Spain Immigration Services

Newland Chase offers full support with all aspects of corporate immigration to Spain. Please find an overview of the typical corporate immigration processes below. Every situation is unique, so please do get in touch, either through your usual Newland Chase contact or using the details on the right hand side of the page. Our immigration experts will be glad to discuss your needs in greater detail.

With offices in the capital city of Madrid, Newland Chase Spain provides corporations and individuals operating in Spain with complete support for all their immigration and visa needs – inbound to Spain and outbound to more than 190 countries around the world. Our full spectrum of services allows us to manage all of your business visa and employee immigration needs.

Newland Chase provides clients with deep expertise in all areas of Spanish Immigration as well as effective advice wherever in the world they undertake their business. We invest in the best talent to bring you immigration solutions customized to your business needs. Our immigration consultants provide clear and practical solutions in Spain and globally.

  • Spain Immigration Management

    We provide support in all areas of Spanish immigration for corporations and individuals – from short-term work authorization and temporary residency to long-term work authorization, permanent residency, and citizenship, including both company employees and accompanying family members. Our approach covers you from comprehensive guidance and pre-planning of new assignments and immigration options to completion of all in-country requirements to ongoing compliance monitoring.

    For up-to-date information on the most common work authorization routes in Spain, see Immigration Summary tab.

  • Comprehensive Global Immigration Management

    For corporations and individuals located in Spain, we also provide support in all areas of immigration to more than 190 countries around the world. Our Spain team is part of the larger Newland Chase global team of 1,700+ expert immigration and visa professionals – specializing in everything from short-term work assignments and temporary residency to long-term work assignments, permanent residency, and citizenship throughout the world.

  • Business Traveler Management

    Business Visas are a key component of a globally mobile workforce – allowing individuals to enter Spain and other countries for non-work business activities. Business visas typically apply to business meetings, seminars, conferences, trade shows, limited sales activities, contract negotiations, and some supervisory activities. Newland Chase Spain offers comprehensive services for business travelers both inbound to Spain and outbound to more than 190 countries.

    Our services include everything from personalized assessment of the activities and destination for visa compliance to obtaining the proper visas to tracking of the number and length of stays of your business travelers for legal compliance.

  • Immigration Policy and Compliance

    Our Spain immigration experts offer an extensive suite of advisory services and immigration compliance strategies to ensure that your organization and employees remain compliant with all Spanish immigration and visa requirements. Our services include strategic guidance on immigration plans, development and implementation of immigration policies, sponsor compliance, education and training, audit support (including mock audits), and immigration compliance technology solutions.

  • Consulting and Advisory Services

    Our Spanish immigration experts act as trusted business advisors – supporting you in virtually any unique or complex immigration-related matter. Our Spain team is able to manage the scope of immigration in large-scale projects and employee moves, as well as guide you through the immigration complexities involved in corporate restructuring and mergers and acquisitions.

    • EU Nationals and Dependents

      EU Registration

      This applies to the citizens of a Member State of the European Union, of another State party to the agreement on the European economic area, or of Switzerland expected to reside in the territory of the Spanish State for a period exceeding three months.

      EU Card

      This applies to non-EU nationals and to family dependents of EU nationals, nationals of European Economic Area states, or nationals of Switzerland expected to reside in Spain for a period exceeding three months.

    • Investor Residence Permits

      This is an authorization of temporary residence based on any of the following investments:

      • Financial assets:
        • Public debt (€2million); or
        • Shares (€1million); or
        • Investment funds, investment fund of close-end type or venture capital funds set up in Spain (€1million); or
        • Bank deposit (€1million); or
      • Real estate (€500.000); or
      • Business projects of general interest linked to:
        • Creation of jobs; or
        • Social and economic impact on the area where they are made; or
        • Significant contribution to scientific and/or technological innovation. (In these three instances, no minimum investment requirement is need.)
    • Family Members and Dependents

      Residence Permits for Family Dependents Members (Immigration Law) are authorizations of residence for the dependents of main applicants.

      Reunification Residence Permits (Immigration Law) are authorizations to reunite the family members with foreigners who have been living legally in Spain for a year and who have obtained authorization to stay at least one more year.

