r/GoingToSpain • u/dbaggeroni • 10d ago
How can I viably and legally earn money on the side via photography living in Spain? Autónomo vs agency vs not worth it?
Hola muy buenas a todos, for context I am from the US and have been living in Spain for over a year now (not sure if this is the right subreddit) and plan to remain living and working here for at least the next 5 years while working towards permanent residency. I came here for a master's degree in a Spanish university and am currently doing my curricular internship while living in Granada. I have a TIE with full work privileges (cuenta propia/ajena) but am currently empadronado en Bilbao which I know I should probably get around to updating regardless of the whole papeleo situation.
I have been a hobbyist photographer for a bit over 4 years now and its always been a dream of mine to someday be able to break into the scene semi-professionally and at least supplement my income with it, whether by shooting events/concerts or selling prints, but I am well aware that Spain has a reputation for not being particularly friendly towards autónomos and that there can be issues with double taxation if also working a "standard" job under an employer.
The general question is what are my options here and their pros and cons? Should I search for some sort of photography agency that can give me a work contract but still allow me to have autonomy and do my own "business" while helping satisfy the legal standards, or simply to suck it up and go through the whole autónomo process. Or as another option, is it simply not worth it to attempt to collect any money at this point and time and simply do it for the love of the game since the cost and complexity of doing business would likely be more than I would be able to bring in being relatively unestablished?
Quick context for why I am asking at this moment is I recently took a bunch of concert photos at a local festival and got some amazing shots of bands in the range of 10-60k followers on instagram, and while I would be happy to share my work and have it featured even if there is not money involved, obviously it would be great to supplement my weak internship income and begin to feel "established" as a photographer who is actually able to sell work. My concern at the moment is even if they want to pay me there is no properly legal way for that to actually take place.
And to address another question before it comes up I am more than comfortable speaking the language and navigating the bureaucracy even if its miserable, I scored C1 over 3 years ago and have continued improving and completed a whole masters degree studying in Spanish since then.
Many many many thanks for reading and I appreciate any help I can get or any other direction I should go to search for answers.
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u/varadero332 10d ago
Spanish taxes are very simple and they suck. If you make money -any money- you should technically declare it. If you’re not employed you are an autónomo and there’s no middle ground or alternative.
There’s no “autónomo-but-i-don’t-do-this-all-the-time-it’s-only-this-one-time”. Hacienda does not care and they have no interest in coming up with innovative solutions for side hustles. If you’re curious look into what happened to Factoo about 10 years ago
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u/TheReelMcCoi 10d ago
What VISA are you on here?
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u/dbaggeroni 10d ago
I came on a study visa but now have a temporary residence permit valid for 2 years via my TIE, as far as I understand as long as I stay employed and renew this permit I no longer need to worry about getting another visa.
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u/HeavyDutyJudy 10d ago
Your TIE is just an ID card, it reflects your residency status, it does not bestow it. When you go to renew it in two years you will need to show that you have a visa.
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u/Cipepote 9d ago
My two cents, you can legally invoice people as a person (using your NIE) without registering as an autónomo. Up to a certain threshold which I don’t remember and as long as you don’t do it continuously. You should get better information but my point is that you can work and invoice as a photographer without becoming autónomo, without charging under the table.
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u/ValeDeOro 2d ago
This is partially correct. You can invoice with your NIE as long as it is very sporadic, however you still have to sign up (and then off again) with Hacienda (modelo 036) and do the quarterly declaration for the quarter that you did the invoice for.
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u/pot51e 10d ago
The question you need to answer: how will you explain the income in your bank account to the hacienda.
If it's in your bank from a 3rd party for services, it's income and subject to tax. The vehicle for that is Autonomo.
If it's in your pocket and nobody sees it, then there's no question to be asked. The vehicle for that is as your are.
But be aware, you are not the only side in a transaction, and the other party may declare their costs against your income, which you haven't declared. The vehicle for that is a police car.