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5 programs for Spain. Explore the options and get an expert assessment.
Authorisation under Spain's Startups Law (Ley 14/2013, as amended by Ley 28/2022) for non-EU remote workers and freelancers who work using telematic means mainly for companies located outside Spain. Applications can be filed as a visa at a Spanish consulate or as a residence permit from within Spain through the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE), which resolves within about 20 working days.
EU-wide work-and-residence permit for highly qualified non-EU employees, available in Spain. It requires a job offer in a qualified role, a salary above the applicable threshold and (normally) a higher-education qualification, and offers EU mobility and a route to long-term residence.
Residence authorisation under the Startups Law for managers and highly qualified staff with a job offer from a Spanish company. It is processed centrally by the UGE-CE with a fast resolution (around 20 working days) and grants residence for the duration of the contract, renewable, with simplified family reunification.
Residence authorisation under the Startups Law for employees transferred within a company or group to an entity in Spain (managers, specialists, trainees, and certain skilled staff). It is processed by the UGE-CE and supports group mobility, with a fast central resolution.
Standard initial residence-and-work authorisation for non-EU employees who do not use a Startups Law route. It is employer-initiated and generally subject to the national employment situation (labour-market test), unless the occupation is on the shortage list.
This Startups Law permit is for managers and highly qualified staff with a job offer from a Spanish company; it is processed centrally by the UGE-CE in about 20 working days, lasts for the contract duration, and offers simplified family reunification.
Spain's EU Blue Card is an EU-wide work-and-residence permit for highly qualified non-EU employees; it needs a qualified job offer, a salary above the applicable threshold and (normally) a higher-education qualification, and offers EU mobility and a route to long-term residence.
Most skilled workers use the Startups Law Highly Qualified Professional permit or the EU Blue Card, both of which need a Spanish job offer and a qualifying salary.
Long-term residence is normally available after five years of continuous legal residence in Spain; it grants near-equal treatment with nationals and, for EU long-term residence, mobility to other EU states. Time on Startups Law permits counts toward the period.
Family reunification lets a lawfully resident non-EU sponsor be joined by close family — typically a spouse or partner, minor children and dependent relatives — subject to housing and income conditions; Startups Law routes allow simplified, often simultaneous, reunification.
Non-EU nationals use Spain's fast-track Startups Law routes (Digital Nomad, Highly Qualified Professional, Entrepreneur, ICT and EU Blue Card), plus the Non-Lucrative Visa, student route and general work permit, leading to long-term residence after five years. The Golden Visa ended in 2025.
The student route is for non-EU students admitted to a recognised institution in Spain for studies, training, exchange, research or a traineeship; it usually permits limited part-time work and, after graduation, a route to stay and look for work or start a business.
A Startups Law authorisation for non-EU remote workers and freelancers who work mainly for companies outside Spain, with a minimum income tied to the Spanish minimum wage.
Take the assessment or ask Acey, our immigration assistant.
Work abroad — Spain