Highly qualified professional visa in Spain

The highly qualified professional visa in Spain, regulated by Law 14/2013 on support for entrepreneurs and modernized by Law 11/2023, is the fastest work-based route for non-EU talent to live and work legally in the country.

It allows Spanish and international companies to hire executives, technicians and specialists, and to transfer employees within multinational groups, without the labor market test that slows down ordinary work permits.

Our immigration lawyers advise both professionals with a job offer in Spain and the companies hiring or relocating them, managing the entire process before the UGE-CE from the first document to the residence card.

What Is the Highly Qualified Professional (HQP) Permit?

The HQP is a residence and work authorization for non-EU citizens who will occupy a position requiring a high level of qualification in Spain. Its main advantages over a standard work permit:

• Fast processing: the UGE-CE (Unit for Large Companies and Strategic Groups) must resolve within 20 business days, with positive administrative silence. The associated visa usually takes about 10 additional business days.
• No national employment situation test: the employer does not need to prove that no local candidate could fill the role.
• Initial validity of up to 3 years, or the duration of the contract if shorter, renewable for 2 more years. After 5 years of residence you may apply for long-term residence.
• Family included: your spouse or partner and children can apply jointly or join you at any time, with the right to work in Spain.
• Schengen mobility and eligibility for the Beckham Law special tax regime, with a flat 24% rate on employment income up to 600,000 euros.

Who Is It For?

• Managers and executives of companies with headquarters or subsidiaries in Spain.
• Technicians and specialists with accredited experience in strategic sectors.
• High-level researchers and scientific staff.
• Employees of multinational groups transferred temporarily to entities in Spain (intra-company transfers).
• Graduates and postgraduates of prestigious universities and business schools with a qualifying job offer.

Requirements and 2026 Salary Thresholds

A valid employment contract in Spain or an intra-company transfer letter

The process starts with the employer: the Spanish company or group entity files the residence authorization before the UGE-CE. Once approved, you apply for the visa at the consulate of your country of residence, or complete the process from Spain if you are already here with legal status, for example as a student. This in-country pathway avoids the consular step entirely and is one of the most overlooked advantages of the permit.

Accredited professional profile

A higher education degree, or equivalent professional experience of at least 3 years at a comparable level. Regulated professions require official recognition of the qualification in Spain.

 Salary above the legal thresholds

To be considered highly qualified, your gross annual salary must exceed the thresholds updated each year by ministerial order. Under Order PJC/44/2026, currently in force:

• Managerial, technical and specialist roles: at least 54,142 euros per year.
• Academic and scientific profiles: at least 40,077 euros per year.

These figures are reviewed annually, so the salary stated in the contract must be checked against the order in force on the filing date. A contract drafted a few euros below the threshold is an automatic refusal, one of the most common and most avoidable mistakes we see.

 Health insurance and clean criminal record

Public or private health coverage valid in Spain (employees registered with Spanish Social Security are covered by the public system), and no criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you have resided during the last 5 years.

Intra-Company Transfers (ICT) to Spain

Multinational groups can transfer managers, specialists and trainee employees from foreign entities to their companies in Spain under the intra-company transfer authorization, also regulated by Law 14/2013. The transfer requires a genuine prior employment relationship with the group, proof of the corporate link between the entities, and maintenance of Social Security coverage. Authorizations for managers and specialists are granted for up to 3 years, and for trainee employees for up to 1 year. This is the standard tool for international groups establishing or reinforcing operations in Spain.

HQP vs EU blue card vs intra-company transfer

Permit	Best fit
Highly Qualified Professional (HQP)	Direct hire by a company in Spain for a managerial, technical or specialist role meeting the salary threshold. Fastest and most flexible option.
EU Blue Card (Law 11/2023)	Highly qualified employment with EU-wide mobility advantages. Requires higher education or accredited experience and a qualifying salary. Useful if you plan to move between EU countries.
Intra-Company Transfer (ICT)	Employees of a multinational group posted temporarily to a Spanish entity while keeping their employment link with the group abroad.

The right permit depends on the employer structure, the role and your long-term plans in Europe. We assess the three routes before filing anything.

Required Documents

• Official application form.
• Full passport in force.
• Employment contract with the Spanish company, or intra-company transfer letter.
• Accreditation of qualifications: degrees, proof of experience or professional recognition.
• Evidence that the offered salary meets the legal threshold in force.
• Health insurance or proof of Social Security coverage.
• Apostilled and translated criminal record certificate.

Corporate documents of the employer are also required, since the company initiates the authorization before the UGE-CE.

For Employers: Hire and Relocate International Talent

If your company needs to hire a non-EU professional or transfer staff to Spain, the HQP and ICT authorizations are the fastest compliant routes available. We handle the corporate side of the file, draft contracts aligned with the salary thresholds, coordinate Social Security obligations and manage volume relocations for growing teams. One legal partner for the company and the employee avoids the misalignments that cause most refusals.

Start Your Application with Specialist Immigration Lawyers

The HQP route is fast, but the scrutiny is real: a salary a few euros under the threshold, a mismatched job description or a weak qualification file leads straight to refusal. Our immigration lawyers structure the case correctly from day one, for you and for your employer, in English and Spanish.