Spain · Work authorisation

Residence authorisation for highly qualified professionals — national route

Issued by Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE), Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones. It is checked against conditions rather than scored, so the question is whether you meet each one, not how many points you gather.

Basis
Checklist
Steps
4
Possible outcomes
3
Last checked
2026-08-09

Conditions

What this permit
asks of you.

Which desk decides

The authority, exactly

UGE-CE processes the application electronically; the decision itself is issued by the Dirección General de Migraciones (art. 76.1 Ley 14/2013). Either the employer or the foreign applicant may file it; if the applicant files, UGE-CE notifies the employer that the application was received.

Qualification

What it wants from your degree

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.

The procedure

4 steps,
in the order they happen.

Prepare your documents

  1. Secure a job offer in Spain for a qualified employment or professional relationship that meets the qualification requirement above.
  2. Gather evidence of the qualification or of the three years' comparable experience — this route does not ask for a separately obtained homologación or declaración de equivalencia certificate before applying.This authorisation is a decision to reside and work; it is not a decision on whether the job itself is a regulated profession. That is a separate question, answered by the recognition part of this page rather than by this route.

Get your qualification assessed

  1. Apply electronically to UGE-CE. If you are abroad and need a visa, the competent Spanish diplomatic mission or consular office issues it once the authorisation is granted.Applications under this section are decided and notified within 10 business days, unless your case is subject to the prior consultation under art. 22 of the EU Visa Code, in which case that Code's own timeline applies instead.

Register and start working

  1. Once in Spain, apply for the foreigner identity card (TIE) if the authorisation is valid for more than six months.

Cost and time

What it costs,
and how long the authority says it takes.

Fees

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

Timeframes

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.

Published processing times, not a prediction about your case.

Both halves together

Guides that use this permit.

Each one takes a profession into Spain and runs the recognition branch and the authorisation branch side by side, including what your country of qualification adds.

Evidence

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

3 official pages, each with the jurisdiction it speaks for and the date a human last opened it. The oldest is 2026-08-09, and that is the date this page is only as fresh as.

Is this the right permit for you?

That depends on where you qualified.

The planner compares every route Spain opens to your country of qualification, and adds the recognition branch when your profession has one.

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