Short answer: yes, your Digital Nomad Visa file must include proof of Social Security coverage, and if you are a posted employee of a Japanese company, that proof is the Certificate of Coverage. If you are filing as a business owner who will register as autónomo in Spain, you do not need the Certificate at all: you need something else instead. Here is exactly what applies to your case.
Do You Need the Certificate of Coverage? It Depends on Your Route
- Posted employee of a Japanese company: yes, required. It is the document that proves you can stay under Japanese Social Security instead of registering in Spain, and immigration will ask for it as part of your Social Security proof under the bilateral agreements the Spanish Social Security administration maintains with other countries.
- Business owner or director registering as autónomo in Spain: no, not required. You register directly with Spanish Social Security once your permit is approved, and that registration itself is your proof of coverage.
- Not sure which of the two applies to you: this is the single most common filing mistake we see, and it is worth confirming before you submit anything.
For a fuller side-by-side comparison of the two paths before you decide, our breakdown of the Digital Nomad Visa versus the Autónomo Visa walks through both in detail.
What the Certificate of Coverage Does Not Give You
Even when it is required, it does not fully solve your Social Security file on its own. Two things are still needed on top of it:
- Private health insurance in Spain. The Certificate keeps you on Japanese health insurance, but that does not satisfy Spain’s own visa requirement for health coverage. A separate Spanish policy is mandatory regardless.
- A limited Spanish Social Security registration for workplace accidents. The Certificate does not cover occupational accidents in Spain, so your employer typically still needs to register you for that risk alone, even though you stay under Japanese Social Security for everything else.
If You Are Going the Autónomo Route Instead
No Certificate needed, but three numbers to know before you file:
- Income threshold: approximately €34,000/year for the main applicant (200% of the annualised minimum wage), plus €12,000/year for the first family member and €4,000/year for each additional one.
- Year-one Social Security quota: a reduced flat rate of roughly €85 to €90/month, regardless of income.
- From month 13: the quota shifts to a bracket based on real net income, typically €300 to €600+/month.
Where Applicants Get This Wrong
- Filing for the Certificate of Coverage when the real structure is autónomo, which wastes time on a document you did not need.
- Assuming the Certificate means Spanish health coverage is included, then arriving without insurance.
- Not confirming which of the two routes applies before starting the paperwork.
Not Sure You Qualify Yet?
Check your Digital Nomad Visa eligibility in two minutes before you start gathering documents.
Check Your Eligibility →If Spain is where you are heading next, start the main applicant’s Digital Nomad Visa application to see the exact documents your specific route will require.
Confirm Your Route Before You File
Employee or autónomo changes every document on your list. At MigratioLex, we tell you which route applies to your specific case before you file, not after. We respond within 24 hours, in English, French or Spanish.
Book Your Initial ConsultationThis article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or tax advice. It is based on Law 14/2013, Royal Decree 1155/2024, and the Spain-Japan Social Security agreement in force as of the publication date. For an assessment of your own circumstances, book a consultation with our team.
