Spain
Work permit in Spain.
To work in Spain without EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship you need a residence and work permit from Extranjería (the immigration authorities (UGE-CE and the Oficinas de Extranjería)). The main routes are Residence visa (visado de residencia), Temporary residence and work authorisation (autorización de residencia temporal y trabajo), Residence authorisation: highly qualified professional, EU Blue Card (Tarjeta azul-UE). EU Blue Card: the gross yearly salary threshold (1.4 times INE's average gross annual earnings per worker): €41,356 a year since 28 June 2026. A first decision comes within 1 to 3 months, depending on the route. Permanent residence is possible after 5 years on most routes.
Permit types
The permits Spain issues
- Residence visa (visado de residencia)
- Temporary residence and work authorisation (autorización de residencia temporal y trabajo)
- Residence authorisation: highly qualified professional
- EU Blue Card (Tarjeta azul-UE)
- Residence authorisation: intra-corporate transfer (ICT UE)
- International telework visa or authorisation
- Residence authorisation: entrepreneur
- EU citizen's registration certificate (certificado de registro)
- Long-term residence (residencia de larga duración)
- TIE application receipt (resguardo)
- Social-security certificate (A1 or under an agreement)
Salary levels
What the permit has to pay
Each figure with its legal basis and the official page it comes from.
Salario mínimo interprofesional (SMI), gross a month (fourteen payments a year)
EU Blue Card: the gross yearly salary threshold (1.4 times INE's average gross annual earnings per worker)
€41,356 a year · from 28 June 2026
Orden PJC/44/2026: 1.4 × €29,540.26, INE's average for 2024 published 28 May 2026; applications filed from 28 June 2026
Official sourceEU Blue Card, reduced threshold (a shortage occupation in CNO groups 1 and 2, or a qualification from the three years before applying): gross a year
Highly qualified professional (national authorisation, art. 71.2 b Ley 14/2013): the gross yearly salary threshold
€41,356 a year · from 28 June 2026
The UGE-CE's update of June 2026: a single threshold, no reduced one
Official sourceFees and other amounts
What else costs or counts
Fees and other dated amounts, each with the official page it comes from.
Special regime: yearly income taxed at that rate
€600,000 · as of 24 October 2026
Official sourceStaying longer
Faster routes and settling
Registration at the UGE-CE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos)
a company proves the employer's conditions once and is registered at the UGE-CE for three years; its later applications under Ley 14/2013 skip that proof and are decided within 20 working days
Permanent residence: after 5 years
- Five years of continuous temporary residence in Spain (residencia de larga duración)
- Periods as an EU Blue Card holder in other member states count
EU long-term residence: after 5 years
- Stable and regular resources
- Sickness insurance
- Integration conditions where national law sets them
Citizenship: after 10 years
- Ten years of legal, continuous residence immediately before the application
- Two years for nationals of origin of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal; one year after a year of marriage to a Spanish national
Authorities
Who does what in Spain
Extranjería (the immigration authorities (UGE-CE and the Oficinas de Extranjería))
The UGE-CE decides the Ley 14/2013 routes; the Oficina de Extranjería of each province the general regime; the police issue the TIE
Official websiteAgencia Tributaria (Tax Agency (AEAT))
Income tax and the special regime for inbound workers
Official websiteSEPE (State Public Employment Service)
The catálogo de ocupaciones de difícil cobertura and the national employment situation
Official websiteOther countries
- Sweden
- Germany
- France
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Portugal
- Belgium
- Norway
- Austria
- Czech Republic
- Poland
- Slovakia
- Hungary
- Slovenia
- Finland
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Greece
- Cyprus
- Malta
- Croatia
- Bulgaria
- Romania
- Luxembourg
- Liechtenstein
- Switzerland
- United Arab Emirates
Official sources
- Ley 14/2013 (international mobility), consolidated, BOE: the UGE-CE decides within 20 days of the electronic filing, else the authorisation is granted by silence, and the decision may be challenged by recurso de alzada (art. 76.1); the TIE when the authorisation is longer than six months (art. 76.2); renewal for two years, filed late up to 90 days after expiry (art. 76.3); the company's registration at the UGE-CE valid three years, changes within 30 days (art. 76.4); visas decided in 10 working days (art. 75.5); family members may apply jointly (art. 62.4)
