Parastoo Legal Group
Spanish Residency from Armenia
For Armenian nationals and for foreign residents in Yerevan — including the question of where each document was issued.
Armenia sits in an unusual position for Spanish immigration files. Armenian public documents are apostilled, which is fast and simple. But a large share of applicants writing to us from Yerevan are foreign nationals resident in Armenia, and their civil documents were issued elsewhere under entirely different rules. This guide sets out both residency routes with the 2026 figures, and explains which legalisation chain applies to which document.
Two Groups, One Set of Rules
Applications reaching us from Armenia come from two directions. Armenian nationals seeking a European base for the family, and foreign nationals legally resident in Armenia — a significant number of them Iranian — who have built a life in Yerevan and now want a position inside the European Union.
The Spanish requirements are identical for both. What differs is where each of your documents was issued, and that single distinction determines how long your file takes to assemble.
The Apostille Advantage
Armenia is a party to the Hague Convention, so public documents issued in Armenia are validated by apostille and then translated by a sworn translator into Spanish. No consular chain, no foreign ministry endorsement, no second legalisation step.
If you are a foreign national resident in Armenia, do not assume this covers everything. Your criminal record certificate from your country of nationality, and your birth and marriage certificates, follow that country's rules, not Armenia's. Iranian-issued documents in particular require full consular legalisation: the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then the Consulate of Spain. Iranian documents are not apostilled.
In practice this means an Iranian resident in Yerevan runs two parallel chains at different speeds. Starting the Iranian one late is the most common reason a file slips a consular appointment.
Non-Lucrative Residency: The 2026 Figures
The 2026 IPREM remains €600 per month, €7,200 per year on a twelve-payment basis, unchanged since 2021 because successive national budgets have been rolled over. The main applicant evidences 400% of that: €28,800 for the year, plus €7,200 for each accompanying family member.
The permit runs one year initially, then renews for two and a further two — the 1 + 2 + 2 structure reaching five years, at which point long-term residency becomes available. It does not authorise work for a Spanish employer or professional activity in Spain.
Digital Nomad: The 2026 Figures
Royal Decree 126/2026 of 18 February set the Spanish minimum wage at €1,221 per month across fourteen payments, an annual €17,094. The threshold is 200% of that annualised over twelve months: €2,849 per month, or €34,188 per year, plus €1,069 for a first family member and €356 for each further one.
An authorisation granted by the UGE runs three years and renews for two, and the UGE resolves in twenty working days. For anyone earning remotely from companies outside Spain, this is usually the stronger route.
Which Route Fits
The question is simply whether your income comes from work you actively perform or from assets you already hold. Remote earnings point to the Digital Nomad route; savings, pensions, rental or investment income point to the Non-Lucrative Residency. Building a file for the wrong permit costs months.
Insurance and Accommodation
Private health insurance must give full coverage in Spain with no co-payments and no waiting periods. Travel policies and international employer schemes are routinely rejected, and this single item causes more avoidable refusals than any other. You will also need evidence of where you will live in Spain.
Timing
Consular applications are resolved within three months of a complete file. Work backwards from your intended move date: the constraint is almost never the decision, it is assembling the legalised documents.
How We Work with Clients in Armenia
We are a Madrid-based immigration and global mobility firm operating remotely, with more than 400 approved residencies and specialists working in Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Spanish and English. We map every document to its correct legalisation route before the file opens. Consultations are by video call or telephone.
Figures stated are those in force at the date of publication. Spanish immigration thresholds are tied to indicators revised annually. This article is general information, not legal advice on an individual case.