Iran war: Fleeing from Dubai? Spain’s Digital Nomad visa offers ultra-low taxation

Raymundo Larraín Nesbitt, April, 21. 2026

Marbella-based Larrain Nesbitt Abogados has over 23 year’s taxation & conveyancing experience at your service. Our team of native English-speaking lawyers and economists have a long track record successfully assisting expats all over Spain. You can review here our client’s testimonials.

Blog post copyrighted © 2025. Plagiarism will be criminally prosecuted.

By Raymundo Larraín Nesbitt
Lawyer – Abogado
21st of April 2026

Introduction

Life was looking good. You were all set up in Dubai. You paid no income tax; you saved money and invested it. Things couldn’t look any brighter until the bombs started falling and the shine came off Dubai.

Nights of terror hiding in the basement, fear sets in with each new drone strike, Dubai property prices falling off a cliff (-20% plunge in a week), the airport is closed amid attacks, and uncertainty becomes the new normality. How long will this war last?

It is now clear that you must escape Dubai with your family, but where to go next? The UK press confirms over 37,000 expats fled Dubai in recent days. Returning to the United Kingdom is not an option for affluent families. Heading back means the HMRC will be all too eager to pounce on you and cash in. High taxation in the UK has become unbearable for wealthy families following the new tax rules from last year.

What if I were to tell you that there is an option to pay ultra-low taxes at the heart of Western Europe?

Spain offers what is known as a Digital Nomad Visa. Whether you are employed or self-employed, working remotely, you and your family can all move to Spain and live a life of peace and abundance, away from all the violence afflicting the Middle East, paying little to no tax under the sunshine. Interested?       

If you are planning to move to Spain, you should seriously consider becoming a digital nomad.

There is no question that the Digital Nomad Visa has become the most sought-after visa in Spain after the Golden Visa was phased out in early 2025.

The Digital Nomad Visa (or tax-free visa, as it is popularly dubbed) offers a wide range of tax benefits that surpass Golden Visas. Golden Visas did not have the slew of tax advantages that DNVs offer. The DNV is all about paying little to no tax, whilst living the high life in Europe. Unlike Golden Visas, you don't need to spend €500,000 to benefit from it all. No minimum investment is required.

The DNV is simply the best visa money can buy in Europe at this moment in time.

8 reasons to apply for a Digital Nomad Visa

 

  1. Ultra-low tax unmatched tax advantages. Don’t fancy paying much tax? This visa has you covered. No other visa in Spain offers its wide range of tax benefits. You only need to pay a flat tax rate of 24% on your gross earnings in Spain up to €600,000/year. Any assets held abroad go untaxed. Moreover, unlike standard Spanish taxpayers, you don’t even need to declare assets or rights abroad (no need to complete tax form 720). In plain English, you pay little to no tax on your income, and you are not required to declare or pay tax for assets held abroad.  
  2. Long duration. Clear rules, initially for 3 years, then works on a 3-year renewal, totalling 6 years. This visa has one of the longest durations available.
  3. Fast-tracked. DNVs are granted by Madrid in under 3 weeks. No other visa is expedited as much. The red rug is rolled for you, cutting through all pesky red tape.
  4. All the family is included. Your partner, your children (up to 25 years old), and even your parents may be included as dependents.
  5. Right to work in Spain. Not only does it give full rights to work remotely in Spain to the main applicant, but it also extends the right to his dependents, either as freelancers or as employees pursuant to Law 13/2014 of International Entrepreneurs.
  6. Unfettered access to the Union. Once you attain the DNV, it allows you and your family unrestricted access to the 27 Member States that assemble the Union.
  7. Path to permanent residency – optional. The time spent leads to permanent residency (which lasts 10 years).
  8. Path to Spanish citizenship – optional. Fancy a European passport that allows you access to 189 countries worldwide? The time spent leads to Spanish nationality after 10 years of continued and legal residency.

Conclusion

DNVS are hands down the best visa money can buy, living at the heart of Western Europe.

Fancy this weekend a shopping spree in London or Milan? Only two hours away by plane. Fancy popping to the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower for some culture? Only two hours away by plane. Fancy skiing and catching up with your besties at Gstaad? Only two hours away by plane.

You have all the pros of becoming a legal admin resident in Spain, yet none of the tax cons, as standard tax obligations do NOT apply to you. A legal fiction operates whereby you are treated as a non-resident taxpayer, this is a tax scheme known as Beckham’s Rule.

Unsurprisingly, smart money votes with the wallet. Spain was ranked in 2025 as the best country in the world for digital nomads. Málaga is the world’s third most popular destination for digital nomads.

In my book, DNVs are a steal. Life is too short, and taxes are too high in some countries. Make the most of it, pay little to no tax, apply now for a DNV.

And if paying no tax and living in a peaceful European country wasn’t enough to convince you, property prices in Spain are appreciating by two digits a year. Now is the right time to catch the property train. What are you waiting for? Secure your family’s future and wellbeing, protect and build your wealth, by living at the heart of Western Europe.

DNVs allow you to live anywhere in Spain; you will be spoilt for choice: Barcelona, Costa del Sol, Granada, Ibiza, Madrid, Malaga, Mallorca, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Sotogrande, and Valencia.

 

At LNA, we assist you, and your family, to attain a Digital Nomad Visa in under 3 weeks. We can also assist you buying, selling, or renting property anywhere in Spain.

Call us and speak to one of our friendly staff free of charge!

 

LNA has a 100% track record of attaining Spanish visa & residency permits since 2013. We have assisted over one thousand satisfied visa clients and their families.

At Larrain Nesbitt Abogados (LNA) we have over 23 years of experience specialising in taxation, and property conveyance. We also assist clients with immigration & residency visas, and inheritance procedures (probate). You can contact us by e-mail at info@larrainnesbitt.com, by telephone on our UK line (+44) 0754 3838 218 or Spanish line (+34) 952 19 22 88, or by completing our contact form.

Please note the information provided in this article is of general interest only and is not to be construed or intended as substitute for professional legal advice. This article may be posted freely in websites or other social media so long as the author is duly credited. Plagiarising, whether in whole or in part, this article without crediting the author may result in criminal prosecution. Ní neart go cur le chéile. VOV.

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