6. Copies of tax declarations for two periods, filed with the Spanish tax office (AEAT). Not from any country: Spanish only! If you don't have two annual ones yet, show what you have: annual plus recent quarterly
  7. Private health insurance: only for employed nomads
Spain's logic is clear: it wants to check how nomads meet their obligations. Whether they really live here, pay taxes and contributions. Hence the focus on Spanish declarations and social security instead of diplomas and CVs.
A warning: "lighter" doesn't mean "easier." If a document isn't on the required list, it doesn't mean they can't ask for it. From experience: bank statements weren't listed before, yet UGE still asked for them notarized. It's smart to prepare a full set anyway: certificate, letter, diploma, statements, plus the new tax declarations.
If you renew in a couple of months and know some document takes long to prepare: start now. Special attention to autónomo nomads renewing with a new client rather than the one declared at first application.

Summer 2026: Record Tourism and Rising Prices

Spain may pass 100 million tourists in a year for the first time. Tourism minister Jordi Hereu called it "likely" for 2026.
Summer (June-September): expecting 43 million foreign tourists, +6% year on year. Spending grows even faster: +10%, up to 64 billion euros into the economy. The start of the year is already a record: January-May brought 36.8 million tourists and 50,257 million euros in spending.
And now the prices. The average hotel night went from 194 to 202 euros (+4%). With the same occupancy (around 69%), hotel revenue grew 6%. Hoteliers say it plainly: "a happy tourist is willing to pay for the service." Demand for Spain is so high the country can charge more, and people still come.

Big Players Are Moving Into Spain: Revolut, OpenAI and More

Spain is visibly becoming one of Europe's main tech and fintech hubs.
Fintech. Revolut is betting on Barcelona as one of its key centers in Europe and the world. The bank has 6 million clients in Spain. Plans: its first permanent physical store in Barcelona ("like an Apple Store" near Plaça Catalunya), at least 300 new hires in Catalonia by 2028, and a new Madrid office by the end of 2026. N26 moved to a new Madrid office in March: its second European operations hub.
Artificial intelligence. OpenAI opens its first Spanish office in Madrid in the second half of 2026. ChatGPT users in Spain are up 40%+ in a year: a top-5 market in the EMEA region. Big clients already: BBVA is rolling ChatGPT out to 120,000 staff, Santander has 30,000+ users. Following OpenAI to Madrid: Sierra, Harvey and ElevenLabs.
The big picture: Madrid concentrates 25.5% of all Spain's high-tech companies and 37% of tech jobs. The flip side: office rents are at record highs (44 euros per m² per month in prime Madrid).

Valencia Hosted Gay Games XII 2026

From June 27 to July 4, Valencia hosted the Gay Games for the first time in Spain's history: the world's biggest LGBTQ+ sport and culture festival, held every four years and open to everyone.
39 sports open to all genders: from swimming and athletics to padel, chess and e-sports. Events ran across the whole city: Malvarrosa and Las Arenas beaches, the velodrome, the Olympic complex. Alongside sport: a big cultural program with concerts, a Queer Film Festival and the Pink Flamingo water show. The event had backing at the highest official level: the Spanish government and the Valencian government. The flag was passed to the next host: Perth, Australia, 2030.
Why it matters for anyone eyeing Spain: Valencia is one of the most popular cities to move to, and hosting the Gay Games confirms its reputation as an open, safe and friendly place. Madrid Pride already took place; Barcelona Pride is expected July 18.

Tour de France 2026 Started in Barcelona

A historic event: for the first time ever, the official Tour de France start (Grand Départ) took place on Spanish soil, in Barcelona.
July 4 brought stage 1: a team time trial (19.6 km) through the streets of Barcelona, finishing on Montjuïc. A rarity: the Tour hadn't opened with a team time trial since 1971. The first yellow jersey went to Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), who beat the big favorite Tadej Pogačar right at the start.
The scale for the city: stage 1 drew around 850,000 fans, the city invested about 9.7 million euros, monuments were lit yellow, and the metro was boosted by 40%. Barcelona is becoming a world event capital: after Rosalía, Bad Bunny, Formula 1 and Primavera Sound, now the Tour too.

Lista Robinson: How to Stop Spam Calls

Spain has a free service called Lista Robinson that helps you get rid of marketing calls and messages. You register once, and companies doing advertising must remove you from their lists. It covers calls, SMS, emails, even paper mail.
A few caveats: it takes about two months to kick in. And if you once gave a company consent to contact you, it can keep doing so until you withdraw it.
Lista Robinson isn't magic: it won't stop scammers or foreign callers. But legal advertising drops noticeably, because big companies check the list to avoid fines. Registration is free and takes a few minutes

For more information, visit listarobinson.es

New Rules for E-Scooters, Bikes and Motorbikes

The government has introduced the concept of a "vulnerable road user" (pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, e-scooter riders) and a package of new rules. Most take effect October 1, 2026: there's time to adapt.
E-scooters: minimum age 15, light always on, helmet required, reflective vest at night (couriers: always). Fine for violations: 200 euros.
Bikes: helmet required on rural roads. Couriers: helmet and vest at all times. Overtaking a cyclist outside town: slow down by at least 20 km/h, and on multi-lane roads change lane fully. In town, cyclists ride in the center of the lane, and cars keep 5 meters behind.
Motorbikes: protective gloves required outside town and closed shoes everywhere. Riding the right shoulder is allowed in traffic jams, max 30 km/h.
Seatbelts: exemptions removed for taxis, trucks and driving school cars. The belt is now always mandatory.