    • Non-Lucrative Residence Permits

      Non-Lucrative Residence Permits (Immigration Law) are authorizations to reside in Spain without engaging in any type of lucrative activities.

    • Student Cards

      Students Cards are authorizations that allow applicants to remain in Spain for a period of more than ninety days for the completion of full-time studies in a teaching center authorized in Spain, leading to a degree or certificate of studies.

    • Re-entry Permits

      This is an authorization for foreigners whose authorization of residence is pending extension or renewal that allows them to exit and re-enter Spain within a period not exceeding ninety days. Applicants must be able to certify that they have begun procedures for renewal or extension of the title that enables them to stay in Spain within the legal time limit set for this purpose.

    • Police Deregistration

      This is a notification and return of ID card to Police Authorities that must be completed when exiting Spain.

    • Notification for Entrepreneurs’ Act Residence Permits

      This is a mandatory notification to the Immigration Office regarding any changes in the initial work conditions that must be completed within 30 days of the change.

Immigration Summary

Applicants can submit a temporary residence authorisation application after arrival in Spain with a visitor, resident or other legal immigration status. It is also possible to obtain temporary residence authorisation before arrival in Spain and then enter with a long-term type D visa.

The Intra-Company Transfer Permit (EU Directive 2014/66) is only applicable to assignees sent to Spain for over 90 days from outside the EU and has a maximum total duration of stay of three years. It is important to note that if an applicant meets the qualifying criteria for this process, they may not apply under an alternative route (i.e. may not use the National Intra-Company Transfer route).

ICT permits under Directive 2014/66 allow mobility within EU member states - i.e. work permission is not required for EU ICT permit holders to work in other member states for less than 90 days and a streamlined Mobile ICT permit application may be submitted if working in other member states for longer than 90 days.

The temporary residence authorisation for Highly Qualified Employees (local hires and self-employed applicants) according to the Entrepreneurs' Law requires the Spanish entity to register with the UGE under one of a number of qualifying criteria. Applicants must be managers or specialists with a university degree or relevant work experience of at least three years in similar positions. Graduates and postgraduates from universities and prestigious business schools will be considered highly qualified employees without the company needing to meet company requirements. The minimum salary for managers and directors is currently EUR 54,142 per year. For other professionals and specialists, it is EUR 40,077.

Intra-company transfer and service contract fulfilment may also fall under the Entrepreneurs' Law, but only if the transfer does not qualify for the Intra-Company Transfer Permit (EU Directive 2014/66). The assignment should either be within the same group of companies, linked by common ownership, or should be in relation to a service agreement between the sending and host companies. The applicant must have either a university degree or three years of relevant experience, and must have been employed by the sending company for a minimum of three months.

The EU Blue Card is no longer frequently used in Spain; it has been replaced by the Highly Qualified Employees (Entrepreneurs’ Law) route.

The Local Hire Work Permit (Smaller Companies) is for non-EU nationals employed in Madrid. This route should be followed when the company or employee assigned to Madrid does not meet the criteria for the Unidad de Grandes Empresas (UGE) routes, and so the work permit has to be processed through the local immigration office (Delegación del Gobierno).

The Van der Elst is an immigration process whereby a non-EEA national who is employed and contracted by a home entity in the EEA country and sent on short-term assignment to another EEA country no longer requires a work permit. However, a residence visa must be applied for if the assignment is for longer than three months, and a residence card if the assignment is for longer than six months.

EU/EEA/Swiss nationals on assignment to or employed in Spain do not need a work permit. However, if the stay is for longer than 90 days, an EU Residence Certificate should be applied for. For EU/EEA/Swiss nationals sent on secondment from the EU/EEA/Switzerland, a declaration should be submitted to the labour inspectorate prior to the commencement of the assignment.

Our Spain team members are highly qualified and dedicated professionals with extensive experience in all aspects of Spanish immigration. They come from the best of legal, consulting, in-house corporate and government backgrounds and bring a breadth of experience and insight both in immigration and a multitude of industry sectors. With a dedication to service and a consultative approach, our people act as your trusted advisors and partners in achieving your business goals in Spain.

Per Kvam

Managing Director, Spain

Barcelona, Spain

Sandra Avilés

Senior Immigration Lawyer

Madrid, Spain