Providing services in Spain temporarily as an EU professional

Key rules

• Validity: Your prior declaration is valid for one year and must be renewed if you provide services again.
• Colegio: You do not need to join a colegio or pay its fees for temporary work.
• Permanent work: This route is only for temporary, occasional work; settling needs full recognition of your qualifications.
• Authority: The authority you file with depends on your profession, so check it before you submit.

The short answer

If you are legally established as a professional in another EU or EEA country (or Switzerland), you can work in Spain on a temporary, occasional basis without full recognition of your qualifications. You send a prior declaration (declaración previa) to the Spanish authority for your profession before you start. You do not need to join a colegio.

If you plan to settle and work in Spain permanently, this route is not for you. Permanent work needs full recognition of your qualifications.

Who can use it

You must already be established in another member state and be allowed to practise there, even temporarily. The route is for work that is temporary and occasional, not a permanent base in Spain.

Which professions it covers

It covers professions that are regulated in Spain, meaning you need specific qualifications to practise them. Some points:

• Doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists, vets and architects have automatic recognition and follow simplified rules.
• Other regulated professions generally need the prior declaration.
• Regulated health professions that affect public health or safety may face a check of your qualifications before you start.
• Some activities, such as notaries, are not open to this route.

The list varies by profession, so confirm yours with the authority that handles it.

Where to send it

The declaration goes to the Spanish authority responsible for your profession. Usually that is the relevant ministry (Health for health professions, Education for teachers) or the profession's colegio or its national council. It is normally submitted online through the electronic single window. Check which authority handles your profession before you file.

Documents

You attach proof of your nationality, a certificate that you are legally established in your home country and not barred from practising, and proof of your qualifications. If your profession is not regulated in your home country, you also need proof of two years' experience in the previous ten years. Some authorities also ask for proof of professional liability insurance, or a criminal record or good-standing certificate. Documents may need certified Spanish translations. The exact list and form depend on the ministry or colegio, so ask them. The documents list below has the full set.

How long it lasts

The declaration is valid for one year, for the activity you declared. If you provide services again, you must renew it. Renew it too if your documented situation changes materially. The authority for your profession handles the renewal, so confirm its procedure.

Colegio membership and Spanish rules

You do not need to join a colegio, and you pay no membership fees. You still have to follow Spanish professional rules and are subject to the disciplinary regime. The authority or colegio may record you in a temporary register for information and disciplinary purposes. This is free.

If you decide to settle in Spain, see the choice below between staying temporary and registering with a colegio.

Choosing between options

Do you need to join a colegio to work in Spain?

• Stay temporary, no colegio: You provide services temporarily from another EU/EEA country. You pay no membership or fees, but Spanish professional rules and discipline apply to you.

• Settle and register with a colegio: You plan to establish yourself in Spain permanently. Temporary provision does not cover this, so you need full recognition of your qualification first.

If you are only providing services temporarily, you stay exempt from joining a colegio; if you are establishing permanently, the temporary route no longer applies.

Timeline and deadlines

• Submit your prior declaration with your documents: before you first provide services in Spain

• Provide services under the declaration: for one year from submission

• Renew the declaration if you will provide services again, or if your documented situation changes materially: each year, when the one year ends

Documents you need

• Proof of your nationality.

• A certificate from the authority in your home country showing you are legally established there and not barred from practising, even temporarily.

• Proof of your professional qualifications.

• Proof of two years' experience in the previous ten years, needed if your profession is not regulated in your home country.

• Proof of professional liability insurance or equivalent cover, where the authority asks for it.

• A criminal record or good-standing certificate, where the authority asks for it.

• Certified Spanish translations of your documents, where needed.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to join a colegio to provide services temporarily in Spain?

No, you do not have to join a colegio or pay membership fees to provide services temporarily. You still follow Spanish professional rules and the disciplinary regime. The colegio may list you in a free temporary register.

Which professions can use temporary service provision?

Regulated professions can use it when you practise temporarily and occasionally and are legally established in another EU/EEA country. Doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists, vets and architects follow simplified rules. Notaries cannot use it, and health professions may face a prior check of qualifications.

Where do I send the prior declaration?

You send it to the Spanish authority responsible for your profession, usually through the electronic single window. That is often a ministry, such as Health or Education, or the professional colegio or its national council. Each profession's rules say which.