EU Blue Card in Spain: All the Information You Need
Spain ranks high among the top nations globally for expatriates, offering excellent job opportunities and a high quality of life. There are several benefits to living and working in Spain, particularly for non-EU nationals who can fill understaffed positions. Obtaining an EU Blue Card allows highly qualified professionals with the necessary credentials and years of professional experience to work in Spain.
If you apply from outside Spain, you will also need a national (type D) visa, which you request at the Spanish consulate once the Blue Card permit is granted. This applies to US and UK citizens too. If you are interested in knowing more about EU Blue Card, here is everything you need to know.
What is the EU Blue Card?
An EU Blue Card, or simply Blue Card, is a work and residence permit for highly qualified professionals from outside the EU. Every EU country except Denmark and Ireland issues its own, and the one Spain issues lets you live and work in Spain, with easier business trips and moves to other EU countries later.
Created with the goal of luring skilled workers to Europe, this card is accepted in 25 of the 27 member states of the European Union (excluding Denmark and Ireland). Also, it’s an excellent chance for professionals like academics, computer scientists, and physicians who have to travel over Europe for work purposes.
The EU Blue Card is quite comparable to the highly qualified worker permit. Actually, the EU Blue Card candidate also has to be a competent worker.
So, what sets these permits apart? Mainly, the Blue Card asks for a higher qualification, and in return it gives you mobility inside the EU. Neither permit needs a labour market test: nobody has to prove that the job could not be filled in Spain (additional provision 5 of Law 14/2013).
Both are filed online with the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE), by the company or by you, and you can file from abroad or from Spain if you are already here legally.
Who Can Apply for the EU Blue Card in Spain?
- Citizens of a non-EU country.
- A higher education degree of at least three years, the level of a bachelor’s (EQF level 6), or five years of relevant professional experience. For IT managers and professionals, three years within the last seven are enough.
- A highly qualified job, meaning one that needs the higher education or the professional experience described above.
The job does not have to be on the list of hard-to-fill occupations. That list only matters for the reduced salary threshold explained below.
What Does it Take to Get an EU Blue Card in Spain?
In order to apply for an EU Blue Card in Spain, one must fulfil the following requirements:
- You should not be a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.
- You must not be under any prohibition to enter Spanish territory.
- Your entry into Spain must be in accordance with legal procedures, and illegal entry is strictly prohibited.
- You should not have any criminal record against you in Spain or your previous countries of residence for offences punishable under the Spanish legal system.
- You should possess a signed employment contract, mutually agreed upon by both the employer and the employee, for at least six months, or a binding job offer of the same length.
- Your gross salary must reach the 2026 threshold: €41,356.36 a year, or €33,085.09 in the reduced cases.
- Your employer must be registered in the relevant regime of the Social Security system and must be compliant with tax and Social Security obligations.
- Your employer must possess the necessary financial resources for the business project and must adhere to the obligations outlined in the contract.
Benefits of the EU Blue Card in Spain
Despite the complexity of the application process, the EU Blue Card provides several distinct advantages. Specifically:
- A Door to Other EU Countries: The card is for working in Spain, but it makes a later move to another EU country easier than with a national permit (see the next points).
- Flexible Validity Period: In Spain the first Blue Card lasts up to three years, then it is renewed for two years at a time.
- Free Movement Within the EU: You can make business trips of up to 90 days in any 180 inside the EU, and after 12 months you can move to another country’s Blue Card faster, under that country’s procedure.
- No Labour Market Tests: Employers in Spain are free to sponsor their workers for a Blue Card without first doing a labour market exam. This makes it easy for small and medium-sized enterprises to hire non-EU nationals.
Other benefits include:
- Equal Treatment and Workplace Rights as Spanish Workers
- Access to education and vocational training
- Access to public goods and services
- A weekly rest of at least a day and a half
- Paid Sick Leave (sickness benefits provided from the fourth day)
- At least 30 calendar days of paid annual leave
- 19 weeks of paid birth leave for each parent (longer for twins and triplets)
- Up to 14 paid public holidays a year
- Regular Working Hours: 40 hours per week
- Overtime limited to 80 hours per year, with no night overtime (exceptions may apply)
- Access within the territory of Spain
Differences: EU Blue Card vs. Long-Term EU Card
There is a lot of confusion among non-EU citizens between the Blue Card and the EU long-term card.
While they both aim to facilitate foreign worker access to employment opportunities within the European Union, there are significant distinctions between the two.
What sets them apart is the journey one takes in acquiring the card.
