Discover the EU Blue Card salary threshold in Spain for 2026, when the reduced threshold applies and how to submit a successful application

Spain has updated the minimum salary required in 2026 to obtain a residence permit as a highly qualified professional holding an EU Blue Card. This change is particularly important for Spanish companies seeking to recruit international talent and for non-EU professionals considering moving to Spain for a highly qualified position.

The new general salary threshold is €41,356.36 gross per year. A reduced threshold of €33,085.09 gross per year may apply to certain applicants. However, this reduction is not automatic and is only available when one of the specific conditions established by Spanish immigration law is satisfied.

In this updated guide, Visal Immigration Lawyers explains how the new amounts are calculated, when they became applicable, who may benefit from the reduced threshold, and the differences between the EU Blue Card and Spain’s national residence permit for highly qualified professionals.

We also explain the principal requirements, application procedure and most common mistakes that companies and foreign professionals should avoid.

New EU Blue Card salary threshold in Spain for 2026

On 28 May 2026, the Spanish National Statistics Institute, known as the INE, published the Annual Earnings Structure Survey for 2024. According to this official survey, the average gross annual salary in Spain was €29,540.26.

This amount is important because Order PJC/44/2026 establishes that the minimum salary threshold for an EU Blue Card must be equal to 1.4 times the average gross annual earnings per worker published by the INE.

The calculation is:

€29,540.26 × 1.4 = €41,356.36 gross per year

Consequently, the updated salary thresholds are:

• General EU Blue Card threshold: €41,356.36 gross per year.
• Reduced EU Blue Card threshold: €33,085.09 gross per year.

The reduced amount represents 80% of the general threshold. These updated figures are included in the information concerning the 2026 salary requirements for highly qualified professionals in Spain.

It is not sufficient for the proposed salary to be competitive or usual within the relevant industry. The employment contract or binding job offer must reach the applicable immigration threshold and must also comply with Spanish employment law and the relevant collective bargaining agreement.

If your company is planning an international recruitment process and needs to confirm the applicable salary, you can schedule your consultation here before signing the employment contract.

When did the new salary threshold become applicable?

The date on which the application is submitted is crucial.

Order PJC/44/2026 establishes that whenever the INE publishes a new Annual Earnings Structure Survey, the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit must apply the updated threshold to applications submitted one month after the publication of the new survey.

The latest salary information was published on 28 May 2026. Therefore, the updated threshold applies to applications submitted from 28 June 2026 onwards.

A company should not automatically rely on the salary threshold that was applicable when negotiations with the candidate began. As a general rule, the relevant amount will be the threshold in force on the date the application is formally registered.

This distinction is particularly important when the salary offered is close to the legal minimum. A difference of only a few euros could determine whether the application meets the immigration requirements.

The structure of the proposed remuneration should also be reviewed carefully. It is necessary to establish which payments constitute guaranteed gross salary and which payments depend on future or uncertain conditions.

The official Order PJC/44/2026 expressly connects the EU Blue Card salary threshold to the figures published by the INE. The applicable amount may therefore change again when a new salary survey is published.

What is the EU Blue Card in Spain?

The EU Blue Card is a residence and work authorisation for non-EU nationals who will perform highly qualified employment in Spain.

It is not a general work permit available for every type of employment. There must be a highly qualified position, a valid employment contract or binding job offer and a reasonable connection between the professional’s qualifications and the duties attached to the position.

Under Spanish Law 14/2013, the applicant must generally hold a higher education qualification obtained after completing a course of study lasting at least three years. The qualification must be equivalent to at least level 2 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education, corresponding to level 6 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning and the European Qualifications Framework.

Alternatively, an applicant may prove at least five years of professional knowledge, skills and experience equivalent to the required higher education qualification. This experience must be relevant to the profession or industry identified in the employment contract or binding job offer.

For certain information and communication technology professionals and managers, the required professional experience may be reduced to three years, provided that this experience was acquired during the seven years preceding the EU Blue Card application.

The applicant must also present a valid employment contract or binding offer for highly qualified employment covering a period of at least six months and guaranteeing continuous employment.

Determining whether a foreign qualification meets the required level or whether professional experience can be accepted as equivalent is not always straightforward. If you would like us to assess your qualifications and proposed employment, you can schedule your consultation here.

Who can benefit from the reduced salary threshold?

The reduced salary threshold of €33,085.09 gross per year does not apply simply because the applicant is young, has limited experience or will work in an industry where average salaries are lower.

Order PJC/44/2026 establishes two specific situations in which the reduced threshold may be used.

The first situation concerns occupations belonging to groups 1 and 2 of the Spanish National Classification of Occupations 2011 which are also included in the applicable shortage occupation list.

Both conditions must be satisfied. It is not enough for the position to have a managerial or highly technical job title. It is also not sufficient for the employer to claim that it has experienced difficulties recruiting workers in Spain.

The precise occupational classification must be identified and its inclusion in the applicable shortage occupation list must be verified.

