Do you need a visa to live in the Balearic Islands?

It depends on your passport. If you are British or American, yes, you need a visa to live in the Balearics beyond 90 days, because since Brexit British nationals are treated as non-EU citizens, just like Americans. If you are Irish, or any other EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, no visa: you enjoy freedom of movement and can settle and work freely, with a single formality after three months, the EU registration certificate, to request within 90 days.

The visa question is the real one for non-Europeans, who are increasingly drawn to the islands. For them, everything has changed, and buying a property is no longer enough to obtain a residence permit. Here is the picture, profile by profile.

EU or Irish citizen: do you need a visa?

None. EU law lets you live in the Balearics without prior authorisation. There is no visa and no work permit to apply for. The only obligation, if you stay more than three months, is to register, which gives you the green EU citizen's certificate. It is not a visa, just an entry in the central register of foreigners, valid for five years. In practice, you do your empadronamiento at the town hall, get your NIE and apply for the certificate at the Policia Nacional, Illes Balears province, with form EX18, the modelo 790 codigo 012 fee, proof of means and health cover. Our guide to the first 90 days sets out the sequence.

If you are non-EU (British, American): which visa?

Here a visa is needed to settle for the long term. The main routes in 2026, after the end of the golden visa, are the following.

A useful bonus for the digital nomad route: holders can opt into the Beckham regime (a flat 24 percent on Spanish employment income, with foreign income generally exempt), for the arrival year plus up to five years. Whatever your route, you apply for the visa first, then complete your TIE residence card in Spain within roughly 30 days of arrival.

Does buying a property give you the right to reside?

Not since 2025. The golden visa, which granted a residence permit in exchange for a property investment, was abolished by Organic Law 1/2025, with new applications stopping on 3 April 2025. Buying a villa in Ibiza or Mallorca is still perfectly possible for a non-European, but it no longer opens any residence right. To live here, you now need a standard visa, non-lucrative or digital nomad first among them. That is a distinction that matters for a wealthy international clientele who wrongly assumed bricks and mortar were a passport.

Frequently asked questions

Can an EU or Irish citizen work in the Balearics without authorisation?

Yes. Freedom of movement includes the right to work, employed or self-employed, without a permit. You simply need a NIE and, after three months, the EU registration certificate.

What happens if I do not register within 90 days?

As an EU citizen you keep your status, but you are in breach of the registration duty, which can complicate certain steps (contracts, benefits, supporting documents). Book an appointment as soon as your empadronamiento is done.

Do British nationals still have a special status?

No. Since Brexit they fall under non-EU immigration law and must obtain a visa (non-lucrative, digital nomad and so on) to settle for more than three months, exactly like Americans.

Could the golden visa come back?

Nothing suggests it. It was abolished by law and replaced, in practice, by the digital nomad visa for non-Europeans. Applications filed before 3 April 2025 follow the old regime until they expire.

To choose your island before you even tackle these formalities, look at our comparison of where to settle in the Balearics.

Visa thresholds track IPREM and SMI and can change; residency rules differ by nationality. Always confirm your route with the official Spanish sources and your consulate before you act. Information verified in August 2026. The Daily Baleares is an AI-assisted publication with human review.