Recently, Spain has been striving to attract talented foreign specialists for improving the economy, increasing the competitiveness of companies, and bringing business within the country to an international level. There is a separate residence permit for these kinds of employees – a visa for highly qualified specialists, also known as the EU Blue Card. We will explain how to obtain it and who it is suitable for, step by step.
Who is eligible for the visa for highly qualified specialists
The answer is in the question itself – if you are a valuable employee and your knowledge can make a contribution to the development of the Spanish economy, then the visa is practically in your pocket.
There are two ways to obtain it.
The second way to obtain Spain's Blue Card is to transfer an employee within an international company to the Spanish office. Both options have an important caveat – the specialist must be a resident of a country that is not a member of the European Union.
There are two ways to obtain it.
- The first is to employ a foreign highly qualified specialist through a contract in Spain. In other words, if you currently reside in another country but have been hired by a Spanish company, you are entitled to legally move to the country of your employment.
The second way to obtain Spain's Blue Card is to transfer an employee within an international company to the Spanish office. Both options have an important caveat – the specialist must be a resident of a country that is not a member of the European Union.
What is required to obtain a highly qualified specialist visa
The main requirement for you is to confirm official employment with a Spanish company. It is also necessary to have the appropriate diplomas and qualifications, earn no less than similar specialists in Spain, and have no criminal record in your country of citizenship.
Documents required for obtaining a visa for highly qualified specialists
For the main applicant:
For family members of the applicant:
- Employment contract and diplomas
- Completed application form and photographs
- Original passport (it must be valid for at least 1 year and have at least 2 blank pages) + photocopies of its pages
- Residence permit (original and copy)
- Certificate of no criminal record for the last 5 years
- Registration within the consular district
- Payment of visa fee
- Medical insurance
For family members of the applicant:
- Completed application form and photographs
- Original passport (valid for at least 1 year and with at least 2 blank pages) + photocopies of its pages
- Residence permit (original and copy)
- Certificate of no criminal record for the past 5 years
- Registration within the consular district
- Payment of the visa fee
- Medical insurance
- Documents proving the family relationship with the applicant
- For adult children and parents – documents confirming their economic dependence on the applicant
Important: you need to translate the documents into Spanish, and they must be legalized or apostilled
Advantages of a residence permit for highly qualified specialists
Of course, the main advantage is the opportunity to move to Spain and enjoy life in this country. But there are other advantages that only this residence permit provides:
The validity of the specialist visa coincides with the term of the employment contract or other document confirming that you are officially employed in Spain.
- Permission to work and reside anywhere in Spain, as well as the right to freely move within the Schengen area, combining work and travel.
- You can move to Spain with your whole family: your spouse or partner, minor children, as well as adult children and parents who are dependent on you can obtain visas.
- After 5 years of living and working, you can apply for Spanish permanent residency, and later apply for Spanish citizenship if you want to stay in the country permanently.
The validity of the specialist visa coincides with the term of the employment contract or other document confirming that you are officially employed in Spain.
Visa processing time for highly qualified specialists in spain
We know you want to avoid waiting and dream of taking your place under the Spanish sun as soon as possible. That's precisely why we work – our agency will help you to obtain a highly qualified specialist visa in the shortest possible time. We will prepare a complete set of documents, translate them, and accompany you to the necessary institutions of local authorities. With our assistance, the entire process will take about a month.
Cost of processing a spanish visa for highly qualified specialists
We will be able to calculate the exact price for you during a free 20-minute consultation. The cost of obtaining the visa to Spain depends on the size of your family, the period of time you plan to stay, and many other factors. To find out the exact amount and ask us additional questions, please sign up for a consultation.