The second situation concerns third-country nationals who obtained the qualification required for the EU Blue Card no more than three years before the application was submitted.

This provision is designed to assist recent graduates. However, the exact date on which the relevant qualification was obtained must be checked. The recent qualification must also be the qualification that enables the applicant to meet the EU Blue Card requirements.

Completing any course or qualification during the previous three years will not necessarily be sufficient.

Even where the reduced threshold is available, the employment contract must comply with Spanish employment law and the applicable collective bargaining agreement. The immigration threshold cannot be used to justify paying a salary below the minimum legally required for the position.

EU Blue Card or national highly qualified professional permit?

Spanish Law 14/2013 currently provides two different residence permit categories for highly qualified professionals.

The first is the residence permit for highly qualified professionals holding an EU Blue Card, regulated by Article 71.2(a) of Law 14/2013.

The second is the national residence permit for highly qualified professionals, commonly known as the national PAC or highly qualified professional permit. This category is regulated by Article 71.2(b).

The difference is not merely a question of terminology. Each category has its own rules regarding qualifications, professional experience, employment conditions and mobility.

The EU Blue Card normally requires a higher-level academic qualification or, as a general rule, five years of equivalent and relevant professional experience. It also offers a specific European legal framework that may facilitate certain forms of mobility between EU Member States.

The national permit may be available where the applicant holds a qualification equivalent to at least level 1 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education. It may also be based on at least three years of professional knowledge, skills and experience that can be regarded as equivalent to the required qualification.

There is also an important distinction regarding the reduced salary threshold. Order PJC/44/2026 directly regulates the permit established in Article 71.2(a), meaning the EU Blue Card.

The 80% reduction was designed for the EU Blue Card and for the two specific cases established by the applicable legislation. It should not be transferred automatically to the national highly qualified professional permit.

According to the administrative criteria applied in 2026, the national highly qualified professional permit has a single reference threshold of €41,356.36 gross per year, without access to the reduced figure of €33,085.09.

Choosing the wrong category may result in a request for additional documentation or even the refusal of the application. You can schedule your consultation here so that our immigration lawyers can assess which residence permit is more appropriate for the position and the candidate.

What salary must appear in the employment contract?

Spanish immigration law refers to the applicant’s gross annual salary. The employment contract or binding job offer must therefore state the guaranteed annual remuneration clearly.

Where the remuneration includes a fixed component and a variable component, it should not automatically be assumed that the entire variable amount will count towards the required threshold.

Commissions, incentives and performance bonuses may cause difficulties if they depend on uncertain future targets and are not guaranteed. From a cautious immigration perspective, the guaranteed fixed salary should reach the applicable threshold on its own.

If a company intends to include variable remuneration in the calculation, the relevant conditions should be clearly defined. The documentation must demonstrate that the minimum remuneration required for the permit is effectively guaranteed.

Extra salary payments, benefits in kind and non-salary compensation should also be reviewed carefully. Not every payment received by an employee necessarily constitutes salary for immigration purposes.

For example, reimbursements, travel expenses and allowances intended to cover costs incurred by the employee should not automatically be used to complete the minimum salary threshold.

The remuneration must also be consistent with the applicable collective bargaining agreement, professional category, working hours, responsibilities and experience required for the position.

Offering a salary of €41,356.36 does not correct an employment contract that breaches other mandatory employment conditions.

Main EU Blue Card requirements

The salary is an essential requirement, but it is not the only matter examined by the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit.

The company and the foreign professional must demonstrate that the application satisfies all the legal conditions.

An EU Blue Card application will normally require a valid employment contract or binding job offer, a detailed description of the position, the applicant’s academic qualifications or evidence of relevant professional experience, a complete copy of the passport and supporting documents relating to the employing company.

Criminal record certificates, proof of health coverage and documents concerning the Spanish Social Security system may also be required, depending on the applicant’s circumstances and place of residence.

Foreign public documents may need to be legalised or apostilled. They may also require a sworn translation into Spanish. The precise formalities will depend on the country that issued the document, the nature of the document and any applicable international agreement.

Where the employment concerns a regulated profession, presenting a foreign university degree will not be sufficient on its own. The applicant must also provide the appropriate recognition or homologation required to practise that profession legally in Spain.

The employing company must be genuinely active, comply with its tax and Social Security obligations and possess sufficient economic and organisational capacity to carry out the proposed recruitment.

The application should explain why the position qualifies as highly skilled employment and why the candidate’s education or professional experience is appropriate for the functions involved.

A generic job description copied directly from the employment contract may not demonstrate this connection adequately. If you need assistance preparing the evidence before the contract is signed, you can schedule your consultation here.

Who can submit the application?

The application may be submitted by the employing company or by the foreign professional whose recruitment is proposed.

Where the foreign professional submits the application personally, the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit will inform the employing company that the application has been received.

Applications are submitted electronically to the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit, commonly known by its Spanish initials, UGE.

