Spain's work and residence permit for €440, fully online.
The initial authorisation is driven by the company hiring you in Spain. We manage the case with your employer, with every stage visible in the portal.
Spain's work and residence permit for €440, fully online.
The initial residence and employed-work authorisation (general regime, arts. 72-79 of the Immigration Regulation) is Spain's hire-from-abroad circuit: the employer in Spain applies, and the worker — in the ordinary route — then collects the visa at their home consulate and gets the TIE card on arrival. That is why this case has 7 stages and two protagonists.
The hire must fit the national employment situation — typically through the shortage occupation catalogue — and the contract must meet the applicable collective agreement. If you already live in Spain without authorisation, this is NOT your route: look at arraigo or the student-to-work modification.
Last reviewed: September 2026 · Price read live from the catalogue
Spain's work and residence permit: The facts that decide your case.
- What it is
- Spain's initial residence and employed-work authorisation under the general regime.
- Who applies
- The employer in Spain, not the worker.Without a company to sign the contract and file its own documentation there is no case at all.
- Where you apply
- The permit, at the immigration office in Spain; the visa, at the consulate in the worker's country of residence.
- Where the worker is
- In the ordinary route, outside Spain.If you already live in Spain without a permit, this is not your route — arraigo or the student-to-work modification are.
- The gateway
- The national employment situation must allow the hire, usually through the shortage occupation catalogue.
- Can you work?
- Yes, but only afterwards: once the permit is granted, the visa collected and Social Security registration done.
- Stages
- 7: the five standard ones plus the consular visa and the TIE card after arrival.
- Government fees
- 790-052 (worker) and 790-062 (employer, on a scale set by salary).Paid separately to the administration; the amounts are detailed in your case file.
Spain's work and residence permit: Who it is for — and who it is not.
This is your procedure if…
- A company in Spain wants to hire you and is willing to provide its own documentation.
- You live outside Spain and could attend the consulate in your country of residence to collect the visa.
- The role sits in an occupation listed in the shortage occupation catalogue, or the company can evidence another qualifying ground.
- You can evidence the professional qualification the role requires and have no criminal record.
This is not your procedure if…
- You already live in Spain without a residence permit: this circuit assumes the worker is abroad.
- There is no specific company behind it — without a contract signed by an employer this procedure does not exist.
- You are studying in Spain and have completed your degree: that is a modification, applied for without leaving the country.
- The role is highly qualified and well paid: the highly qualified professional route or the EU Blue Card may suit you better.
€440, and you know it before you commit.
Document review, case preparation, filing and follow-up until the decision.
Fee 790-052: €10.94, paid by the worker. Fee 790-062, heading 3.2.1, is paid by the employer: €203.84 if the salary is below twice the minimum wage and €407.71 if it matches or exceeds it (Order PJC/617/2025, in force as of September 2026).
on signing, to open your case and start reviewing your documents.
when we file your application with the administration.
No interest, no surcharge: it is the same price, split. You request it from your case file and someone from the team confirms it within 24 working hours.
There is no paid consultation to find out the price, and no custom quote. This is the price, and it is published.
Almost nobody publishes the price.
Of the digital immigration firms we reviewed in September 2026, only one publishes a price and lets you hire online. The rest ask you to call, or to pay for a consultation before telling you what the procedure costs.
Read live from the catalogue that charges it. Official fees are separate in both cases.
Spain's work and residence permit: What you have to prove.
A company driving the application
The applicant is the employer, not you. The company provides its tax ID, incorporation deed, evidence of legal representation and a descriptive memo of the role. This is what stalls the case most often — not bad faith, but nobody handing the company the exact list on day one.
Requirement 1 of 6The national employment situation must allow the hire
The usual route is for the occupation to appear in the shortage occupation catalogue for the province where the job is. The catalogue is updated periodically and differs by province, so it is checked before anything opens: finding out after the contract is signed costs months.
Requirement 2 of 6A contract meeting the collective agreement
The contract must provide for continuous activity throughout the permit and meet at least the collective agreement applicable to the role and province. Pay below the agreement is not fixed with a letter of intent — it is fixed by rewriting the contract before filing.
Requirement 3 of 6Proven solvency of the employer
Corporate tax, VAT returns, the company's employment history report and certificates of good standing with the tax authority and Social Security. The administration checks the company can sustain the role it offers; a recently incorporated company needs to prepare that evidence more carefully, not less.
Requirement 4 of 6Worker's qualification and criminal record
You evidence the qualification the role requires — degree, professional registration or recognition if the profession is regulated — and provide criminal record certificates from your country or countries of prior residence. Foreign certificates need sworn translation and legalisation or apostille, and expire quickly: they are requested once the rest of the file is on track.
Requirement 5 of 6Collecting the visa in time
Once the permit is granted, the worker has 1 month from notification to apply for the visa at the consulate in their country of residence. It is a short window on which everything else depends: have a valid passport and travel planned before the decision arrives.
Requirement 6 of 6Does your case fit?
Tick what applies to you. Nothing is sent and we ask for no personal data: the result is only for you.
This is guidance, not a decision: approval depends on the administration and on the complete file.
Spain's work and residence permit: the documents you need.
This is the checklist. If one is missing, the file is not submitted — and that is precisely what keeps it from being returned.
Empresa (protagonista del expediente)
Trabajador
Official source: information sheet 12, Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, and articles 72-79 of RD 1155/2024. boe.es
Fully online, and you always know where it stands.
No office to visit, no phone calls and no waiting for someone to tell you where your case is: you can see it yourself, whenever you want.
From wherever you are
You prepare the whole file from your country, from your phone. We build and review every document online; the only in-person step is the one your consulate requires.