The long-term EU card usually needs five years of legal residence in Spain. Blue Card holders can also count time spent with a Blue Card in other EU countries, as long as the last two years were in Spain (article 176 of Royal Decree 1155/2024).
The Blue Card can be requested from abroad or from Spain, and no prior Spanish residence is required.
The Blue Card application can be filed by the employer or by you, while the foreign national must personally complete all legal requirements to gain EU long-term residence.
Essential Professions for Highly Skilled Workers Seeking EU Blue Card in Spain
There is no official list of professions for the Blue Card: any highly qualified job that meets the salary and qualification rules can qualify. These are the fields where we see it most often:
1. Information Technology (IT) Professionals:
- Software developers and engineers
- IT consultants
- Systems analysts
- Network administrators
2. Engineers:
- Civil engineers
- Mechanical engineers
- Electrical engineers
- Chemical engineers
3. Medical Professionals:
- Doctors and physicians
- Nurses
- Medical researchers
4. Scientists and Researchers:
- Researchers in various scientific fields
- Biologists, chemists, physicists
- Data scientists
5. Finance and Business Professionals:
- Financial analysts
- Business consultants
- Investment analysts
- Actuaries
6. Telecommunications Professionals:
- Telecommunications engineers
- Network architects
7. Language and Communication Specialists:
- Translators and interpreters
- Communication specialists
8. University Professors and Researchers:
- Professors in various academic disciplines
- Researchers in universities or research institutions
9. Management and Project Management:
- Project managers
- Business development managers
- Operations managers
10. Environmental and Renewable Energy Specialists:
- Environmental engineers
- Renewable energy experts
How to Apply for an EU Blue Card in Spain?
The company, or you, files the application online with the UGE, which has 20 working days to decide. If you are abroad, you then take the permit to the Spanish consulate for your visa. Upon arrival in Spain, the final step involves obtaining the TIE (a document confirming legal status as a foreign national in Spain).
The best way to obtain the EU Blue Card is to trust the professional services of My Spain Visa. We have been guiding people through Spanish immigration since 2010, and we can help you at every step of the application. Reach out to us today for support in obtaining your EU Blue Card with confidence.
Documents Needed When Applying for an EU Blue Card in Spain
When applying for an EU Blue Card in Spain, you’ll need to provide the following documents:
- EU Blue Card application form: Complete and signed application form for the EU Blue Card.
- A valid passport with at least two blank pages for visa stamps and valid for at least a year.
- Submit proof of the required training for the profession you’re obtaining a Blue Card for.
- For the company seeking authorisation, provide the following documents:
– For individual entrepreneurs: Copy of NIF or NIE or consent for identity verification.
– For legal entities: Copy of the company’s NIF, registered deed of incorporation, and a document confirming your legal representation of the company. - Original and copy of a signed employment contract.
- Proof of health insurance.
- Proof that the business is solvent by filing its individual income tax return, VAT, or Corporate Tax.
Income Required to Qualify for a Blue Card
Since the June 2026 update, the Blue Card in Spain asks for a gross salary of at least €41,356.36 a year, as written in your contract or binding job offer. The figure is 1.4 times the average gross annual earnings per worker in the INE wage survey, under Order PJC/44/2026, and it applies to applications filed from 28 June 2026. You may still see €33,908 from 2020 or €39,269.92 from early 2026: both are out of date. Source: UGE note on salary thresholds, June 2026.
The reduced threshold is €33,085.09. It applies to shortage occupations in groups 1 and 2 of the Spanish occupation classification (CNO-2011) that are on the hard-to-fill list, and to people who obtained their qualification in the three years before applying. The national highly qualified professional permit has no reduced threshold.
How long can I work with an EU Blue Card?
The EU Blue Card allows you to stay and work in the member state that issued it. Each country sets the length within EU rules.
In Spain the first Blue Card lasts up to three years, or the length of the contract plus three months if that is shorter. After that it is renewed every two years, unless the applicant qualifies for a long-term residence card. If that’s the case, the applicant’s long-term resident status eligibility will determine how the renewal procedure plays out.
Cost of an EU Blue Card for Spain
The associated fees for the government EU Blue Card in Spain are as follows:
- EU Blue Card permit: government fee paid with form 038 to the Ministry of Inclusion
- TIE card: €16.08, or €19.30 when you renew it (Source: Policía Nacional fees, September 2026)
Need Help with EU Blue Card in Spain?
If you have questions about initiating your application for an EU Blue Card or any other immigration process (Golden Visa renewals, NLV…) in Spain, our experts at My Spain Visa are ready to guide you through each step.