Employer-sponsored work permits

It is for anyone considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain with a job offer or a job in mind. After reading, you should know which permit your employer is likely to file, what they must show, and whether your occupation or salary helps.

Start with "How an employer sponsors a Spanish work permit". It explains who does what, and the other pages build on it. Finding a job, changing employer, losing a job and building your evidence file are covered elsewhere.

Key rules

• Decision time: The immigration office has 3 months from the date your file is accepted to decide, and if it does not, the application is treated as refused.
• Visa application: After approval, you apply for the visa at the Spanish consulate within one month of being notified.
• Appeal window: A refusal can be challenged with an optional reconsideration request within one month, or a court appeal within two months of notification.
• Who applies: Your employer or its representative files the permit application electronically, while you supply personal documents and apply for the visa after approval.

Employer-sponsored work permits: the whole process, step by step

• Work out which route your employer will file: standard work permit, Blue Card or intra-company transfer: before anything is filed

• Your employer checks it can meet the conditions and files the permit application electronically with the immigration office, while you gather your personal documents: before the application is filed

• The immigration office decides on the application: within 3 months from the date your file is accepted; in practice often 2 to 4 months. See Work permit, Blue Card or intra-company transfer, which will your employer file?.

• Apply for the visa at the Spanish consulate in your country of residence: within one month of being notified of approval

• The consulate issues the visa: normally within about a month of your application

• Collect the visa and travel to Spain: within the visa's validity, up to 3 months

• Your employer registers you with Social Security (alta): once you have arrived, ideally within 1 month of entry

• Apply for your TIE foreigner identity card and give fingerprints at the police station by appointment: within 1 month of entry or of the permit's start

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• A full passport — How an employer sponsors a Spanish work permit
• Proof of payment of the processing fee for the work and residence authorisation — How an employer sponsors a Spanish work permit
• Your employer's ID — What your employer has to prove for a Spanish work permit

Income and work

• The signed employment contract or job offer — How an employer sponsors a Spanish work permit, What your employer has to prove for a Spanish work permit
• The employer's company documents — How an employer sponsors a Spanish work permit
• Proof that your employer is up to date with tax and Social Security — What your employer has to prove for a Spanish work permit

Translations and legal papers

• A sworn translation into Spanish — How an employer sponsors a Spanish work permit

Other documents

• A criminal record certificate from each country where you lived in the last — How an employer sponsors a Spanish work permit
• A public-health medical certificate — How an employer sponsors a Spanish work permit
• Proof of your qualifications or experience for the job — How an employer sponsors a Spanish work permit
• Application form — What your employer has to prove for a Spanish work permit

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Employer-sponsored work permits: questions that cross several articles

Who does what between me and my employer in a work permit application?

Your employer files the permit application electronically, and you supply personal documents and apply for the visa after approval. Your employer then registers you with Social Security once you arrive, and you apply for your TIE card. Read "How an employer sponsors a Spanish work permit" first, then "What your employer has to prove for a Spanish work permit".

How long does the whole process take from filing to starting work?

Expect several months from filing to arrival. The immigration office has 3 months to decide, often taking 2 to 4 months, then you have one month to apply for the visa and the consulate usually needs about a month. After you enter Spain, Social Security registration and the TIE follow. See "How an employer sponsors a Spanish work permit" for the steps.

What is the minimum salary for the Blue Card compared with a standard work permit?

The Blue Card has a salary minimum set as a multiple of the average salary in Spain, with a lower figure for shortage occupations, and it is revised each year. A standard permit instead depends on the contract meeting the collective agreement and employment law. Read "Spain's EU Blue Card, salary bar and what it gives you" and "Work permit, Blue Card or intra-company transfer, which will your employer file?".

Can I switch from one route to another, or are seasonal and transfer permits handled differently?

Seasonal and intra-company transfer permits follow their own rules, so they are not variants of the standard permit. Seasonal work is limited to specific campaigns, and transfers need at least 3 months with the same group outside the EU beforehand. Read "Seasonal farm work and other special work routes" and "Highly qualified professionals, researchers and intra-company transfers".