If the professional is already in Spain, they must be in a lawful immigration situation when the application is submitted. A job offer for highly qualified employment does not, by itself, regularise a person who is staying illegally in Spain.

Where the professional is outside Spain, the process must be coordinated with the corresponding visa application. If a visa is required because of the applicant’s nationality, it must normally be obtained from the competent Spanish consulate after the residence authorisation has been granted.

The statutory processing period for these residence permits is 20 days from the electronic submission of the application.

If no decision is issued within the applicable period, Law 14/2013 establishes positive administrative silence. Nevertheless, the submission date, any suspension of the processing period and any request for additional documents must be reviewed before relying on positive silence.

The residence authorisation is generally valid for a maximum period of three years. If the employment contract is valid for less than three years, the authorisation will cover the term of the contract plus an additional three months, without exceeding the maximum three-year period.

Can family members accompany the EU Blue Card holder?

The spouse or registered partner, dependent children and, in certain circumstances, dependent parents may apply jointly or subsequently as family members of the principal applicant.

The family application must include evidence of the family relationship, such as marriage or birth certificates. Foreign documents may require an apostille or legalisation and a sworn translation into Spanish.

The family member’s permit will normally be connected to the validity of the principal applicant’s authorisation. Adult family members who obtain residence under this framework are generally authorised to work in Spain without applying for a separate work permit.

Submitting the family applications together can make the relocation process more efficient. However, family documents frequently require more preparation time than the professional documents, particularly where updated civil registry certificates, apostilles and sworn translations are necessary.

Companies planning an international transfer should therefore consider the employee’s family situation from the beginning of the process.

Common mistakes in EU Blue Card applications

One of the most frequent mistakes is relying on an outdated salary threshold. Because the amount is updated following the publication of new INE salary data, an offer that complied with the rules several months earlier may no longer meet the requirement when the application is submitted.

Another common mistake is applying the reduced threshold without proving one of the two legal grounds. Being a recent graduate is not sufficient if the recent qualification is unrelated to the highly qualified position.

Similarly, working in an industry with recruitment difficulties does not necessarily mean that the occupation is included in the official shortage occupation list.

An insufficient description of the position can also cause problems. The UGE must be able to identify the highly qualified nature of the employment and the relationship between the duties and the candidate’s qualifications or experience.

Applicants should also avoid inconsistencies between the employment contract, job description, curriculum vitae, academic qualifications and employment certificates.

The quality of an application does not depend on submitting the largest possible number of documents. It depends on presenting clear, coherent and sufficient evidence of each legal requirement.

If you are unsure about the salary, qualifications or correct permit category, you can schedule your consultation here before submitting the application.

Frequently asked questions about the EU Blue Card in Spain

What is the minimum salary for an EU Blue Card in Spain in 2026?

The updated general threshold is €41,356.36 gross per year. It is calculated by multiplying the average annual salary of €29,540.26 published by the INE by 1.4. The amount must appear in a valid employment contract or binding offer and comply with the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Who can benefit from the reduced threshold of €33,085.09?

The reduced amount may apply to certain occupations within groups 1 and 2 of the Spanish National Classification of Occupations that appear on the shortage occupation list. It may also apply where the applicant obtained the relevant qualification no more than three years before submitting the EU Blue Card application.

Does the reduced threshold apply to the national highly qualified professional permit?

No. The reduction established by Order PJC/44/2026 is linked to the EU Blue Card under Article 71.2(a) of Law 14/2013. In 2026, the national highly qualified professional permit uses the general reference amount of €41,356.36, without automatically applying the reduced EU Blue Card threshold.

Can I apply for an EU Blue Card while legally staying in Spain?

Yes. The application may be submitted from Spain if the professional is in a lawful immigration situation. It may also be processed while the professional remains abroad, followed by a visa application when required. The candidate’s immigration status should be checked before the application is registered.

Can a performance bonus be used to reach the minimum salary?

It depends on how the bonus is structured. A bonus linked to uncertain objectives may not demonstrate guaranteed annual remuneration. The safest approach is for the fixed salary to meet the threshold. Any variable remuneration should be clearly regulated and comply with Spanish employment law and the applicable collective agreement.

Professional assistance with your EU Blue Card application

The 2026 salary update makes it necessary to review the employment contract, the candidate’s qualifications and the intended submission date carefully.

Checking the salary alone is not sufficient. The Spanish authorities will assess the position, duties, experience, qualifications, employing company and consistency of the supporting documentation as a whole.

At Visal Immigration Lawyers, we advise Spanish companies and foreign professionals on EU Blue Card applications and national residence permits for highly qualified professionals.

We assess the most appropriate route, review the candidate’s qualifications and experience, prepare the necessary documentation and assist throughout the application process.

Do you need advice based on your specific circumstances? You can schedule your consultation here. Our immigration lawyers will analyse your case and explain the relevant requirements, documents and application process.

You may also contact us by WhatsApp messages only at +34 618 702 253 or visit www.visalimmigration.com for further information.