Change from Job Place as a Highly Qualified Professional

If you are already living and working in Spain with a Highly Qualified Professional residence permit, you should bear in mind that your authorisation was granted on the basis of a specific employer, position and set of professional conditions.

Therefore, if you wish to leave your current employer and start working for a new company, the change must be notified to the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE), and a new Highly Qualified Professional application must be submitted. Any change affecting the conditions under which the original permit was granted must also be notified to the UGE within 30 days.

The new employer may be a company of any size, but the new position must continue to meet the requirements to be considered highly qualified.

For the National Highly Qualified Professional Permit, the position must require a qualification equivalent to at least Level 1 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (MECES), or knowledge, skills and competences supported by at least 3 years of equivalent professional experience.

In 2026, the salary threshold for this permit is €41,356.36 gross per year. There is currently a single salary threshold, and no reduction applies simply because the applicant is under 30 years old.

If the new application is approved, a new initial residence authorisation will be granted for a maximum of 3 years or, where the employment contract is shorter than 3 years, for the duration of the contract plus an additional 3 months, without exceeding that maximum.

A new application may also be required even where the new employer belongs to the same corporate group. Cases involving a merger or corporate takeover may be treated differently.

The residence permits of accompanying family members do not automatically need to be reapplied for solely because the main applicant changes employer, although their individual status and validity should always be reviewed.

If you hold an EU Blue Card, changing employer is subject to specific rules and should be assessed separately.

Documentation

 All pages of any applicant’s passport.

 Current residence work permit. (T.I.E)

 Work contract signed by both parties.

 Accreditation from the company for having more than 250 workers.

 Academic degree, in case the applicant is a graduate or postgraduate from a re-known University or business school.

 Description of the job profile.

 Proof of having the legal training or qualification required for the exercise of the profession for which you are going to be hired. Academic diplomas and CV. 

 Criminal Record  from each country where you have lived during the last 5 years, duly legalized, updated and translated, when necessary.

 Accreditation by hiring company to have sufficient economic, material or personal means to carry out the activity intended and to meet the obligations assumed in the work contract.

 NIF certificate of the company.

 Hiring company official set-up documents, where the name of current administrator is shown.

  In case the person signing the application for the permit is different to the administrator of the hiring company, a signed authorization signed by the administrator must be presented.

  DNI or TIE of the person submitting the application (usually the administrator of hiring company).

  In case permits are requested for other family members (worker’s spouse and/or children), it must also be provided a recent and legalized marriage and/or birth certificates or civil partnership registration, in Spanish language.

Featured Information

1. If your country is part of the Hague Convention, which is the most common case, foreign documents must be legalized with the  Hague Apostille. 
2. If your country is not part of the Hague Convention, documents must be legalized by the authorities of issuing country as well as by the Spanish embassy in that country. Check here if your country belongs to the Hague Convention.
3. Documents drawn by the authorities in these countries are exempt from legalizing or the Hague Apostille 
   
4. All documents issued in a language other than Spanish must be translated by an official sworn translator. At Visal Immigration we can take care of managing this translating service for you.
5. The aforementioned documentation is not an exhaustive list, which means that during the permit process, the Spanish Administration may request more information or further documents.
6. You should keep in mind that at Visal Immigration we will help you processing your residence permit, but not your physical card (T.I.E.). Thus, when your permit is granted, you will have to go to the National Police station in your city to request your card and pay the fees for the police (around 12 euros). Please note that this fee exclusively corresponds to the issuance of the physical card (TIE), and therefore IS not included in our fees to process the residence permit.

800€ Highly Qualified Professional. Immigration fees included
300€ for each additional family member.

• If you are still missing a document, our lawyers will help you get it in the most efficient way.
• You will be able to gradually complete your request from our Customers Area, as your documents are available to you.
• Once you have hired our services you will be granted access to our login area where you will be allowed to upload each of your documents.

Fill out the following form to start processing your permit.

Renew your residence permit as a Highly Qualified Professional

If you are already living and working in Spain as a Highly Qualified Professional and you wish to continue working for the same company, you must apply to renew your residence and work permit before it expires.

The renewal application may be submitted during the 60 days before the expiry date of your current authorisation. It may also be submitted during the 90 days following its expiry, although in that case a sanctioning procedure may be initiated.

Submitting the renewal application extends the validity of your previous authorisation until the Administration issues a decision, allowing you to continue living and working legally in Spain while the renewal is being processed.

The renewal is granted for a period of 2 years, provided that the conditions that gave rise to the original authorisation continue to be met. The UGE will verify, among other aspects, that the highly qualified employment or professional relationship continues to exist and that the conditions of the position are maintained.

In 2026, the salary threshold published for the National Highly Qualified Professional Permit is €41,356.36 gross per year, with a single salary threshold and no reduction simply because the applicant is under 30 years old.

The applicant must also continue to meet the professional qualification requirements applicable to the position, either through the relevant academic qualification or, where applicable, through the legally required professional experience.

Family members holding residence permits linked to the Highly Qualified Professional may also renew their permits, provided that the corresponding requirements continue to be met.

Once the renewal has been approved, if the new authorisation is valid for more than six months, the applicant must apply for a new TIE residence card.

If you hold an EU Blue Card, specific renewal rules apply and should be assessed separately.

Documentation

 All pages of any applicant’s passport.

 Current residence work permit. (T.I.E)

 Work contract signed by both parties.

 Description of the job profile.

  In case permits are requested for other family members (worker’s spouse and/or children), it must also be provided a recent and legalized marriage and/or birth certificates or civil partnership registration, in Spanish language.

Featured Information

1. If your country is part of the Hague Convention, which is the most common case, foreign documents must be legalized with the  Hague Apostille. 
2. If your country is not part of the Hague Convention, documents must be legalized by the authorities of issuing country as well as by the Spanish embassy in that country. Check here if your country belongs to the Hague Convention.
3. Documents drawn by the authorities in these countries are exempt from legalizing or the Hague Apostille 
   
4. All documents issued in a language other than Spanish must be translated by an official sworn translator. At Visal Immigration we can take care of managing this translating service for you.
5. The aforementioned documentation is not an exhaustive list, which means that during the permit process, the Spanish Administration may request more information or further documents.
6. You should keep in mind that at Visal Immigration we will help you processing your residence permit, but not your physical card (T.I.E.). Thus, when your permit is granted, you will have to go to the National Police station in your city to request your card and pay the fees for the police (around 12 euros). Please note that this fee exclusively corresponds to the issuance of the physical card (TIE), and therefore IS not included in our fees to process the residence permit.

400€ Highly Qualified Professional. Immigration fees included
250€ for each additional family member.

• If you are still missing a document, our lawyers will help you get it in the most efficient way.
• You will be able to gradually complete your request from our Customers Area, as your documents are available to you.
• Once you have hired our services you will be granted access to our login area where you will be allowed to upload each of your documents.

Fill out the following form to start processing your permit.