Rejection recovery
Your DNV was rejected — this isn't necessarily the end
Most Spain Digital Nomad Visa rejections are fixable. You have 1 month to file a formal appeal (recurso de alzada) — or, in many cases, a fresh application with corrected documents is the faster route. We assess your situation and advise honestly.
Why applications are refused
The most common DNV rejection reasons
Understanding why your application was refused is the first step. These are the eight most common grounds we see — and most of them are correctable.
Income below the €2,849/month threshold — or evidence insufficient
The most common reason. Either income didn't consistently reach the 200% SMI threshold, or bank statements didn't clearly demonstrate regular payments. Payslips, bank statements, and client invoices must all tell a consistent story.
Income from a Spanish source — employer is Spanish or >20% Spanish income for freelancers
The DNV requires that income comes from non-Spanish clients or employers. Employed applicants cannot work for a Spanish-registered company. Freelancers must demonstrate that no more than 20% of their income comes from Spanish clients.
Criminal record certificate expired, not apostilled, or missing
Criminal record certificates must be issued within 3–6 months of the application date, apostilled, and sworn-translated. Certificates are required from every country where you have lived for 5 or more years. Missing or expired certificates are a common cause of refusal.
Health insurance policy doesn't meet requirements
The policy must cover Spain, have no co-payment (no excess or deductible), and provide a minimum of €30,000 in coverage. Many standard travel or tourist policies fail on the co-payment requirement. Each family member requires their own qualifying policy.
Employer letter or employment contract inadequate
The employer letter must confirm remote working authorisation, that the employer is not Spanish-registered, the applicant's salary, and that the applicant has been in the role for at least 3 months. New hires or contractors can struggle here if the letter doesn't cover all required points.
Documents not sworn-translated into Spanish
All documents that are not in Spanish must be translated by a traductor jurado — a sworn translator recognised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Standard or machine translations are not accepted.
Application form errors — wrong form, missing fields, or administrative mistakes
Purely administrative errors can still trigger a rejection. Using the wrong form version, leaving mandatory fields blank, or inconsistencies between the form and supporting documents are all grounds for refusal.
Passport validity too short
Your passport must remain valid for the full duration of the permit being requested. If there is less than 1 year until your passport expires, renew before submitting the DNV application. An expired or soon-to-expire passport is a straightforward but often overlooked rejection trigger.
Your options after rejection
Appeal or reapply — which route is right?
The right path depends entirely on the reason for your rejection. We assess this individually — there is no single answer that applies to every case.
Recurso de alzada
A written administrative appeal submitted to the authority within 1 month of the rejection notice. Best used where the decision itself was wrong — not merely where documents were deficient.
- ✓ Must be filed within 1 month of notification
- ✓ Written legal argument challenging the decision
- ✓ Can include corrected or additional evidence
- ✓ We draft and submit on your behalf
- – Will not succeed if rejection was factually correct
Reapply with corrected documents
In most cases where rejection was caused by document deficiencies, a fresh application with correctly prepared documents is faster and more reliable than an appeal.
- ✓ No time limit — can be submitted when ready
- ✓ Corrected documents included from the outset
- ✓ Often faster outcome than an appeal process
- ✓ Recommended where document errors caused rejection
- – You go through the full process again
What we do
Our rejection recovery service
We take a clear-eyed approach to rejection cases. Our job is to give you the best possible outcome — not to take a fee for work that won't succeed.
Rejection assessment
We review your rejection letter in full, identify the specific grounds cited by the authority, and assess whether the decision is challengeable or whether a document correction is the better route.
Appeal vs reapply advice
We give you a clear recommendation on which route gives you the best outcome — with the reasoning explained. We will tell you honestly if an appeal is unlikely to succeed.
Recurso de alzada preparation
Where an appeal is the right route, we draft a full written legal argument, attach corrected evidence, and submit the recurso de alzada to the relevant authority on your behalf.
Fresh application preparation
Where reapplying is the better route, we prepare a corrected full application — addressing every document deficiency identified — and submit it for you through our standard service.
Honest expectations
If your rejection was based on genuine ineligibility — for example, your income was consistently below €2,849/month at the time of application — an appeal will not succeed, and we will tell you so. We do not take fees for work that cannot produce a result. Our advice at the assessment stage is frank and based entirely on the merits of your specific case.
Questions & answers