SPAIN: Company Signatory Must Prove Residence in Spain or EU

March 17, 2017


Effective immediately, company representatives acting as signatories for employment contracts for residence permit applications for Highly Qualified Professionals and Intra-Company Transferees must be legally resident in Spain.

Proof of the company signatory’s residence status must be submitted in support of the residence permit application. This could be in the form of a Spanish identity card, a residence card for third-country nationals, or an EU registration certificate plus passport or EU ID card for EU nationals.

As previously, a power of attorney is required from the company to allow the representative to act as a signatory.

The new requirement is for residence permit applications processed by Spain’s Large Companies Unit (Unidad De Grandes Empresas – “UGE”) under the Entrepreneur’s Act of 2013.

Our advice

Employers submitting residence permit applications to the UGE for their foreign national employees should ensure that the application is supported by proof of the company signatory’s legal residence in Spain or elsewhere in the EU.

A legal representative who is not resident in Spain or the EU should appoint a representative who is resident in Spain or the EU with the power to hire personnel and submit applications to act as the company signatory for residence permit applications to the UGE.

If you require any additional information regarding the above please contact a member of our team at [email protected].