Stage by stage, nothing missed
You see which stage your case is in, which document is missing and which one is already reviewed. Every change is logged with its date, so you never depend on a callback to know how it is going.
Your questions, with the people handling your case
You ask from inside your own case file and the immigration team handling it answers — not a WhatsApp number that can stop replying. Every action is written down, with a name on it.
Nothing is filed half-done
The file is not submitted until it is complete: that is what keeps it from being returned, and what saves the most months. Once filed, the official receipt appears inside your account.
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- 4.8 / 5
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Spain's work and residence permit: 7 stages, and you see which one you are in.
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.
Stage 1 of 7Internal review
The team reviews the complete file before filing. This is the step that prevents it from being returned.
Stage 2 of 7Official fees
Government fees are paid directly to the administration, with the receipt stored in your case file.
Stage 3 of 7Filing
The application is registered with the competent authority. You see the date and the receipt in your file.
Stage 4 of 7Decision
The authority decides and notifies, with the next steps explained inside your case file.
Stage 5 of 7Consular visa
Once approved, the visa is requested at the consulate in the worker's country of residence.
Stage 6 of 7TIE card
After entering Spain: Social Security registration, appointment and issue of the foreigner identity card.
Stage 7 of 7Spain's work and residence permit: How long it really takes.
| Step | How long |
|---|---|
| Preparation with the company | 2 to 5 weeksSet by the employer's tax and employment paperwork, usually the last to arrive. |
| Worker's documents in the home country | 2 to 6 weeksCriminal records, sworn translations and legalisation depend on the country, not on us. |
| Review and filing | A few daysThe file is not submitted until it is complete. |
| Decision by the immigration office | Legal period of 3 monthsThat is the legal period, not a forecast: each office moves at its own pace. |
| Visa application at the consulate | 1 month from notification of approvalThat is the legal window to apply. Appointment dates and processing are set by each consulate. |
| Arrival, Social Security registration and TIE card | After entering SpainRegistration must happen before work starts; the TIE comes after, with its own appointment and fee. |
Two of the seven stages are outside anyone's control on this side: the immigration office's decision and the consulate's calendar, which varies by country. Promising dates there would be a lie. What is in our hands is the employer providing its part first time and the file going in complete.
Spain's work and residence permit: What gets files returned — and how we stop it.
Assuming the occupation is in the catalogue
What it costs you
If the national employment situation does not allow the hire, the application fails however impeccable the contract is. It is checked first, against the catalogue for the specific province.
Pushing this route on someone already in Spain without a permit
What it costs you
The ordinary circuit assumes the worker is abroad and collects the visa at their consulate. Filing from here opens an unviable case and burns the time another route — arraigo or a modification — actually had.
A contract below the collective agreement on hours or pay
What it costs you
It triggers a correction request or a refusal. Redoing the contract afterwards means repeating signatures and sometimes the entire job-offer management.
The employer sends its documentation in instalments
What it costs you
One missing certificate of good standing, one correction request, and the case sits for weeks with the role unfilled. Which is why the company gets the full list on day one, not mid-build.
Criminal records or qualifications without legalisation
What it costs you
A foreign document without sworn translation and apostille counts as not submitted. It is the most common correction request in this case, and the most avoidable.
Letting the one-month visa window pass
What it costs you
A granted permit can lapse if the visa is not applied for within the period from notification. All the earlier work is lost to a calendar date.
Spain's work and residence permit: the questions we get most.
What does my employer need to hire me from abroad?
Their company documentation (tax ID, deeds, taxes, certificates of good standing), a contract meeting at least the collective agreement, and the outcome of the job-offer management. The company is the protagonist: without an employer there is no procedure.
What is the shortage occupation catalogue and does my job qualify?
It is the usual gateway for the national employment situation to allow the hire: if your occupation is listed for the province where the job sits, the offer can proceed. The catalogue changes and differs by province, so we check it before opening the case, not after.
Can I apply while already in Spain?
This initial permit has its own rules on where the worker must be and is generally subject to the national employment situation. Tell us your case: if your real route is another one — arraigo, the student-to-work modification — we say so before opening anything.
Why does this case have 7 stages?
The five standard stages plus two after approval: the visa at the worker's home consulate and, after entering Spain, Social Security registration and the TIE card.
My employer does not want paperwork hassle. What do I tell them?
That they provide their documentation once, against a closed list. We build, file and follow up the case, and both the company and you see its status in the portal. The price is published before you commit, with no prior quote.
Who pays the fees, the company or me?
They are split by law: 790-052 falls on the worker and 790-062 on the employer, on a scale set by the salary of the role. Both are paid directly to the administration, and we tell you which applies and when inside your case file.
How long do I have to apply for the visa once the permit is granted?
One month from notification of approval, at the consulate in your country of residence. It is a short legal window: have your passport valid and the appointment planned before the decision arrives.
Can my family come with me?
Not in this case file. Family follows the reunification route, started from Spain once you live here, and it requires evidence of adequate housing and income. Two separate procedures, each with its own cost and calendar.
My degree is foreign. Do I need it recognised?
It depends on the profession. If it is regulated in Spain, you evidence your entitlement through recognition of the qualification, and that is a separate case before a different ministry. It can run in parallel with the immigration file.
What happens if the application is refused?
The decision rests with the administration and nobody can guarantee it. If a refusal arrives, we explain the specific reason and what options exist — appeal or a new application — which are separate procedures with their own cost.
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.
The initial permit is granted for a limited period and must be renewed before it expires; under the current regulation the renewed card runs for 4 years. Once you are living and working in Spain, family reunification also opens up if you meet the housing and income requirements.
Residence and work permit renewalRelated procedures
All Spanish immigration procedures
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Create your account, upload your documents and follow the case. No office visits, no phone calls.
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.