Work visa for Spain: documents, fees and steps

Documents requested

Ordinary passport or travel document recognised as valid in Spain, with a minimum validity of one yearConditions and details
The visa application includes an ordinary passport or a travel document recognised as valid in Spain, whose validity is at least one year. A complete copy of the valid passport or travel document is also attached by the employer to the work authorisation application.
National visa application form (« solicitud de visado nacional »), to be downloaded from the website of the Spanish consular postConditions and details
The “Visado nacional” pages of the Spanish consular posts refer to the national visa application form, used for work, study or residence visas. It is downloaded from the page of the post that receives the application.
Employment contract signed by the employer and by the worker, according to the official model, guaranteeing continuous activity throughout the entire duration of the authorisationConditions and details
The employer attaches to its authorisation application a copy of the employment contract drawn up on the official model, signed by the employer and by the worker. The contract guarantees the worker continuous activity for the duration of the authorisation to reside and work, and its conditions comply with the regulations in force. For part-time work, the annual remuneration is at least equal to the full-time interprofessional minimum wage (SMI).
Documents proving the capacity and, where applicable, the professional qualification required by law in order to practise the profession (officially recognised diploma if necessary)Conditions and details
The authorisation application includes a copy of the documents proving that the worker has the capacity and, where applicable, the professional qualification legally required in order to practise the profession, with a recognised qualification when the profession requires it.
Criminal record certificate issued by the authorities of the country of origin or of the country or countries of residence during the last five yearsConditions and details
The worker must not have a criminal record in Spain or in the countries where he has resided during the last five years, for offences existing in Spanish law. He attaches to the visa application a certificate issued by the authorities of his country of origin or of the country or countries where he resided during those five years.
Medical certificate attached to the visa applicationConditions and details
The Ministry of Inclusion cites a «medical certificate» among the documents to be attached to the visa application, together with the passport, the criminal record and the proof of the visa fee.
Proof of payment of the visa feeConditions and details
The proof of payment of the visa fee is attached to the visa application, filed in person by the worker at the diplomatic or consular post of Spain on which his place of residence depends.

Depending on your situation

Documents issued abroad: translation into Spanish by a sworn translator, and legalization or apostilleConditions and details
Documents from other countries are translated into Spanish (or into the co-official language of the territory where the application is submitted) by a sworn translator. Any foreign public document must first be legalized by the Spanish consulate competent for the country that issued it, or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, unless it bears the apostille of the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 or is exempt from legalization by an international convention.

Steps

Finding an employer established in Spain: it is the employer who applies for the initial residence and salaried work authorization (worker over 16 years of age, a stay of more than 90 days and less than five years).
The employer justifies the national employment situation: an occupation from the catalogue of hard-to-fill professions, demonstrated difficulty in filling the position, an international agreement (Chile, Peru) or a case under Article 40 of Law 4/2000.
The employer submits the application online through the electronic portal of the Ministry of Territorial Policy (Mercurio procedure), with the signed contract and supporting documents; the fees are paid within ten working days.
Wait for the decision: three months from the day after the application is entered in the register; without notification within this period, the application may be considered rejected by administrative silence.
If the authorization is granted, apply for the visa in person within one month of the notification to the employer, at the Spanish consular post responsible for the place of residence: passport, criminal record certificate, medical certificate, proof of the visa fee.
The post decides on the visa within one month; the worker collects the visa in person within the month following the notification, otherwise the worker is deemed to waive it and the file is closed.
Enter Spain during the three months of validity of the visa, then be affiliated with Social Security within the three months following entry: the visa allows the person to stay while awaiting this registration.
Within the month following registration with Social Security, apply in person for the foreigner's identity card (TIE) at the police station or police service of the place of residence.

