If you are (or you will be) in Spain on a student visa, you’ll find this article useful. Buckle up because we’re about to see one of the best options to extend your stay in the country and convert to a work permit once you finish your studies.
So, if you are a non-European citizen in Spain who has just completed a university, master’s, or doctoral degree in the country, you are eligible for the job search visa (or job seeker visa). Just like its name implies, this residence permit allows you to legally live in Spain to search for employment or set up your own company. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?
In this article, we’ll give you all the information you need to know about this residence permit. You’ll see what it implies, how long it lasts, all the requirements necessary, and more. Let’s get to it!
Key takeaways
- What it is: a residence authorisation, requested from within Spain, for non-EU students who finish a degree, Master's or PhD there, to look for work or set up a company.
- Who can apply: students who completed at least Level 6 studies in Spain, such as a bachelor's degree, at an institution on the government list; a language course is not enough.
- Duration: it lasts 24 months with no extension; if it ends without a contract, a business project or another residence route, you lose legal status in Spain.
- When to apply: apply online through Mercurio during the 60 days before your student residence expires or the 90 days after; you can apply before graduating if you already have proof of completed studies.
- Requirements: funds equal to 100% of the IPREM (€7,200) for the main applicant, full-coverage health insurance, clean criminal records for the last 5 years and the 790/052 fee within 10 business days.
- Working: it does not allow you to work; waiting at least a year is advisable before switching to an employee permit, when the national employment situation stops applying, unless you get a highly qualified offer.
Many foreign citizens do the same: they start studying or conducting research in Spain in order to live legally in the country. Why? Because through that, they can apply for a student visa, a residence permit that enables them to stay without any problem. But… what happens when the study or research period ends? Then the residence permit expires, so the individual cannot stay in the country any longer. And that is a problem.
However… the situation has now changed. With the introduction of this figure in 2018, extended to 24 months in 2022 and today regulated under the new Immigration Regulation (RD 1155/2024), you should not worry about anything.
The job search visa in Spain enables you to reside legally in the country until you find a job or have started your own company. It is a residence permit for students to search for employment – that simple.
Hence, the job search visa has become one of the most efficient ways to move from a student visa to a work permit, working as an intermediary step.
Are you interested in applying for this temporary residency permit? Well, you are lucky, because we have answered the main doubts that may arise.
Is it the same as the 12-month job search visa?
No, they are not the same.
There is another different figure that is also called a job search visa, regulated in articles 43 to 45 of RD 1155/2024. It is designed for people who are still outside of Spain and want to come look for work, either because they have a highly qualified profile, because they are children or grandchildren of Spanish origin, or because they apply for an occupation in the Catalog of Occupations of Difficult Coverage.
This visa is processed at the consulate and lasts a maximum of 12 months.
If your case is different, you are already in Spain and have just finished your studies here, the route that corresponds to you is that of this article: residence authorization to search for employment, with a duration of 24 months and without the need to process any visa, since you request it from within Spain.
Who can apply for the job search visa?
Those foreign students who have finished an undergraduate degree, a Master’s, or a PhD, and who do not wish to renew their student visas anymore. Thus, it is a post-study visa.
Do you have any doubts so far? Ask anything to our immigration lawyers:
How long does the residency to look for work last?
This is where we need to be more cautious, since this authorisation is not indefinite.
It lasts 24 months, with no possibility of extension. This means you have up to two years to find a job or start your company. In addition, these two years will count towards Spanish nationality and permanent residence.
Since this looking for work visa is aimed at students with higher education (degree, master’s degree, doctorate), the time granted is enough to regularize your situation as an employee.
The main drawback of this residence permit is that it does not allow you to work; it is a non-lucrative permit.
We recommend waiting at least one year if you are going to modify your residence due to job search to an employed work permit, since, after one year as a legal resident in Spain, the national employment situation no longer applies, allowing you to access any position.
But if you receive an offer as a highly qualified professional, you can modify the work permit at any time.
In the case that you want to start your company, we recommend that you contact us so we can speed up the whole process, as we help you with all the legal aspects of putting up a company in Spain.
Requirements for the Spain Job Seeker Visa
Since you are transitioning from a student visa, the job search permit requirements are fairly simple.
In general, you must demonstrate sufficient funds to stay in the country throughout the entire period of residence that this card grants you, proof that you completed your studies, demonstrate that you have no criminal record, and have medical insurance with full coverage throughout the Spanish territory.
