Brazilian-Indian Maritime Business Consultant (Client Company in India)

The Case & Challenge

The applicant, a Maritime Business Consultant and Ship Broker holding both Brazilian and Indian passports, applied for Spain’s Digital Nomad Visa from within Spain. He used his Brazilian passport for the application, and the approval resolution records his nationality as Brazilian.

His application was based on an ongoing independent contractor relationship with a company in India, established in September 2025. His services included ship sale and purchase support, commercial negotiations, client coordination, and maritime business development. The contract and company letter expressly authorized him to perform these services entirely remotely from Spain.

Unlike a salaried employee, he received variable, commission-based professional fees. The company had also changed its legal structure, with some payments continuing through the predecessor business’s bank accounts during the transition. The file therefore needed to connect the current contract, the company’s documented operating history, and the payments he actually received.

We submitted the application electronically through UGE on February 16, 2026, while he held a valid stay authorization in Spain. During processing, UGE issued a request for additional documents dated March 12, 2026, covering representation, income evidence, and professional qualifications or experience.

The Strategy & Solution

The initial file brought together the independent consultancy agreement, the company’s remote-work authorization letter, official company records with apostilles and sworn Spanish translations, bank statements and invoices, professional-experience documentation, tax records, and proof of entry into Spain. It also included criminal record documentation and a responsible declaration, the application form and fee evidence, and a commitment to register as an autónomo in Spain.

UGE requested a public document granting representation to the person signing the application. The response included an apostilled power of representation translated into Spanish.

For the financial evidence, UGE wanted an official bank certificate signed or stamped by the bank covering the three months before submission, with the relevant payments clearly identified and matched to the invoices. The original records did not make those payments sufficiently clear. The response brought together the official bank certificate, clearly marked statements, supporting invoices, and the corresponding translations so the income could be followed across the documents.

The company letter also explained the continuity between the predecessor business and the current company, including why some professional payments still came from the predecessor’s accounts. This helped explain the payment arrangements without treating the applicant’s variable consultancy fees as a conventional salary.

The third issue concerned formal evidence of professional qualifications or at least three years of relevant experience. UGE noted that a company experience letter alone did not provide the accompanying official evidence it sought. The explanatory response, dated March 20, 2026, listed an apostilled and translated professional-experience certificate together with income tax returns from the previous three years as supporting evidence of his professional activity and income.

The Outcome

The signed approval resolution was issued on March 24, 2026, granting his Initial Residence Authorization for International Teleworkers, valid until March 23, 2029. The story’s publication date is the signed approval date.

The authorization was granted under his Brazilian nationality, while his qualifying professional relationship remained with the company in India. Following approval, the next steps include completing the required autónomo registration and applying for his residence card (TIE).

This case shows the importance of making a commission-based independent contractor’s file easy to verify: who the client company is, why payments arrive from a particular entity, how invoices match bank receipts, and how professional experience is supported. A focused response to UGE’s specific requests helped secure a three-year residence approval. The evidence was assessed on this applicant’s individual circumstances and does not guarantee the same outcome in another case.