Work Visa for Highly-Skilled Employees Spain

What is a Work Visa for Highly-Skilled Employees?

The Highly Qualified Visa or Highly Skilled Professional Visa is a work permit that enables citizens from outside the European Union to live and work in Spain legally, provided that they will start working in a managerial or qualified position.

Some examples for “highly qualified” or “highly skilled” people are:

Managers and individuals who manage a relatively large group of people inside a company
Individuals who work in really technical and specialized job positions
Non-EU citizens who finished their superior studies in a prestigious business schools or universities

This visa grants these individuals a two-year residency authorization (plus renewals up to 5 years).

Overview
Eligibility
Requirements

What is Highly Qualified Work Visa?

The Highly Qualified Visa or Highly Skilled Professional Visa is a work permit that enables citizens from outside the European Union to live and work in Spain legally, provided that they will start working in a managerial or qualified position.

The following profiles would be eligible for the visa:

Managers and individuals who manage a relatively large group of people inside a company.
Individuals who work in really technical and specialized job positions.
Non-EU citizens who finished their superior studies in a prestigious business school or university.

Things to consider before applying for this visa:

Your studies:

If you would like to obtain a highly qualified visa, it is completely recommended to have completed a masters degree or a Ph.D.

Requirements for the company that will be hiring you:

The company is eligible to sponsor your visa if they meet one of the following requirements:

The company should have more than 250 employees, it should generate more than 50M € in revenue per year, or that it should have net assets valued higher than 43M€
The company is operating in a strategic sector in the country. A few examples of these companies are Renewable energies, communication, technologies, water treatment

The tasks that you will be doing for the company:

The first situation is that in which you are going to execute a managerial position in the company operating in Spain. This is, if you are a large corporate employer.
On the other hand, you do not hold a managerial position, but the concrete tasks you perform are regarded as highly skilled. In this case, the job description that you are going to send into the competent authority is really important.

The salary requirement:

If you get a job offer as a manager/director, a minimum of 54.000€ per year is required.
If you are a scientific or intellectual professional, that amount gets reduced to 40.000€ per year.

You must be over 18 years old.
Police Clearance Certificate

Certificate of criminal record issued by the authorities of the country or countries in which you have resided during the last five years prior to entering Spain.
Health insurance
Passport (valid for 6 more months after the end of your visa)

Passport (valid for 6 more months after the end of your visa)
Proof of sufficient funds to cover your stay
Higher education degree or certificate
Job contract with description

A contract and the description of the job you are going to develop in Spain. Here is when stating how qualified the job position plays an important role.
Health insurance
Copy of your NIE
Police Clearance Certificate

Certificate of criminal record issued by the authorities of the country or countries in which you have resided during the last five years prior to entering Spain.
Applicant’s resume (CV).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can your employer apply for the residence permit for you?

Yes, your employer can initiate the process on your behalf.

Where should I apply and send the required documents?

You will need to submit your resume or job description to the Large Business and Strategic Sectors Unit as they are the institution validating that you truly hold a highly skilled job position. This unit is part of the the General Direction of Migrations. If you meet their specific requirements, only then you will obtain what is called “authorization of residence for highly qualified professionals”. This can then be further submitted to the Immigration Office to get the Spanish residency.

Can your spouse and children join you?

Yes, a joint application is possible. In this case, spouse and children need to follow the same application process and submit the same documents.

What if I already have a highly-skilled position and my company relocates me to Spain?

In this case you should apply for the intra-corporate transfer visa, which essentially demands completely different documents than the highly-skilled work visa. Furthermore, the processing of this visa will happen faster as it has higher priority.

Looking to work and live in Spain?

If you are interested in moving to Spain to work for a longer amount of time, then Barcelona Hospitality Academy is the perfect solution for you. By enrolling in one of our programs you will be able to obtain a valuable diploma while working at the same time to, eventually, apply for the Spanish residency with our help. Additionally, we will assist you in securing a job upon completion of one of our courses and with that kickstart your new life in Spain.

*please contact us in order to obtain more information about your eligibility for the Spanish residency