Do you meet the nomad route's qualification and experience test?

Key rules

• Either route: A degree or three years of related experience is enough; you do not need both.
• Same test: Employees and freelancers face the same test but show different proof.
• Foreign documents: A foreign degree generally needs an apostille or consular legalisation, plus a sworn translation unless it is in Spanish.
• Regulated professions: Spanish recognition is needed only to practise in Spain for Spanish clients, not for the permit when you work for foreign clients.

What you need to show

You need to meet one of these:

• a degree from a university of recognised prestige, as the immigration office judges it
• a postgraduate qualification
• a vocational training qualification
• at least 3 years of professional experience in a field related to the work you will do

Pick the one you can prove most easily. The 3 years of experience must already be completed when you apply.

Employees and freelancers: same test, different proof

The proof is what changes.

• Employees show their employment contract and letters from their employer.
• Freelancers show client contracts, invoices and their professional history.

If you rely on experience, add a CV with letters from employers or clients covering the three years. Your experience must be in a field related to the work you will do.

Proving a degree

Your degree certificate is the proof. A certificate from a non-EU country that belongs to the Hague Convention needs an apostille. A certificate from a non-EU country outside the Hague Convention needs legalisation by the Spanish consulate instead. Either way you also need a sworn translation into Spanish, unless the certificate is already in Spanish.

A degree issued in another EU country needs no apostille, but it still needs a sworn translation into Spanish unless it is already in Spanish. The multilingual standard forms cover civil-status documents, not degrees.

Regulated professions

If you are a doctor, lawyer, architect or similar, you do not need Spanish recognition of your qualification to get the permit, as long as you work for foreign companies or clients. You need recognition only to practise the profession in Spain for Spanish clients or the Spanish market.

Documents you need

• Your degree certificate from a university or professional school. Needed if you qualify through your degree.

• A CV with letters from employers or clients showing three years of experience in your field. Needed if you qualify through experience instead of a degree.

• If you are an employee: your employment contract and letters from your employer.

• If you are a freelancer: your client contracts, invoices and professional history.