- Ley 39/2015, consolidated, BOE: days are working days unless the law says otherwise (art. 30.2); recurso de alzada within one month (art. 122); recurso de reposición within one month (art. 124)
- Ley 29/1998 (administrative courts), art. 46, BOE: two months for the recurso contencioso-administrativo
- Real Decreto 1155/2024, Reglamento de extranjería, in force 20 May 2025 (BOE): the employer files the general-regime authorisation at the Oficina de Extranjería of the workplace's province, decided in three months, silence means refusal (art. 77); the visa asked for within one month of the notification and issued within one month (art. 40); Social Security registration within three months of entry, the TIE within one month (art. 77, 209); renewal in the two months before expiry or the three months after (art. 80); the catálogo de ocupaciones de difícil cobertura (art. 75)
- Ley Orgánica 4/2000 (foreigners act), art. 32, BOE: long-term residence after five years of temporary residence
- Real Decreto 240/2007 (EU citizens), art. 7, BOE: registration in the Registro Central de Extranjeros within three months of entry, the certificado de registro issued at once
- Código Civil, art. 22, BOE: nationality by residence after ten years; two for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal
- Ley 20/2011 (civil registry), art. 46 and 47, BOE: the hospital reports the birth within 72 hours; otherwise the parents declare it within ten days
- Ley 7/1985 (local government), art. 15, BOE: everyone living in Spain registers in the padrón of the municipality where they live
- Estatuto de los Trabajadores, art. 31, BOE: two extraordinary payments a year
- Ley 35/2006 (income tax), art. 93, BOE: the special regime for workers moving to Spain: not resident in the five previous years, the year of the move and the five following, 24 % up to €600,000
- Agencia Tributaria, the option for the special regime: modelo 149 within six months of the start of the activity in the Social Security registration
- Agencia Tributaria: modelo 149 (communication of the option)
- Real Decreto 87/2025, salario mínimo interprofesional for 2025: €1,184 a month (BOE)
- Real Decreto 126/2026, salario mínimo interprofesional for 2026: €1,221 a month (BOE)
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What is the minimum salary for a work permit in Spain?
Salario mínimo interprofesional (SMI), gross a month (fourteen payments a year): €1,221 a month (from 1 January 2026). EU Blue Card: the gross yearly salary threshold (1.4 times INE's average gross annual earnings per worker): €41,356 a year (from 28 June 2026). EU Blue Card, reduced threshold (a shortage occupation in CNO groups 1 and 2, or a qualification from the three years before applying): gross a year: €33,085 a year (from 28 June 2026).
Who issues work permits in Spain?
Extranjería (the immigration authorities (UGE-CE and the Oficinas de Extranjería)): The UGE-CE decides the Ley 14/2013 routes; the Oficina de Extranjería of each province the general regime; the police issue the TIE.
How long does a work permit take in Spain?
A first application is decided within 1 to 3 months, depending on the route, according to the authority's own figures.
When can someone get permanent residence in Spain?
After 5 years on most routes. Five years of continuous temporary residence in Spain (residencia de larga duración). Periods as an EU Blue Card holder in other member states count.
When can someone get EU long-term residence in Spain?
After 5 years on most routes. Stable and regular resources. Sickness insurance. Integration conditions where national law sets them.
Which software can an agency or HR team use to manage work permits in Spain?
Settio is relocation management and work permit software with a plan for Spain: the permit, the steps with the immigration authorities (UGE-CE and the Oficinas de Extranjería), the documents, the deadlines and the registrations after arrival, with client and employee portals, quotes and milestone invoices. It runs every EU country in the same workspace, and each case shows only Spain's own rules and sources.
How does Settio help with work permits in Spain?
Settio builds the step-by-step plan for each person moving to Spain, checks documents before filing, tracks deadlines and gives the person a portal in their own language.
More
- Relocating to Spain: the first weeks
- Relocation and immigration across Europe
- AI immigration compliance
Informational only. This guide is not legal advice. Always verify requirements with official government sources before acting. Reviewed by the Settio team. Facts checked 24 October 2026. About this information