Spain Just Announced a Digital Nomad Grant (You’ll Get Paid $16K to Move There!)

If you’ve ever dreamed of making midday siestas and late-night tapas your everyday reality, you’re in luck: Spain is the latest country to announce a digital nomad grant. This means you can work, play, and explore some of the most charming rural villages on the western coast of Europe — all while getting paid to do it. 

While living out your slow fall fantasies in a tiny Spanish village, you’ll also get the bonus of potentially being paid more than $16,000 to relocate as you embrace Spain’s laid-back culture for a few years. 

The Spanish region of Extremadura, which is north of Seville and borders Portugal, is looking for people to move to the rural area as part of its “Live in Ambroz” repopulation program. This area, which mainly depends on agriculture for its livelihood, also happens to be a major wine producing region in Spain. While it’s not located on the coast, Extremadura has a long coastline of in-land freshwater beaches and a national park, as well as plenty of Roman and Renaissance ruins for history buffs. 

As people have migrated to more cosmopolitan areas like Madrid and Barcelona, the villages in the Ambroz Valley have lost a significant portion of their population and, as a result, their services. As a result, they’re looking for 200 digital nomads and digital workers who’ll move to this area for at least two years — and they’re paying them grants worth a maximum of €15,000, which can be used towards “available housing, arable land, and everything necessary to speed up their arrival,” according to a government press release published on August 25.

However, your approximately $16,703 won’t be given all at once — and it comes with caveats.

If you’re a woman or a person under 30 who chooses to live in a town in the Extremadura area with less than 5,000 residents, you’ll receive €10,000 towards your move. Others will get €8,000. After two years, you’ll have the option to sign up for a third year. If you choose to opt in for the third year, women and those under 30 will get another €5,000, while all others will receive €4,000.

Unsurprisingly, there are a few more caveats to know before you submit your application, which will reportedly be available online in September on the Extremadura General Electronic Access Point. According to Euronews, Spanish officials said that there are a few requirements to adhere to.

• Be a legal resident in Spain (so you must have your Spanish digital nomad visa if you’re an American or another non-EU national).
• Work remotely in the tech industry.
• Haven’t lived in Extremadura for at least six months.

If you fulfill all these requirements and decide to apply to the program, you’ll know within three months if you’re accepted. Considering that the average cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment in the city center of Caceres is only €500 ($553.79), it’s definitely tempting — especially when you factor in the mandated late-afternoon naps.