We’ve created a detailed list of all the requirements:
- Non-EU Citizen
- Legal status in Spain
- Form EX-26 signed
- University certificate as proof that the individual completed at least Level 6 studies in Spain, which is a bachelor’s degree, so a language course would not be enough
- The academic institution must be on the list provided by the government for the application to be accepted, as not all institutions help students with this permit
- Sufficient economic funds (100% of the IPREM: €7.200 for the main applicant; 75% of the IPREM: €5.400 for the initial relative; and 50% of the IPREM: €3.600 for each additional relative), in case you want to bring a family member with you.
- There is a reduction in this requirement: if it is proven that you have paid for the accommodation in advance, then for your own maintenance you must demonstrate only 50% of the IPREM
- Payment of the corresponding fee (790/052, Section 2.1.1) within a period of 10 business days from the submission of your application
- Full-coverage private or public medical insurance in Spain
- Clear criminal records from all countries one has resided in for the last 5 years. If your student visa was valid for less than 6 months, the provision of a certificate of your criminal records will be mandatory.
How do I get a Job Seeker Visa for Spain?
One of the most important requirements has to do with the exact moment in which you submit your application.
In this sense, you have two options to request this permit: either during the 60 days before your residence permit as a student expires, or during the 90 days after the expiration of your card.
That means you don’t have to wait until after you graduate to apply for the job search visa. As long as it is within the previously mentioned timeframe and you already have proof of completed studies, you can start your application before. In fact, as lawyers, we recommend you do it as soon as possible.
And, where should I submit my application?
For residency for job search, the application is submitted electronically at the electronic headquarters of the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory (Mercurio).
FAQs about job seeker visa
Below we answer some of the most frequently asked questions and doubts about the residence permit for job search in Spain.
How long does it take to get an answer from the immigration office?
Once you have submitted your application, the Immigration Office in Spain has 20 natural days to resolve it. If you don’t receive any answer during this period, your application will be considered approved, and you will get your permit.
Can I bring my family with me?
You cannot bring with you any new members of your family in the application for this residence permit.
However, if you included your spouse in your application when you had a student visa, they can legally stay in Spain with you.
In other words, if they joined you during your study stay, and you change your stay to this residence permit, your family’s stay will also be extended, as long as they continue to meet the regrouping requirements.
Can you start a business with a job search visa too?
If you are an entrepreneur and would like to embark on the process of setting up your own company in Spain, you will need to take the following two steps:
First of all, you will need to apply for the initial residency authorisation to work as cuenta propia.
Once you have that legal situation resolved, you can start your entrepreneur visa application.
Does this sound a bit overwhelming and complicated? You don’t need to worry about that, because in Immigration Lawyers Spain we have helped hundreds of foreign individuals get their work permit, whether it was by starting their own company, or being employed by another company.
If you need any help with the related legal aspects and would like to save time there, do not hesitate to contact us and let our immigration lawyers solve all your doubts:
What to do after the approval?
Once you have been granted your residence permit to search for employment, you must request the issuance of your TIE (foreigner identification card).
To do so, you must go to a police station to register your fingerprints and wait for them to register you and give you your TIE.
You must apply for it within 30 days of approving your residence permit.
What happens if I can't find a job or start a business project in the 24 months?
This permission cannot be extended.
If the 24-month period ends without you having obtained an employment contract, a business project in progress, or another available means of residence, you will no longer be in legal status in Spain.
That is why it is important to start your job search as soon as possible, and even consider starting the process for a work permit as soon as you receive an offer.
Speak with one of our
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4 Replies to “Job Search Visa in Spain: Residency for Students who Seek Employment”
You should first transition into a job search visa, then get a regular work permit. Your employer must be the one initiating the procedure.
I have been in Spain on study permit and now I have job offer . I have completed Diploma in Travel and tourism.
I have job from from a Super market ..
What kind of documents required for this kind of visa ?
Hi Haytham,
You now need to change your current permit to work permit, which is a completely different legal procedure.
If you need help with that do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind regards!
My name is Haytham and i have been living in Spain for 4 years and finished my masters in international marketing in Barcelona, Spain.
I applied for the new law of allowing students 1-year resident permit to look for a job and I got the resolution (Favorable).
So please I would like to know if I got a contract now from a company willing to hire me, would I need more things to do or another process to go through? or the company just need to make an ALTA in social security so I can start working immediately?
Awaiting your advice,
Kind regards,