Who it fits
Professionals with a job offer from a Spanish company for a qualified or managerial position.
What usually matters
- An employment contract with a Spanish company for a qualified, specialist or managerial role.
- A salary above the threshold set for highly qualified profiles.
- A university degree or equivalent professional experience.
- The employer must be solvent and carry out real activity in Spain.
- Processed centrally, usually within about 20 working days.
The highly qualified professional permit, part of Spain’s Startups and Entrepreneurs Law, is one of the fastest routes to work and live in Spain. It is processed by a central unit rather than local immigration offices, and resolutions usually arrive within weeks.
What decides the file
The employer matters as much as the employee. Authorities check that the company is solvent, has real activity in Spain and that the role and salary match a highly qualified profile.
Using your own newly created Spanish company for this route has become much harder: in 2025 authorities began requiring real economic activity in Spain before the application. We look at this carefully before recommending it.
This page gives general orientation. The right route and the exact requirements are confirmed only after reviewing your file.
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