Where to apply

Electronic portal of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory (MERCURIO procedure): authorization application submitted by the employer.
Spanish diplomatic mission or consular office responsible for the worker's place of residence: visa application in person
“Visado nacional” page on the website of the competent Spanish consular post: application form, table of consular fees and list of documents by visa type

Good to know

Work authorization via the employer first, then the visaConditions and details
In Spain, the worker does not apply for the work authorization himself: it is the employer who applies for it. The visa is applied for after this authorization is granted, within the month following its notification to the employer. The authorization is intended for a foreign worker over 16 years of age, for a period of more than 90 days and less than five years.
Procedure reserved for non-residentsConditions and details
The Ministry of Inclusion reserves this procedure for foreign workers who do not reside in Spain and who are not in an irregular situation there at the time the employer submits the authorization application.
National employment situationConditions and details
The authorization is possible if the occupation appears in the catalogue of occupations that are difficult to fill, published each quarter by the State Public Employment Service. For an occupation outside the catalogue, the employer must demonstrate to the Office for Foreigners the difficulty of filling the position with workers already present in the labour market; the Office takes into account the report of the public employment services and the urgency of the recruitment, and a job offer is submitted on the Empléate portal and to the public employment services. Nationals of States linked to Spain by an international agreement (Chile, Peru) and the cases provided for by article 40 of Organic Law 4/2000 are also covered.
Conditions to be met by the employerConditions and details
The employer is registered with Social Security and up to date with their tax and social obligations, and has sufficient economic, material or personnel resources for their project and to meet their commitments towards the worker. If the employer is a natural person, after payment of the agreed salary they must prove 50% of the SMI with no dependants, 100% of the SMI if the household has two members, plus 25% of the SMI for each additional member. For domestic service, they provide their NIF or NIE and their latest income tax return or a certificate of income.
Two fees, paid by the worker and by the employerConditions and details
Two fees (form 790) are linked to the authorisation: one, code 052, is paid by the foreign worker; the other, code 062, is paid by the employer if the work authorisation lasts six months or more. They are due when the application is submitted and are paid within ten working days. The visa fee is paid separately, when applying for the visa.
Ancillary self-employed activityConditions and details
The initial residence and paid employment authorisation also allows a self-employed activity to be carried out during its period of validity, provided that paid employment remains the main activity. If this paid employment ends for reasons independent of the worker's will, the worker must report it to the Immigration Office within three days.
The national visa does not constitute a right of entryConditions and details
The national visa allows travel to Spain and movement within the Schengen area for up to 90 days, but it does not grant an automatic right of entry: border authorities may refuse entry if all the legal conditions are not met. A national visa is also required for a work trip of less than 90 days, a case not covered by this procedure.
Other work pathways, with other fact sheetsConditions and details
The Ministry of Inclusion publishes separate fact sheets for seasonal work (fact sheet 23), cross-border workers (fact sheet 40), access to employment for holders of a residence authorization for studies (fact sheet 4 bis), relatives of Spanish nationals (fact sheet 18) and Andorran nationals (fact sheet 22). Self-employment, the entrepreneur and the highly qualified worker have their own sections.
Procedures for the foreigner identity cardConditions and details
The documents to be provided for the foreigner identity card (TIE) are published in the Extranjería section of the electronic headquarters of the Ministry of Territorial Policy; appointment requests, payment of the fees and case follow-up are also listed there.
Service fee of an outsourcing companyConditions and details
Some Spanish consular posts use an outsourcing company to receive applications; its service fee is then added to the visa fee, which is listed in the post's table of consular fees.

Nationalities covered

This procedure applies to 217 nationalities.

Afghanistan
Åland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Australia
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Brunei
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Caribbean Netherlands
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Côte d'Ivoire
Cuba
Curaçao
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
Fiji
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Isle of Man
Israel
Jamaica
Japan
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Macao
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Korea
North Macedonia
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn Islands
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Réunion
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Helena
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
São Tomé and Príncipe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Sint Maarten
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Korea
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Syria
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Türkiye
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
U.S. Outlying Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Wallis and Futuna
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

Official links

Hoja 12 - Autorización inicial de residencia temporal y trabajo por cuenta ajena - Migraciones - Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones (new tab) www.inclusion.gob.es
VISADO NACIONAL (new tab) www.exteriores.gob.es
Cuenta ajena - Migraciones - Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones (new tab) www.inclusion.gob.es
Extranjería - Administraciones Públicas (new tab) sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es

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