Moving to Spain to work

If you are from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland

You can work in Spain from day one, as an employee or self-employed, on the same terms as a Spaniard.

1. Register as a resident if you stay longer than 3 months. Apply within 3 months of arriving, in person, at the Foreigners’ Office (Oficina de Extranjería) of your province, or at a police station if there is none. Bring form EX-18, your passport or ID card, proof of payment of fee 790 code 012 (€12) and, for example, your employment contract. The certificate, with your NIE, is issued on the spot. Police: EU citizen registration certificate
2. Looking for work? You can bring your unemployment benefit. If you receive unemployment benefit in another EU country, ask for form U2 there before you come, and register with the public employment service of your region when you arrive. Your Europe: workers’ rights

If you come from outside the EU

You need a permit that allows you to work. These are the routes in the Immigration Regulation in force since 20 May 2025. First permits last one year (five for family arraigo) and are renewed for four.

1. With a job offer from your home country. The employer applies for your residence and work authorisation, and then you apply for the visa at a Spanish consulate. It is easier if your trade is on the Catalogue of Hard-to-Fill Occupations, published by the public employment service every quarter: the 2026 list includes electricians, crane operators, aluminium and PVC window fitters, merchant navy trades, and professional athletes and coaches. BOE: catalogue for the first quarter of 2026
2. With the job-seeker visa. It now lasts one year (it used to be three months) and lets you look for work in certain occupations and regions.
3. If you come to study. A student stay lets you work up to 30 hours a week alongside your studies.
4. If you already live in Spain: arraigo. You need 2 years in Spain (family arraigo has no minimum) and no criminal record. There are five types: socio-labour (one or more contracts adding up to at least 20 hours a week and paying at least the minimum wage or the collective agreement rate, pro rata), social (family members with a permit or enough income, plus an integration report from your region), socio-educational (if you are taking training that prepares you for work), family, and second chance (if you held a permit in the last two years and did not renew it). With arraigo you can work as an employee or self-employed from the start. BOE: Immigration Regulation (Royal Decree 1155/2024)
5. If you have applied for international protection (asylum). You can work 6 months after applying, if your application was admitted and is still pending. It is noted on your applicant document (the “tarjeta roja”) with the words «autoriza a trabajar».

When you arrive, step by step

1. Your foreigner number (NIE). EU citizens get it with the registration certificate. If you only need the number (for example, to sign a contract before you move), apply with form EX-15 and the €9.84 fee, also from a consulate. Police: NIE application (in Spanish)
2. Your foreigner ID card (TIE), if you are from outside the EU. Once you are in Spain with your permit, you apply for the TIE at the Foreigners’ Office or police station, by appointment. It is your ID document here. Police: residence and work TIE (in Spanish)
3. Register at your town hall (empadronamiento). Sign up on the local register (padrón) where you live, with your passport and rental contract. You need it for the health centre, schools and arraigo, and it proves how long you have been in Spain.
4. Your Social Security number. If you are hired, your employer requests it. Otherwise, apply online through Import@ss without a digital certificate: with your NIE or passport, an email address, a photo taken with your phone camera and form TA.1. Social Security: how to get the number (in Spanish)
5. Open a bank account. You are entitled to a basic payment account even before you have a residence permit, including asylum seekers. It costs at most €3 a month and is free for people on low incomes.
6. Get your degree recognised if your profession needs it. Regulated professions, such as medicine, nursing or teaching, require recognition (homologación) of your university degree; for other jobs an equivalence (equivalencia) is sometimes enough. You apply to the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, which has 6 months to decide. BOE: Royal Decree 889/2022

Jobs in the hardest-to-fill trades

Jobs on Red LinceX right now in trades from the 2026 Catalogue of Hard-to-Fill Occupations that apply in every province. Most offers are in Spanish.

Search all jobs

Where to get help (free)

1. Immigration Portal. The Ministry of Inclusion website with every permit type, its requirements and information sheets (in Spanish). inclusion.gob.es/migraciones
2. Apply for permits online. The Ministry of Inclusion’s e-office (Mercurio platform) receives authorisation applications. E-office
3. Charities that advise for free. Red Cross (Cruz Roja), CEAR and Accem help with paperwork and job hunting at no cost. Cruz Roja
4. Never pay for a job. A real employer will not ask you for money for a contract or to “process your papers”. How to spot a fake job offer (in Spanish)