Proving investment and qualifications for Spain's self-employment permit

Key rules

• Minimum investment: No legal minimum exists, but reviewers expect an amount that fits your activity and looks viable.
• Licences: If a licence cannot be obtained before you arrive, proof that you have started the process is accepted.
• Qualifications: Only regulated professions need a specific qualification, and a foreign one needs recognition in Spain.
• Business plan: Your plan must show projected income that can support you and your family, with no single fixed threshold.

What reviewers look for

Reviewers want to see a credible business that you can afford to start, can legally run and are qualified to carry out, so make the case with paper evidence.

Investment: size and proof

There is no legal minimum. For a small activity, reviewers expect an investment of at least €20,000, and more where you need premises, stock or equipment. A smaller, well-documented plan for a low-cost activity can still be approved.

You prove both the funds you hold and the investment already made or committed.

Will the business support you?

Your business plan must include projected income. The activity is expected to produce enough to support you, and your family if they come with you, once it is running. Reviewers compare it with the monthly minimum wage for you, plus half of it for each family member who joins you. They also look at viability and expected profitability. Use realistic figures and explain how you got them.

Licences and authorisations

You must show your activity can legally be carried out in Spain. An example is an opening or activity licence from the town hall, or a sector permit.

If you only have proof of the started process when you apply, you must obtain the licence itself later. If your activity needs no licence, you need no such proof. Which licences apply depends on your activity, town hall and region, so ask the town hall where the business will be based.

Qualifications

If your activity is a regulated profession, such as medicine, law, architecture or engineering, you need the required qualification. If you earned it abroad, you also need its recognition in Spain (homologación or equivalence).

Recognition takes 3 to 6 months, so start it before you file.

For activities that are not regulated, no specific qualification is required. Relevant training or experience still strengthens your plan, so include it.

What your qualification documents need depends on the country that issued them:

• Another EU state: no apostille and no legalisation; multilingual standard forms replace translations where they exist.
• Non-EU country in the Hague Convention: an apostille and a sworn translation into Spanish.
• Non-EU country outside the Hague Convention: full legalisation through the foreign ministry and the Spanish consulate, plus a sworn translation into Spanish.

Documents you need

• Bank statements or certificates from your bank showing the funds available to carry out the investment

• Evidence of the amount already invested or committed, such as quotes, invoices, and lease or purchase contracts for premises and equipment

• Business plan showing projected income, that the investment is enough for the activity, and the likely job creation

• Proof that the licence, authorisation or registration for your activity (for example an opening or activity licence from the town hall) has been applied for or obtained, if your activity needs one

• Degree or certificate for a regulated profession, with the legalisation or apostille and the sworn translation that the issuing country requires

• Resolution recognising your foreign qualification (homologación or equivalence) from the Ministry of Universities or the relevant ministry, if your profession is regulated

• Proof of registration with the professional body (colegiación), if your profession requires it