Destination · European Union

Working in Spain,
permit by permit.

Spain is in the European Union. If you qualified inside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, free movement replaces this half of the answer entirely and no work permit is involved. Everything below is for a qualification obtained outside that area.

Permits sourced
3
Professions answered
1
Official sources
8
Last checked
2026-08-03

Recognition

Whether Spain has to
approve your qualification.

Only some professions are regulated, and the difference is not a detail: a regulated one needs a decision from a named authority before you may hold the job at all. These are the professions we can answer for Spain today, and no others.

Work authorisation

Every permit we can source
for Spain.

Every permit we source →

Residence authorisation for highly qualified professionals — national route

Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE), Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones

Checklist
Qualification
A qualification comparable to at least level 1 of Spain's higher-education qualifications framework (MECES) — the level of an advanced vocational qualification (EQF 5A) — or, failing that, knowledge, skills and competencies backed by at least three years of comparable professional experience.
UGE-CE decision
Maximum 20 business days from the complete electronic application (art. 76.1). If not decided within that period, the authorisation is deemed granted by positive administrative silence.
UGE-CE authorisation fee (tasa, modelo 038)
Not published on the pages read for this file — confirm the current amount before applying
National visa (visado tipo D)
Set per consulate by nationality — confirm with the mission handling your case
The procedure, step by step →

4 steps · 3 possible outcomes · 3 official sources

Tarjeta azul-UE (EU Blue Card)

Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE), Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones

Checklist
Salary floor
EUR 41,356.36 a year (2026 figure)Art. 71 bis.1.c) Ley 14/2013 sets the floor at 1.4 times the national average annual gross wage the National Statistics Institute (INE) publishes each year (Orden PJC/44/2026). Applying the average wage for 2024 — €29,540.26, which INE published on 28 May 2026 — UGE-CE's own June 2026 update states a general threshold of €41,356.36 and a reduced threshold of €33,085.09 (an 0.8 coefficient). The reduced threshold applies where the job is on a government shortage-occupation list within occupational groups 1 and 2 of the national classification, or where you obtained the required qualification no more than three years before applying for the card. UGE-CE's same June 2026 update states a single €41,356.36 threshold, with no reduced tier, for the separate national route above. The threshold moves whenever INE publishes a new annual figure — confirm the current one before relying on it.
Qualification
A higher-education qualification of at least three years, equivalent to level 2 of Spain's higher-education qualifications framework (MECES) — the same level as a Bachelor's degree — or, failing that, at least five years of knowledge, skills and competencies the employer can show are comparable to that qualification and relevant to the job stated in the contract or firm offer.
UGE-CE decision
Maximum 20 business days from the complete electronic application (art. 76.1). If not decided within that period, the authorisation is deemed granted by positive administrative silence.
UGE-CE authorisation fee (tasa, modelo 038)
Not published on the pages read for this file — confirm the current amount before applying
National visa (visado tipo D)
Set per consulate by nationality — confirm with the mission handling your case
The procedure, step by step →

4 steps · 4 possible outcomes · 5 official sources

Teletrabajador de carácter internacional (international-teleworking visa and residence authorisation)

Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE), Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones

Checklist
Qualification
Graduate or postgraduate standing from a university or business school of recognised prestige, an advanced vocational qualification, or at least three years of professional experience.
Visa validity
Up to one year, or the length of the work engagement if shorter
Residence authorisation for international teleworking
Up to three years, or the length of the work engagement if shorter; renewable for two-year periods while the conditions are maintained
UGE-CE authorisation fee (tasa, modelo 038)
Not published on the pages read for this file — confirm the current amount before applying
National visa (visado tipo D)
Set per consulate by nationality — confirm with the mission handling your case
The procedure, step by step →

4 steps · 3 possible outcomes · 4 official sources

Written out in full

Guides for Spain.

Each of these takes one profession into Spain and runs both branches end to end, including the paperwork your country of qualification adds.

Verified route

Teacher Homologación and Work Visa in Spain

homologación de título extranjero de maestro

Read this one →
Verified route

Teacher Homologación in Spain from Argentina

homologación de título docente argentino en España

Read this one →

Evidence

Every claim on this page, and where it came from.

8 official pages, each with the jurisdiction it speaks for and the date a human last opened it. The oldest of them is 2026-08-03, and that is the date this page is only as fresh as.

Your case, not the general case

What Spain asks of you specifically.

Which permit fits and what your country of qualification adds to it both depend on where you qualified. The planner only offers combinations it can answer.

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