Work Visa for Spain

A Spanish work visa is not something you apply for on your own. Your future employer in Spain applies first for your residence and work authorisation, and only once it is granted do you request the visa at the consulate. We run both sides of that file: the employer’s application in Barcelona and your consulate appointment abroad. We start with a case study that checks whether the job can actually be offered to a foreign worker, and we finish with your Social Security registration and TIE card after you land.

Our fee for the visa file, per applicant. Case study included: if you paid it first, its 100 € + VAT is deducted. After arrival, the TIE card (120 € + VAT) and the empadronamiento (60 € + VAT) are booked separately. Official fees in Spain, consular visa fees, apostilles and sworn translations are paid separately.

Two applications, in a fixed order

Searches for “Spain work visa sponsorship” assume the company sponsors you and the visa follows. In practice there are two separate procedures, handled by two different authorities, and the second one cannot start until the first ends:

The question that decides the file: the national employment situation

Before a Spanish employer can hire someone from outside the EU, the situación nacional de empleo has to allow it. That is met in one of two ways. The job may appear in the Catálogo de Ocupaciones de Difícil Cobertura, the shortage occupation list the public employment service SEPE publishes every quarter by province. Otherwise, the employer first offers the job through the public employment service, which then certifies that no suitable candidate was found. Some situations are exempt, depending on nationality, family ties or the type of authorisation.

That is why the case study comes first. If the occupation is not on the list and no exemption applies, the file depends on the job-offer procedure, which takes longer and needs careful wording. A different route may also fit better: for a graduate with a salary above the threshold, the EU Blue Card or the highly qualified professional route under Law 14/2013 skips this check entirely.

What each side has to provide

The employer:

• Registration with Social Security as an employer, and being up to date with tax and Social Security payments.
• Enough financial means to pay the contract, shown with the company’s accounts or tax returns.
• A signed employment contract whose pay and conditions are at least those of the collective agreement for the sector.
• Evidence on the national employment situation: the catalogue entry, the public employment service certificate, or the exemption.

You, the worker:

• A passport valid for the whole process.
• The qualification or professional licence the job legally requires, recognised in Spain where that applies.
• Criminal record certificates from the countries where you have lived in the previous five years, apostilled or legalised, with a sworn translation into Spanish.
• Not being in Spain irregularly when the application is filed.

How we run your file

1. Case study. The job, the occupation code, your nationality and qualifications. We tell you whether it is a standard work authorisation, a Law 14/2013 case, or neither.
2. Employer pack. We send the company a precise list of documents and review the contract before it is signed.
3. Filing in Barcelona. We file the employer’s application and follow it until the decision.
4. Your documents, in parallel. Criminal records, apostilles and sworn translations start while the authorisation is pending, so the consulate step can begin as soon as it is granted.
5. Consulate appointment. A complete visa file, reviewed before you go, requested within the one-month window.
6. Arrival. We coordinate the Social Security registration with the employer, then the TIE card within one month and your empadronamiento in Barcelona.

Mistakes we see most

• Travelling to Spain on a short stay “to start the paperwork from here”. The standard work authorisation is filed while the worker is outside Spain.
• A contract below the collective agreement salary, which is a common reason for refusal.
• Assuming any job qualifies, without checking the shortage occupation list for that province and quarter.
• Letting the one-month window to request the visa pass after the authorisation is notified.
• An employer who forgets the Social Security registration after arrival, putting the whole authorisation at risk.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a work visa without a job offer? Not this one: the employed route starts with an employer. If you plan to work for yourself, see the self-employed visa. If you work remotely for a company abroad, see the digital nomad visa.

I am already living in Spain without papers. Does this apply? No. For people already in Spain, the route is usually one of the forms of arraigo, not a visa. Our guide to arraigo in Spain explains them.

Is there a faster route for skilled jobs? Yes. The EU Blue Card and highly qualified professional routes are processed by the UGE-CE and do not need the national employment situation check.

Can my family come with me? Usually later, through family reunification once you meet the residence requirements. Some Law 14/2013 profiles allow the family to apply at the same time. See family reunification.

What happens after I arrive? Our guide to working in Barcelona covers payroll, the social security number and the first months.

Visa fees, the shortage occupation list, salary thresholds and consulate requirements change and differ between provinces and consulates, so we confirm the ones in force for your case before you file.