🇺🇬 Ugandan citizens · 🇪🇸 Spain · Residence / Long-stay
Spain residence / long-stay visa for Ugandan citizens: requirements, cost and odds
We do not publish a Ugandan-specific approval rate for a residence visa to Spain, because we do not yet hold a figure from Spain for this category broken down by nationality. Rather than estimate one and format it like a statistic, we leave it out. For background, the published figures that do exist for Uganda are a 57.6% US visitor-visa refusal rate in FY2025 and a 36.8% Schengen short-stay refusal rate in 2025 — different countries and a different visa class, so treat them as context rather than as your odds. What is documented is the decision itself — officers assess whether you have stable, sufficient income or savings to support yourself without working, and the single biggest lever is sufficient, stable income. On the money side: About €2,400/month — €28,800/year (400% of Spain's IPREM, which is €600/month in 2026) — plus €600/month (€7,200/year) for each additional family member. Because IPREM is unchanged for 2026, these figures are stable. The estimator below weighs your own finances, ties, travel history and refusal record against that.
Last reviewed July 2026 per our editorial standards. Source: Spain MFA — Non-lucrative residence visa (exteriores.gob.es) .
How likely is a residence visa to Spain for Ugandan citizens? Officers focus on whether you have stable, sufficient income or savings to support yourself without working. A typical applicant sees roughly 58%, and the biggest single lever is sufficient, stable income. Ugandan applicants often face elevated scrutiny; clearly documented finances, employment and ties move the needle most.
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Your trip
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Key requirements
- Non-EU/EEA/Swiss national who will not work in Spain (including no remote work)
- Proof of about €2,400/month (400% of IPREM) in savings or passive income, +€600/month per dependent
- Full private health insurance with a Spain-authorised insurer (no co-pays, full coverage)
- Apostilled criminal-record certificate covering the last 5 years
- A medical certificate and a valid passport
- Proof the funds are genuinely available (bank, investment or pension statements)
Money & funds
About €2,400/month — €28,800/year (400% of Spain's IPREM, which is €600/month in 2026) — plus €600/month (€7,200/year) for each additional family member. Because IPREM is unchanged for 2026, these figures are stable.
Typical timeline
Consular processing is typically ~1–3 months. The visa lets you enter Spain; you then register for your TIE residence card. Initial authorisation is 1 year, renewable in 2-year periods.
Common refusal reasons
- Insufficient or unstable funds below the 400% IPREM threshold
- Intending to work — including remotely (that requires the Digital Nomad Visa instead)
- Health insurance that is not full-coverage, or not from an authorised insurer
- Missing apostille/legalisation on the criminal-record certificate
- Incomplete or inconsistent financial documentation
Where Uganda sits in the official data
Two governments publish visa outcomes broken down by country. Neither predicts an individual decision, but together they show how Ugandan applicants fare relative to everyone else, and which of the destinations we cover currently refuses the fewest applications from Uganda.
US visitor visas — FY2025
A 57.6% adjusted refusal rate places Uganda 162nd of 199 nationalities the State Department publishes — a lower refusal rate than 19% of them. The median nationality sits at 31.8%, so Uganda is 25.8 points above it.
Schengen short-stay visas — 2025
Across all Schengen consulates in Uganda, 36.8% of short-stay applications were not issued — 108th of 127 countries with a meaningful application volume, and 21.2 points above the 15.6% median.
| Destination | Refused | Issued | Decided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 15.1% | 84.9% | 3,967 |
| France | 32.7% | 67.3% | 5,794 |
| Germany | 41.4% | 58.6% | 5,557 |
| the Netherlands | 59% | 41% | 3,606 |
Among Schengen states, applications lodged in Uganda were refused least often by Italy at 15.1% and most often by the Netherlands at 59% — a gap of 43.9 points on a like-for-like basis. That gap reflects who applies where as much as how strictly each state decides, so it is a starting point for choosing a main destination, not a ranking of leniency. You must still apply to the state where you will spend the most nights.
Demand and outcome moved together for Uganda between 2024 and 2025. Schengen consulates there decided 20,398 short-stay applications, against 17,935 the year before — up 13.7% — while the refusal rate went from 35.7% to 36.8%. Had 2024's rate held, roughly 232 of the 20,398 applicants refused in 2025 would have been issued a visa instead.
Sources: U.S. Department of State — Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality and European Commission — Schengen short-stay visa statistics for consulates . Schengen figures are grouped by the country an application was lodged in, not by passport.
What actually moves the needle
Passive income or savings clearly above the threshold
This is the heart of residence decisions for Spain. Make it concrete and documented rather than assumed.
A stable, well-documented source of funds
Officers weigh this alongside everything else — gather clear evidence before you apply.
Full health insurance and a clean criminal record
Officers weigh this alongside everything else — gather clear evidence before you apply.
Context for Uganda applicants
Ugandan applicants often face elevated scrutiny; clearly documented finances, employment and ties move the needle most. Your personal profile matters far more than any nationality-level pattern, so focus on the levers above.
Avoid the common pitfall
The most frequent reason this route fails is income that is too low, irregular, or actually active employment rather than passive. Address it directly and you remove the biggest doubt.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official Spain residence visa success rate for Ugandan citizens?
Not one we currently carry. We only print a rate when we hold the publisher's own figure for this nationality and this visa category, and we do not hold one for Spain residence visas. The figure shown on this page is a modelled estimate built from published route-level data and your answers — we label it as such rather than presenting it as a government statistic. What you can act on is the documented requirement set below, which is what the decision actually turns on.
What matters most for a Spain residence visa?
Officers focus on whether you have stable, sufficient income or savings to support yourself without working. In practice the single biggest lever is sufficient, stable income, so make that part of your application as strong and well-documented as possible.
Does a previous visa refusal affect my chances?
Yes. A prior refusal weighs on new applications until its underlying reason is addressed. Find out exactly why you were refused, fix what caused it, and clearly show what is different this time.
Is this a guarantee of approval?
No. GetVisaOdds is an educational planning tool, not legal advice and not a guarantee. Only a consular or immigration officer can decide your application. We show approximate odds and the reasons behind them so you can prepare better.
Is my information private?
Completely. The estimate runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are never sent to a server or stored — there is no sign-up and nothing to leak.
How much money do I need for Spain's Non-Lucrative Visa in 2026?
About €2,400/month (€28,800/year) — 400% of IPREM — plus €600/month for each dependent. IPREM is unchanged for 2026, so the requirement is stable.
Can I work remotely on Spain's Non-Lucrative Visa?
No. The NLV forbids all work, including remote work for a foreign employer. If you work remotely, you need Spain's Digital Nomad Visa instead.
Does the NLV let me travel in the Schengen Area?
Yes. Once you hold Spanish residence you can travel visa-free across the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Can I use savings instead of income?
Yes. You can meet the requirement with a lump sum of savings covering the annual amount, with passive income, or a combination — you just have to show the funds are genuinely available.
Does the Non-Lucrative Visa lead to permanent residence?
It can — after five years of continuous legal residence you can apply for long-term residence, provided you keep meeting the conditions.
