This guide is to help you and to give you information on legislation regarding visas and permits. Remember to check with your Spanish Consulate about procedures and what documentation is required because rules and regulations change all the time.
Do you need a working permit/visa to work in Spain?
Not if you are an EU citizen but US citizens and other non-EU nationals will require a visa to enter Spain and a work permit to work in Spain.
EU citizens can live or work anywhere in the EU so all they need is a valid passport to enter Spain. EU citizens will need to register with their local Oficina de Extranjeros (Office of Foreigners) for an NIE number and a Certificado de Registro, once they have moved to Spain. Non-EU citizens will also have to do this.
Non-EU nationals will have to find employment in Spain, to be able to get the appropriate visa and work permit. To find employment, you could visit Spain on a tourist visa. Some countries have an agreement with Spain which allows them to enter and visit Spain without a tourist visa. These countries are:
USA and Canada, the countries of South America, Andorra, Australia, Brunei, Croatia, Gibraltar, Grenada, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Monaco, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, Singapore, Switzerland.
Citizens of these countries will be to spend up to 90 days in Spain per 6 month period without a visa.
If you need a tourist visa, you will need to apply to your Spanish Consulate in your home country. Check with the Consulate to see what documentation you will need and how long the procedure will take.
You are likely to need:
- The Tourist Visa application form.
- A valid passport and at least 3 photocopies of it.
- 4 passport sized photographs of yourself.
- Birth certificate, and marriage certificate if applicable.
- Return travel ticket to prove that you will be returning to your country.
- Proof of the purpose of visit – proof of hotel bookings, guided tours etc.
- Evidence of finances to cover your stay in Spain – a bank statement.
- Evidence of medical/travel insurance.
- Letter from your employer or, if self-employed, from solicitor or accountant.
- Application fee.
- Photocopies of all above documents.
While the visa is being processed, search for jobs online and try to line up some interviews in advance.
Once you have a job offer, you will be able to apply to the provincial Ministerio de Trabajo for a work permit. Take with you:
1. The application form which has been signed and stamped by your future employer.
2. Passport and photocopy of passport – Make sure your passport is valid for the length of the work contract.
3. Job offer – signed and stamped by employer.
4. Social Security and CIF numbers of company – The CIF is the company registration number.
Once this application is underway, you will want to return to your home country to apply for the appropriate work and residency visa at your local Spanish Consulate. Take copies of all of the above documentation along with you as well as a medical certificate and criminal record certificate. The process is very frustrating and it can take months to get the visa, if you get it at all. As soon as you have got it, you can return to Spain and finish off the work permit application and apply for your residence permit.
Spain is a country of red tape and bureaucracy so use a gestor or lawyer to help you with the work permit application, NIE and Certificado de Registro.
