# From student visa to work permit

> Page: https://www.usebooka.com/en/tramites/espana/modificacion-estudios-a-trabajo
> Last reviewed: 2026-09-14

The modification from student stay to residence and employed work (art. 190 of the Immigration Regulation) lets graduates of Spanish studies switch to working without leaving the country or requesting a new visa. It is driven by the student with a job offer or contract, while the employer contributes its own documentation.

Its most cited advantage: once the application is admitted for processing, it grants a provisional authorisation to live and work full-time while the case is decided (art. 190.7).

- **Booka fee:** €450
- **Official fees:** 10,94 €. Fee 790-052, heading 2.5.1: €10.94 (Order PJC/617/2025, in force as of September 2026). For an employed-work permit the employer also pays fee 790-062: €203.84 or €407.71 depending on salary.
- **Where to apply:** Applied for from within Spain. Applied for from within Spain — no visa, no leaving the country.
- Admission for processing grants a provisional full-time residence and work authorisation (art. 190.7).

## At a glance

| | |
| --- | --- |
| What it is | Modification from a student stay to residence and employed work (art. 190 of the Immigration Regulation). |
| Who can apply | Anyone who has obtained the qualification from their studies in Spain and holds a job offer or contract. (The old requirement of 3 prior years as a student disappeared with the current regulation.) |
| Where you apply | From within Spain, with no visa and without leaving the country. |
| Official form | EX-03. |
| Can you work? | Yes: admission for processing grants a provisional full-time residence and work authorisation (art. 190.7). (It follows admission for processing, not the mere act of filing.) |
| Who else is involved | The company, which provides the contract, a job description report and its solvency documentation; and your institution, which issues the completion certificate. |
| Length of the permit | That of a standard residence and work permit, renewable afterwards. |
| Government fee | Official fees are paid separately and itemised in your case file. (The 790-012 TIE fee comes at the end, once the permit is granted.) |

## Who it is for

**This is your procedure if:**

- You have finished your studies in Spain and hold the completion certificate or the degree.
- You have an offer or contract from a company willing to provide its documentation.
- Your student TIE is still valid, or you are within the window after finishing your studies.
- You want to start working without leaving Spain or applying for a new visa.

**This is not your procedure if:**

- You have not finished your studies yet: with no qualification obtained there is no modification to file.
- You have no offer or contract: this route is built on the job.
- Your student stay is ongoing and what you want is to keep studying.
- You have never held a student stay in Spain: this modification starts from that prior status.

Look at the student stay instead: https://www.usebooka.com/en/tramites/espana/estancia-por-estudios

## Requirements

- **Having obtained the qualification from your studies.** Having studied is not enough: the file rests on the completion certificate or the degree. That document comes from your institution and usually takes longer than students expect, especially when the official degree is still being issued. It is requested on day one, because nothing is filed without it.
- **A contract or offer meeting general-regime conditions.** The job must respect the applicable collective agreement and offer conditions consistent with the role. The company also provides a job description report: that is where the fit between your studies and the post is explained, and it is the part of the file most often improvised — and it shows.
- **Proven solvency of the company.** Tax ID, incorporation deed, proof of legal representation, the company's employment history report, corporate tax and clearance certificates from the tax authority and Social Security. This is what stalls most often when the employer has not been briefed, which is why we ask early and with the exact list of what is theirs.
- **Filing within the available window.** The 2026 reform extended the period to apply after finishing your studies, but it is still a window. The first thing we check is your TIE expiry date and your completion date: the whole file is organised against those two dates.
- **Personal documents in order.** Form EX-03, a complete and valid passport, your student TIE and the historical padrón certificate. A passport close to expiry does not prevent filing, but it complicates the later TIE card, so it is checked when the case is opened.
- **Specific accreditations where they apply.** If the role belongs to a regulated profession, professional qualification has to be evidenced. And anyone who came on a scholarship may need the AECID certificate or a sworn statement of not having been funded by their home country: it does not apply to everyone, but when it applies and is missing, the file stops.

## Documents

**Solicitante**

- Formulario EX-03
- Pasaporte completo
- Tarjeta de identidad de extranjero (TIE)
- Certificado de empadronamiento histórico
- Certificado de finalización de estudios
- Acreditación de la capacitación profesional (optional)
- Certificado de AECID de no haber sido becado (optional)
- Declaración responsable de no haber sido becado por el país de origen (optional)

**Empresa**

- CIF
- Escritura de constitución
- Documento acreditativo de la representación legal
- Contrato de trabajo
- Memoria descriptiva del puesto de trabajo
- Vida laboral de la empresa
- Impuesto sobre Sociedades
- Certificados de estar al corriente con AEAT y Seguridad Social

## Stages of the file

1. **Document collection.** You upload your documents to the portal. We tell you what is missing and what will not be accepted before any clock starts.
2. **Internal review.** The team reviews the complete file before filing. This is the step that prevents it from being returned.
3. **Official fees.** Government fees are paid directly to the administration, with the receipt stored in your case file.
4. **Filing.** Booka Legal, as your representative, files the application on the Mercurio platform of the Public Administrations e-office, with a digital certificate. You need no certificate or Cl@ve. You see the date and the receipt in your case file.
5. **Decision.** The Immigration Office decides and notifies through DEHú (also visible in Carpeta Ciudadana). The next steps towards the TIE card are explained in your case file.

