Can you move region on your current residence permit?

Key rules

• Check your resolution: The conditions printed on your permit decision tell you whether you are limited by place, employer or sector.
• Initial work permit: Change employer or sector only after a modification is filed, unless you have passed the first renewal.
• Seasonal work: A seasonal permit stays tied to its employer, sector and area.
• Moving home: You do not need a new TIE, but you must register at the new padrón and notify your new address.

The short answer

Most permits let you live anywhere in Spain. The ones that can hold you to an employer, sector or area are initial work permits, seasonal permits and a few special work-based permits. Your permit resolution (the official decision document) lists any limits, so read it first.

Permits that are not tied to a place

Long-term residence, EU long-term residence, family reagrupation and the EU family card are valid across Spain. Your residence card is also valid nationally. You can move province freely, but you must update your address (see below).

Initial work permits used to be limited to one province or region and one activity. A reform in force since 20 August 2022 widened this, so initial permits now generally cover all of Spain. Some types still keep an activity or sector limit. Older permits may still carry a provincial limit, so the resolution is the final word.

Permits tied to an employer, sector or activity

• Initial employed-work permit: tied to the employer who applied for it, and generally to your occupation. It lasts one year. The first renewal gives two years.
• Highly qualified professional permits (including the EU Blue Card): tied to a qualified job and employer. Changes need notification or approval.
• Intra-corporate transfer: tied to the group company, for as long as the transfer lasts, up to three years.
• Seasonal work: tied to the employer, the sector and an area. The maximum is 9 months in any 12.
• Self-employed permits: tied to the approved project or activity.
• Student work permits: limited to 30 hours a week and must fit around your studies.
• Digital nomad and entrepreneur visas: tied to the approved remote-work or business activity.
• Non-lucrative residence: gives no right to work at all.

After the first renewal, or under long-term residence, there is generally no restriction. You can usually work for another employer or in another sector without a modification.

If you want to change employer or sector

On an initial permit, you need a modification (modificación) of your authorisation before you switch. Do it in this order:

1. Find a new employer who is registered with Social Security and up to date on payments.
2. The new employer files the application with a work contract or job offer. This is usually done online with a digital certificate, through the immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) of your province.
3. You must meet the requirements for the new occupation.
4. Do not start the new job until it is filed. Filing before you start is the general rule.

The decision usually takes up to three months. In many cases, no reply counts as approval. This process has not been fully confirmed, so check the details with your immigration office before you act.

After you move: tell the authorities your new address

Your address is not printed on your TIE card, so you do not need a new card. Do this:

1. Register at the padrón of your new town hall and ask for a certificate.
2. Book an appointment to notify the change of address at the immigration office or police station.
3. Bring your passport, TIE, padrón certificate and the form.

Offices differ. Some areas ask for a formal address change at the police station and others do not, so ask when you book.

If your application is still pending

If you move province while an application is waiting, the file normally stays with the office that received it, and that office decides it. Tell that office your new address and watch for electronic notifications. Fingerprinting and the TIE issue usually happen at the police station for your new address. Applications through the large-companies unit are handled nationally. Confirm this with the office that holds your file.

The checklist, documents list and timeline below cover the steps in more detail.

Timeline and deadlines

• Start your first employed-work permit, tied to your employer and generally your occupation: during the first year

• Ask for a modification of the permit if you want to change employer or sector: before you start the new job

• Wait for the immigration office's decision on the modification: generally up to three months

• Renew the permit for the first time, which gives two years: after the first year

• Work for another employer or sector without a modification: after the first renewal

Check the conditions printed on your own resolution, since older permits may still carry limits and durations can differ by permit type.

Documents you need

• Your passport, which you bring to the appointment for a change of address.

• Your TIE card, the foreigner identity card, which you bring to the same appointment.

• A padrón certificate for your new address, issued by your new town hall.

• The official form for the change of address, filled in for your appointment at the immigration office or police station.

• A work contract or job offer from your new employer, needed if you are asking to change employer on an initial work permit.

Checklist

• Read the conditions printed on your permit resolution to see whether it limits place, employer or sector.

• Check whether your permit is a seasonal or employer-tied type, which stays tied to an area, employer and sector.

• Ask your new employer to file a modification with a work contract or job offer before you start, if you are on an initial work permit.

• Register at the padrón of your new address and ask for a certificate.

• Book an appointment to notify your change of address, and bring your passport, TIE, padrón certificate and the form.

• Notify your new address to the office handling a pending application, and watch for the electronic notification of the decision.

What if you move province while a residence application is pending?

Your application stays with the office that received it. Moving province does not move the file, but you must tell that office your new address.

Which office handles it. The immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) that took your application normally keeps the file and decides it. A formal transfer to the new province is not routine. Applications handled through the national large-company unit are centralised anyway, so the move changes nothing there.

What you must do. Tell the office handling your file about the new address and keep your contact details current. Do it like this:

1. Write a short free-form letter quoting your file number (expediente). Some offices also accept the standard EX form.
2. Attach your new padrón certificate.
3. Send it through the electronic register with a digital certificate, or hand it in at the office with an appointment.
4. If you signed up for electronic notifications, update the address there too.

Fingerprints and TIE appointments. An appointment booked at a police station in your old province is tied to that office. If you want to use a station in the new province, cancel the old appointment and book a new one for the new province. Not every office accepts applicants from outside its area, and appointments can be scarce. Attending where the file was lodged is often the safest route. Contact the office handling your file before you move and ask which route it accepts. Offices can ask for specific channels, so follow what yours tells you.

What happens if you do not update your address. The office keeps sending notices to the old address, and they count as delivered even if you never see them.

• After two failed delivery attempts, the notice is published in the official gazette and treated as notified.
• An electronic notification you do not open is treated as rejected after 10 calendar days, and the procedure continues.
• If you miss a request to correct your file (requerimiento de subsanación), you usually have only 10 days to answer. Missing it can lead to the application being archived (desistimiento) or refused.

If this happens, you can file a recurso de reposición within one month, or a court appeal within two months. In some cases you can ask to annul a notification that was defective. Keeping the address updated avoids all of this.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a new TIE card after moving to another province?

No, you do not need a new TIE card after a move, because the address is not printed on the card. Your address is held in the foreigners register and the padrón (your town hall registration). Tell the immigration office or police station about the new address after you register at the new town hall.

What happens to my pending application if I move province?

Your pending application normally stays with the office that received it, and that office still decides it. Notify your change of address.

Can I change employer on my first work permit?

Yes, but during the first year you must ask for a modification of the permit, filed before you start the new job. Your new employer files it with a work contract or job offer. After the first renewal you generally need no modification to work for another employer or sector.

Does a seasonal work permit let me work in another region?

No, a seasonal work permit is tied to a specific area, employer and sector, and lasts a maximum of 9 months in 12 months.