Who can work in Spain, and with what paperwork

EU / EEA / Swiss citizens

You can live and work in Spain without a visa or work permit. Two duties remain if you stay past 90 days: register in the Central Register of Foreigners to get your Certificado de Registro UE (the green certificate, which carries your NIE), and register with Social Security when you start work. Permanent residence follows after five years. Official process: sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es (book a "cita previa" for extranjería).

Non-EU citizens — the employment routes

The standard route is employer-led: a company offers you a job and requests the work and residence authorization; you then get the visa at the Spanish consulate and the TIE card (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) after arrival. Realistic alternatives in 2026: the highly-qualified professional permit (faster, for degree-level roles — many tech/shared-services offers use it), the EU Blue Card, the digital nomad visa (remote work for non-Spanish employers), and student-to-work transitions. Each has its own thresholds and paperwork — start from the official portal: extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es.

What employers can and cannot do

A serious employer sponsoring a non-EU hire runs the authorization BEFORE you travel — be wary of any offer that asks you to arrive on a tourist stay "and sort it out here": tourist entry does not convert into a work permit in the standard cases. And a rule that never changes: applying for jobs is always free — any "agency" charging you to get hired is a scam.

Common questions