Spain

If you are not an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, you need a residence and work permit. The main routes:

• Graduates of Spanish universities (bachelor’s level or higher) who held a student stay permit can get a residence permit to look for a job or start a business for 24 months (not extendable). You may not work with this permit itself – once you find a job, you need a work permit.
• EU Blue Card – for highly qualified jobs paying at least €41,356.36 gross a year (threshold updated in June 2026). A lower threshold of €33,085.09 applies to shortage occupations in the two highest occupation groups and to people who got their qualification in the last three years.
• Employer-sponsored work permit – the employer applies for you. Jobs on the Catalogue of Hard-to-Fill Occupations make it easier to get this first permit.

All conditions and information sheets are on the Ministry of Inclusion’s migration portal.