MiCA: What Happened to Crypto on July 1

Since July 1, 2026, MiCA, the single EU crypto rulebook, is fully in force in Spain and across the EU. Supervision moved from the Bank of Spain to the CNMV.
The gist: only exchanges with a MiCA license can operate. Out of 3,000+ former crypto firms, only about 244 got licensed. Binance suspended most EU services. Spain's BitBase paused operations. But Bit2Me is licensed and running fine. USDT (Tether) is being pushed out of Europe; the legal alternatives are USDC and EURC.
The good: client funds are now legally separated from the exchange's own money. An FTX-style collapse is now legally impossible. The price: with DAC8, exchanges automatically report all your transactions and balances to the tax office, with no minimum threshold. What MiCA doesn't touch: DeFi and self-custody via your own wallet. But you must still declare to the tax office.

Mercadona Changes Hours: 300+ Stores Open Longer

From June 22, Mercadona runs summer hours in over 300 supermarkets across Spain, mostly in tourist and coastal towns: Benidorm, Marbella, Salou, Cullera. Stores still open at 9:00 but close later: at 22:00 instead of 21:30, until August 30. The big change: some stores are open Sundays from 9:00 to 15:00.

Smaller Classes After Teacher Strikes

After protests and strikes by nursery and school staff (in Madrid they've been on an open-ended strike for two months), the education ministry is preparing a decree to cut the number of children per teacher. Unions called it "huge news."
Nurseries (0-3, the strikers' main demand): under 1 year: 4 babies per teacher (was up to 8), 1-2 years: 6 (was 10-14), 2-3 years: 8 (was 16-20). This matches European recommendations. Rolled out gradually from the 2027/2028 school year.
Other levels: Infantil (3-6): max 20 instead of 25, Primary: 22 instead of 25, Secondary (ESO): 25 instead of 30, Bachillerato: 30 instead of 35.

Smoke-Free Beaches in Andalusia

Andalusia is expanding its network of smoke-free spaces. This isn't about all beaches, only specific ones marked for the initiative. The goal is double: people's health and the environment. One discarded cigarette butt takes 8-12 years to break down, and butts buried in sand poison the soil and water.
This summer the network grew to 59 beaches and 92 pools: 151 smoke-free spaces in total. Fines: usually 30 to 600 euros, but up to 2,000 depending on the town. Most zones are in Cádiz (Tarifa, Barbate, Conil) and Málaga (Marbella, Estepona, Mijas, Vélez-Málaga).

Spain Has Over 15 Million Pets

Spanish homes now have 15,171,569 pets: up 14% in five years. It's the first official national count of companion animals.
Dogs lead with 7,562,893 (49.8%). Cats: 5,619,967 (37%). The other 13% are rabbits, birds, turtles and reptiles. Interesting: though there are more dogs, cats grew faster over five years. Andalusia leads by region. And Spain is preparing an emergency protocol to help pets in disasters. Reassuring for anyone moving with a furry friend.

A Personal Word: Please Donate Blood

I want to talk about something important, and for me right now it's not abstract.
A few days ago I was in hospital: my hemoglobin dropped very low, and I needed a plasma transfusion. In the morning a woman came in with a little case. She opened it, and there was plasma. For me. And in that moment I just thought: thank you, everyone who does this. I'm a healthy person. But then a moment comes when you need a transfusion. And blood only comes in one form: the kind someone donated. It can't be manufactured and can't be replaced by anything.
A few numbers: in 2025 over a million people donated blood and plasma in Spain: that's 1,662,035 donations. But donors dropped 2.78% from the year before.
❗️ Right now Madrid is on red alert for all blood types. Reserves are down to 35% (last year: 88%). There's only enough for a day and a half. If you're in Madrid: please donate. You can do it at 30 hospitals, mobile units, the Red Cross, and the Transfusion Center in Valdebernardo. Someone once donated, and it saved me. Maybe yours will save someone else. 💙

Free Pizza for a Swimsuit

Pizza chain Grosso Napoletano ran one of the boldest summer promos under the slogan "Grosso al desnudo": "Come undressed, leave fed." Free pizza for anyone showing up in a bikini, swimsuit or nude-colored outfit.
It ran June 26 in 15 cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Valencia. The viral bet worked: queues stretched for blocks in Madrid. A note for Barcelona: city rules ban walking fully undressed on the street, so a swimsuit minimum is mandatory.

Spain Sets a Historic World Cup Record

Spain reached the World Cup quarterfinals, beating Portugal 1-0. Mikel Merino scored the winner in the 91st minute.
The historic record, logged by Guinness: Spain reached 600 minutes without conceding at World Cups. It's a new world record, beating Switzerland (557 minutes) and Italy (550). Keeper Unai Simón became the goalkeeper with the longest clean-sheet run in World Cup history, passing Walter Zenga and Iker Casillas.
Next: Spain's first World Cup quarterfinal in 16 years, against Belgium on July 10. Spain is the favorite: around 59% versus 17% for Belgium.

Final Thoughts

That's July. Spain is breaking residency records, opening new paths to legal status, and remains one of the most attractive countries to move to. If you've been thinking about your own path to Spain: this is a good window
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