Entrepreneurship law
The Highly Qualified Professional residence permit allows foreign professionals to live and work in Spain when they are hired for positions that require advanced qualifications or extensive professional experience.
This authorization is regulated under the Spanish Entrepreneurship Law and is designed to help companies attract international talent for specialized roles.
Applicants usually must have:
The permit can be requested whether the professional is outside Spain or already legally residing in the country.
Applications for the Highly Qualified Professional permit are submitted through the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE) via the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.
If the professional is outside Spain, the process works in two stages:
This procedure is generally faster than traditional work permits.
To hire a highly qualified professional under this regime, the employer must usually meet at least one of the following conditions:
These requirements confirm that the company has the capacity to hire specialized international talent.
The permit may also be granted when the professional is part of a business project considered of general interest for Spain.
This can include projects that:
In some cases, SMEs operating in strategic sectors may also qualify if they obtain a favorable report from the Directorate General for Trade and Investment.
