Spain Startup Visa: How to Prove Your Project Is Innovative

Published on November 28, 2025

Spain is one of the few countries where the government has officially defined the term “innovation” and incorporated it into Law 28/2022, “On the Development of the Startup Ecosystem.” Each startup undergoes a thorough review by ENISA, a special government agency, which decides whether the company will receive certification.

Though the bill spells out all the innovation criteria, the legislation is not clear to everyone and is often perceived as vague. What you consider a technological breakthrough, ENISA may consider a basic service.

“The same project can be recognized as innovative or rejected,” explains Andris Kaushelis, general manager of the international law firm Mirsatori. “It all depends on how well you demonstrate its technological novelty and competitive advantages. It’s important to do more than describe an idea; you must prove its potential with figures, research, and concrete results.”

How Spain evaluates startup innovation

In Spain, a startup isn’t about big words, colorful presentations, or business plans. It’s important to demonstrate a project’s innovative nature with figures, graphs, metrics, research, testing results, and a strong team of specialists. Companies are evaluated by the state body ENISA (Empresa Nacional de Innovación), which operates under the “Law on the Development of the Startup Ecosystem” (Ley 28/2022).

ENISA evaluates 6 main criteria:

1. Technological novelty: What is the project’s unique feature, and why can’t anyone else copy the idea?
2. Scalability: Can a project initially involving 5 specialists grow into a company with over 100 employees, enter the international market, and build a large client base? How long would it take?
3. Social and economic impact: How will the startup benefit society? How will it impact employment and the country’s budget?
4. Competition in the Spanish market: Are there similar companies in the country? If so, how will this one be different?
5. Team composition: How experienced and qualified are the project’s specialists?
6. Financing and development: How much was spent on research and innovation over the past 1-2 years?

The main difference between Spain and other countries is that the assessment is expert-based, not formal. Rather than simply checking off a list of criteria, officials thoroughly study the business project and its participants, analyzing the market.

The best way to understand the process is to look at an example. There are 2 companies that print custom furniture with 3D printers. One has received approval from ENISA, and the other has not. At first glance, the 2 companies appear similar, and it’s challenging to consider these startups as innovative since 3D printing technology has been widely available for some time.

The company that was not approved only described the 3D printing process, the amount of equipment purchased, and the number of employees hired in its presentation and business plan. In other words, it didn’t demonstrate any technological innovation.

The second company, which received ENISA approval, approached 3D printing as an innovation ecosystem and demonstrated creativity. They focused on manufacturing products from environmentally friendly materials to reduce environmental emissions. They described how they would print furniture from recycled car bumpers, a mixture of coffee grounds and pine, and a material based on olive pits. ENISA approved the project because the company offered more than standard furniture manufacturing; it offered a new production model with minimal environmental impact.

Andris Kaushelis, Mirsatori:

“I always tell clients that what they’ll be doing isn’t the most important thing. The most important thing is the message they convey with their idea and whether they can present it to ENISA as a true technological breakthrough. It’s important to show in your paperwork that the company will set new trends in the Spanish and global markets.”

How does the ENISA certification process work?

Each project is subject to an innovation assessment by ENISA, which is a 3-step process:

1. Prepare certification documents. Create a detailed startup business plan. Use graphs, figures, and statistics to describe your business idea, company, employees, and the solutions you will provide. Compare your startup with similar ones, providing arguments for its differences and advantages. Focus on the right aspects and highlight the project’s strengths.
2. Submit an application to ENISA. Projects are submitted online through the ENISA website. You must register and complete all fields, as well as attach documents. There is no fee for the startup assessment.
3. Obtain a certificate. ENISA will review your project for 3 months. If you meet all the requirements, you will receive an “Informe de Innovación” (Information on Innovation) approval certificate. The certificate confirms that your project is innovative. Submit this document to the Department of Large Companies and Strategic Groups (Unidad de Grandes Empresas — UGE-CE) to begin the process of applying for a Spanish residence permit through your startup.

The project presentation is the most important stage. However, even a good idea can fail ENISA if:

• The documents are submitted incompletely or without strong supporting arguments;
• The innovative nature of the project is not explained in detail;
• There is no technical component, and the new technologies to be implemented are not specified;
• The future scalability of the business is not demonstrated;
• There is no financial justification for how the idea will develop into a marketable company.

Andris Kaushelis shares a case study from Mirsatori:

“An entrepreneur from Morocco approached us with an e-commerce project after being rejected by ENISA. The regulator believed the applicant was planning to open a regular online store, of which there are already plenty in Spain. We carefully reviewed the applicant’s business plan, highlighted his strengths, emphasized the project’s innovativeness and technological advancement, and stressed logistical optimization. After resubmitting his application, the client received the long-awaited approval from ENISA. The startup’s goal and idea remained the same—we simply changed our approach.”

How Mirsatori transforms innovations into the regulatory language

After being rejected, many startups realize that the way an idea is presented to ENISA is more important than the idea itself. To get a project approved, you need to address government agencies in “their language” — in terms of technology and innovation. This is precisely what Mirsatori specialists do. They have worked with dozens of startups that have received positive ENISA approval. Some clients came to us after being rejected, while others didn’t push their luck and contacted us right from the start, so we could properly “package” their idea.

Mirsatori specialists support their clients at every stage, from obtaining a startup residence permit to opening bank accounts and resolving everyday issues:

• Evaluate the project based on ENISA criteria, looking for innovative and technological components;
• Compare the startup with existing ones in Spain to highlight its strengths and key differentiators from competitors;
• Structure the business model by describing the idea step by step, its implementation plans, and the necessary materials and knowledge/clearly demonstrating its innovative features;
• Prepare the documents by compiling a dossier with all translations and certifications, and adjust it to the language of the administrative forms.
• Assist with filing applications by registering the client on the ENISA portal and submitting the application;
• Assist with applying for a Spanish residence permit through a startup and inform the client of the next steps.

“According to Spaniards, true innovation is not just the conception of a project but also the persuasive explanation of the idea. However, many people underestimate the importance of this step, and as a result, they are rejected. Properly submitting the application in the language of the regulator is the key to obtaining a residence permit in one of the most innovative countries in the European Union,” concludes Mirsatori.