Good to know · Work
Highly qualified professional and employer-sponsored work routes (UGE route)
Foreigners with a Spanish job offer generally need a work-and-residence authorization that the employer obtains first; highly qualified professionals (including EU Blue Card holders) and intra-company transferees use a faster route through the Ministry of Inclusion’s Large Companies unit (UGE-CE), while ordinary employees go through the provincial Government Delegation.
- Why it matters
- Americans who find a job in Spain do not apply alone: the employer starts the process. Understanding the two routes and the 2026 salary thresholds helps you ask the right questions of your employer.
- When
- You have, or are seeking, a job offer from a Spanish employer or a transfer within a multinational group.
- How long it takes
- Highly qualified visa: legal decision period 10 days from forwarding by the Consular Section (extendable); employee visa: about one month from submission. Visa valid 1 year or the authorization length if shorter.
- Official page
- Visa for Highly Qualified Workers and Intra-Company Transfers
- Last checked
- 7 Oct 2026
In the guide: the 6 steps, what to bring (5 items), and tips and what to watch for, with every official source.
Do these first
- Understand the visa pathways for Americans moving to Spain
- Apostille and sworn-translate US documents for use in Spain
- Obtain a Spanish Social Security number (NUSS)
- Understand your employment contract and payslip (nómina)
- Get foreign diplomas and degrees recognized in Spain
- Private health insurance: when it is required