## Timelines

| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Study completion certificate | Set by your institution | Usually the slowest document in the file: requested on day one. |
| Company documentation | 1 to 3 weeks | We ask the company for exactly what is theirs, as a closed list, so there is no second round. |
| Review and case preparation | A few days | The file is not submitted until it is complete. |
| Filing | Subject to appointment availability | Officially registered, with the receipt visible in your case file. |
| Admission for processing | Decided by the administration | From admission onwards, provisional full-time residence and work authorisation (art. 190.7). |
| Decision and TIE card | Legal period of 3 months to decide | That is the legal period, not a forecast. The TIE comes afterwards, with its appointment and the 790-012 fee. |

The administration's timelines are nobody else's to promise, and pretending otherwise would be a lie. What is in our hands is everything before: the certificate from your institution, the company's paperwork, and filing complete before your student card expires.

## Common mistakes

- **Filing without the qualification obtained** — The file cannot stand: the requirement is having finished, not finishing. It ends in a refusal and has to be rebuilt once the institution issues the certificate.
- **Letting the window after graduation pass** — The period to modify is limited. Outside it the route changes entirely and usually means leaving the country or finding another permit, with the job offer waiting.
- **The employer provides half of its documentation** — Without proven solvency a correction request follows and the file stalls for months — contract signed, and unable to start the job.
- **A generic or copied job description report** — That document is what explains the fit between your qualification and the role. One that does not explain it invites a correction request and stretches the procedure exactly when your student card is close to expiring.
- **Assuming the provisional authorisation starts at filing** — The art. 190.7 work right follows admission for processing, not registration of the application. Starting the job before that admission exposes both worker and company.
- **Foreign documents without sworn translation or apostille** — They count as not submitted. It is the most common correction request and the most avoidable, since it is fixed before any clock starts.

## Next

The modification leaves you with a residence and work permit. Before it expires you renew, and the renewal grants a 4-year card. From then on the time counts as legal residence, which is what can later open the door to citizenship.: https://www.usebooka.com/en/tramites/espana/renovacion-residencia-trabajo

## FAQ

**When can I switch from student to work status in Spain?**

Once you have obtained the qualification from your studies and hold an offer or contract. The old 3-year prior study requirement disappeared with the current regulation, and the 2026 reform extended the window to apply after finishing.

**Do I need to have finished my studies?**

Yes: the file requires your completion certificate or degree. If you have not finished yet, we tell you before opening anything — and check whether another route fits, such as the student stay or a renewal.

**What kind of contract do I need?**

An offer or contract meeting the general regime's conditions, plus the employer's solvency documentation. We ask the company for exactly what is theirs to provide; the case itself runs through your file.

**Can I keep working while it is decided?**

Admission for processing grants a provisional full-time residence and work authorisation (art. 190.7). It depends on that admission — it is not automatic upon filing.

**Do I have to leave Spain to make the switch?**

No. The art. 190 modification exists precisely so you do not: it is filed from Spain and needs no new visa. That is its main difference from an initial employed-work permit, which runs through a consular visa.

**Does the national employment situation rule apply here?**

This modification has its own rules and does not behave like an ordinary initial hire. Before opening the file we review the specific occupation in your offer and confirm which conditions apply to your case, rather than assuming.

**Is a part-time contract enough?**

What matters is that the contract meets general-regime conditions and the collective agreement for that role. Before the company signs, it is worth us reviewing hours and pay: fixing it on paper is free, fixing it after a correction request costs months.

**What if my degree has not been issued yet?**

The completion certificate issued by your institution is usually enough while the official degree is being produced, but it depends on how each university words it. It is the first thing we check: if your institution is slow, you need to know before counting on a filing date.

**Can I start the file before I graduate?**

You can gather the company's documentation and your own while you wait for the certificate, which is the slowest part. What cannot happen is filing without the qualification obtained: the file goes out when it is complete, not before.

**What does the employer actually have to do?**

Provide the offer or contract, a job description report and its solvency documentation: tax ID, incorporation deed, proof of legal representation, corporate tax, employment history report and clearance certificates. We ask for exactly that list, once.

**Can I pay in two instalments?**

Yes, with no interest or surcharge: the total is identical either way. The first half opens your case and starts the document review; the second is paid when we file your application — if we have not filed, you do not pay it. You request it from your case file and someone from the team confirms it within 24 working hours.

**Are official government fees included?**

No: Booka's fee covers review, preparation, filing and follow-up. Government fees are paid directly to the administration, and we tell you which ones apply and when inside your case file.

**How do I know this is not a scam?**

Three things you can check: the price is published before you pay, payment is online with an invoice, and the second half is only charged once your application has been filed, with the official registry receipt visible in your case file. No informal intermediary gives you those three proofs.

## Official source

Official source: information sheet 58, Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, and article 190 of RD 1155/2024.: https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2024-24099

## What the fee includes

Document review, case preparation, filing and follow-up until the decision.

## Notice

Booka's fees cover the professional handling of your application only and do not include official government fees, which are paid separately to the relevant authority. Approval of any permit rests solely with the competent administration and depends on the applicant meeting all legal requirements. The information on this page is for guidance only, may change as regulations evolve, and does not constitute individual legal advice.