How much money do I need to show to enter Spain as a tourist?

Checked on 2026-10-25

If border police ask, you must show money equal to 10% of Spain's gross minimum wage (salario mínimo interprofesional) for each day of your stay and each person travelling at your expense, and never less than 90% of that minimum wage per person. You also need a named, non-transferable return or onward ticket with a fixed date.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Daily amount	10% of the gross minimum interprofessional wage (SMI) × days in Spain × people travelling at your expense	Orden PRE/1282/2007, apartado segundo 1.a
Minimum total	90% of the gross SMI in force, per person, whatever the length of stay	Orden PRE/1282/2007, apartado segundo 1.a
Days counted	From the entry date to the departure date on your ticket, both included	Orden PRE/1282/2007, apartado segundo 1.a
Ticket	Named, non-transferable and closed, to return or travel on	Orden PRE/1282/2007, apartado segundo 1.b
How to prove it	Cash; certified or traveller’s cheques; payment letters; or credit cards with a bank statement or an up-to-date passbook	Orden PRE/1282/2007, apartado segundo 2
Not accepted	Letters from banks and internet bank statements	Orden PRE/1282/2007, apartado segundo 2
If you can’t show it	Entry refused; exceptionally, a shorter stay in proportion to your money	Orden PRE/1282/2007, apartado segundo 3–4

The rule

Spain’s immigration regulation says you must prove at entry that you have enough money to support yourself and any dependants travelling with you for the whole stay, and to return home or travel on (RD 1155/2024, art. 9). The amounts come from a ministerial order, Orden PRE/1282/2007. It doesn’t give a fixed euro figure. Instead, it ties the amount to Spain’s gross minimum interprofessional wage (SMI), so the amount changes when the SMI changes.

You need 10% of the gross SMI for each day you plan to stay, multiplied by the number of people travelling at your expense. The total can never be less than 90% of the gross SMI in force per person, however short the trip. The days are counted from the entry date to the departure date on your return or onward ticket, both included.

How you prove it

The order lists cash, certified cheques, traveller’s cheques, payment letters, or credit cards. Credit cards must be backed by a bank statement or an up-to-date bank passbook, or by any other means that reliably shows the amount available. The order says letters from banks and bank statements printed from the internet are not accepted.

When it applies

Border officers ask for this proof “if requested”. The order says checks are systematic at external borders and on transport arriving from, or stopping in, non-Schengen countries. It doesn’t apply to EU, EEA, Swiss or Andorran citizens and their family members covered by the EU free movement rules. It also doesn’t apply to people holding a valid residence permit or student stay permit in Spain, another EU state or Andorra, or a valid Spanish residence, residence-and-work or study visa.

If your accommodation is covered by a hotel booking or an invitation letter that includes meals, the regulation says the rules setting the amounts must take that into account (RD 1155/2024, art. 9). Orden PRE/1282/2007 itself does not reduce the amounts for this.

The invitation letter (carta de invitación) only proves accommodation and never replaces the other entry requirements (RD 1155/2024, art. 8(2)(c)).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

This is general information, not legal advice, and Lumen is not a law firm. Rules change and offices differ: check the official sources above before you act. Found something wrong or out of date? Write to support@lumen.observer.