How does Work & Residence Permit (General Regime) work in Spain, and who qualifies?

The general-regime work and residence permit is Spain's standard initial authorisation for non-EU employees who fall outside the highly qualified and Startups Law routes. It is employer-initiated, meaning your Spanish employer drives the application.

To qualify you generally need a job offer from an employer in Spain, compliance with the national employment situation (a labour-market test) or a shortage-occupation exemption, qualifications suited to the role, and a clean criminal record. The labour-market test is the key feature: it generally applies unless the job is on the shortage-occupation list.

This route is the right fit when your role is not highly qualified and does not use a fast-track Startups Law pathway. Because the shortage list and procedures change over time, confirm the current rules on the official Spanish portals before applying — and ACME can help check whether your occupation qualifies for an exemption or whether a faster route is available.