Work residence in Spain: cuenta ajena and cuenta propia step by step

Work residence route card: 10 steps

1. Choose your path

   Employment, your own business and highly qualified professionals follow different procedures. Your choice determines who files the application and with which authority.

   • I have an employer in Spain: employment path
   • I have a project: cuenta propia path
   • I have a contract of six months or more and a degree or experience: checked the UGE path in step 8

   Where: Real Decreto 1155/2024 and Ley 14/2013, on the BOE websiteTiming: before talking to the employerCost: free

   When to get help: if you are torn between employment and cuenta propia. Article: employment contract or autónomo.

2. Employment: check the labour market situation

   The employer either picks an occupation from the catalogue of hard-to-fill jobs or shows, through the employment service, that no local worker could be found. The catalogue is updated every quarter.

   • The employer checked the occupation in the catalogue for its region
   • If the occupation isn’t in the catalogue, they posted the vacancy with the employment service and got a certificate
   • Checked whether your case falls under the exceptions in article 40 of LO 4/2000

   Where: regional employment service, SEPETiming: the vacancy runs for 8 days, the certificate is issued within 3 daysCost: free

   When to get help: this step is done by the employer, and without their lawyer or tax and administrative specialist (graduada social) it often drags on. Article: how an employer hires a foreign national.

3. Employment: agree the contract

   Both parties sign the contract, and it covers the whole term of the permit. The start date is tied to the moment the permit takes effect.

   • The terms comply with the law and the collective agreement for your occupation and city
   • The start date depends on when the permit takes effect
   • For part-time work, annual pay is not below the full-time minimum wage

   Where: the employer, article 74 of the ReglamentoTiming: before the applicationCost: free

   When to get help: before signing any employment contract. Article: employment contract: what to look for.

4. Employment: the employer files the application

   The employer or a representative files the application at the oficina de extranjería for the place of work. In a region with devolved powers, the regional authority receives it.

   • The employer gathered its NIF, the contract on the official form and proof of funds
   • It has no tax or social security debts
   • It paid the work permit fee, and you paid your part

   Where: Oficina de Extranjería or the regional authority under articles 77 and 194Timing: 10 days to fix deficiencies, decision within 3 months, silence means refusalCost: work permit €203.84 for pay below twice the minimum wage and €407.71 at twice or more; your part €10.94

   When to get help: any delay in answering a requerimiento, questions for the employer, and refusal. Fees: tasas 790.

5. Employment: get your visa and collect the decision

   You need the visa after a positive decision. You apply within a month of the employer being notified, and the consulate issues the visa within a month.

   • Passport valid for at least a year, criminal record certificates covering five years with an apostille and translation
   • Medical certificate under the International Health Regulations 2005
   • Booked a consulate appointment and paid the consular fee

   Where: the Spanish consulate where you liveTiming: apply within 1 month, issued within 1 monthCost: consular fee at the consulate’s rate

   When to get help: if your documents come from several countries or the month for filing is nearly up.

6. Cuenta propia: project, licences, investment

   You need to meet the same requirements for opening a business as Spanish citizens, have the qualifications and make a sufficient investment. Self-employment also counts as employment.

   • Gathered the licences and registrations the activity requires
   • Prepared the investment figures and the effect on job creation
   • Proved my qualifications or experience, and professional association membership for regulated professions

   Where: the relevant authorities and professional associations, article 84 of the ReglamentoTiming: before applying for the visaCost: licences, fees and services are extra

   When to get help: investment figures, business plan and licences. Article: cuenta propia in Spain.

7. Cuenta propia: apply for the visa at the consulate

   A non-resident applies for a visa, and that application includes the permit application. The oficina de extranjería makes the decision.

   • Applied for the visa and kept the confirmation
   • Paid the residence and cuenta propia work fees
   • After the decision, got the visa within a month

   Where: the Spanish consulate where you liveTiming: up to 3 months, silence means refusalCost: €203.84 for work plus €10.94 for residence, consular fee at the consulate’s rate

   When to get help: any doubt about the project, because a refusal is based on the substance. Article: entrepreneur or cuenta propia.

8. Highly qualified professionals and the EU Blue Card

   The application is filed electronically with the UGE, by the company or by the professional. You need a degree or experience, a contract or firm offer of six months or more, and a salary not below the threshold.

   • Salary above the threshold: standard €41,356.36, reduced €33,085.09, UGE data as of June 2026
   • For a regulated profession, diploma homologation is confirmed
   • Filed the application with the UGE and kept the confirmation

   Where: Ministry of Inclusion sede, UGETiming: 20 days, silence means approval, 3-year permitCost: under order PJC/617/2025, check on the form

   When to get help: the reduced threshold, homologation, and choosing between the Blue Card and the national option. Article: EU Blue Card.

9. Entry, alta and TIE

   After entry you have three months to register (alta) with the Seguridad Social. Without it, a first employment permit does not take effect, and with cuenta propia you will have to leave Spain.

   • Registered (alta) within three months of entry
   • Booked huellas and paid for the TIE with form 790 code 012
   • Applied for the TIE within a month of the alta

   Where: Seguridad Social, Oficina de Extranjería or comisaríaTiming: alta within 3 months, TIE within a month after itCost: TIE €16.08 for first issue

   When to get help: RETA registration, autónomo taxes and alta deadlines. Article: NUSS number.

10. First year and renewal

    The first permit is tied to a region and an occupation. Renewal gives four years and lifts these restrictions.

    • In the first year, I change employer no earlier than three months in, and within the same occupation
    • I file for renewal two months before expiry; late filing is possible within three months, with a possible fine
    • School certificate ready for school-age children

    Where: Oficina de Extranjería, sedeTiming: decision in 3 months, silence means approvalCost: €16.40 plus €81.54 for work under order PJC/617/2025

    When to get help: job loss, a gap in activity, a change of grounds. In detail: residence permit through an employment contract.