Quick Facts
- Processing: 20 business days
- Duration: 3 years initial (or contract length)
- Salary (professionals): €40,077/year minimum
- Salary (managers): €54,142/year minimum
- Under 30: 25% reduction on salary thresholds
- Family: Included with full work rights
- Labor market test: Not required
- Tax benefit: Beckham Law eligible (flat 24%)
What is the Highly Qualified Professional visa
If you’re a skilled professional with a job offer in Spain, the Highly Qualified Professional visa is the fastest way to get here. While regular work permits can take months and require your employer to prove they couldn’t find a Spanish candidate, this visa processes in just 20 business days with no labor market test required.
The visa is handled by Spain’s Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit, known as UGE. They’re specifically set up to fast-track applications from professionals that Spain wants to attract, including software developers, engineers, doctors, finance professionals, and executives. If your job offer meets the salary requirements and falls into the right category, you can be approved and on your way to Spain within a month.
Who qualifies for this visa
To qualify, your position must fall into Group 1 or Group 2 of Spain’s National Classification of Occupations. These groups cover management roles and technical or scientific professions.
Group 1: Directors and managers
If you’re being hired as a CEO, managing director, department head, branch manager, or project director, you fall into this category. These are roles where you’re directing operations, managing teams, or overseeing significant business functions. The minimum salary for Group 1 positions is €54,142 per year gross.
Group 2: Technical and scientific professionals
This is where most of our clients fall. Group 2 includes software developers and engineers, data scientists and systems architects, medical doctors and healthcare researchers, finance professionals in investment and banking, and scientists working in research positions. The minimum salary threshold is €40,077 per year gross.
Lower thresholds if you’re under 30
Spain offers a 25% reduction on salary requirements for younger professionals. If you’re under 30 at the time of application, the thresholds drop to €40,606 for managers and €30,057 for technical professionals. This makes the visa accessible to younger developers and recent graduates who have landed well-paying roles but might not hit the standard thresholds.
Requirements
- University degree OR at least 3 years of equivalent professional experience
- Job offer from a Spanish company meeting the salary threshold for your role
- Position classified in CNO Group 1 or Group 2
- Clean criminal record certificate covering the last 5 years
- Private health insurance valid in Spain
- Employer meets UGE criteria (250+ employees, €50M+ revenue, or operates in a strategic sector)
Don’t have a university degree? That’s not necessarily a barrier. Three years of relevant professional experience at an equivalent level can substitute for formal education. We’ve helped developers without computer science degrees get approved based on their documented work history and portfolio.
How your salary is calculated
One thing that catches people off guard: only your fixed annual salary counts toward the minimum threshold. Bonuses, commissions, stock options, and variable pay tied to performance targets don’t count. If your offer letter shows €45,000 base salary plus a €15,000 performance bonus, UGE will see it as €45,000.
In-kind benefits like a company car or housing allowance can be included, but they can’t exceed 30% of your total compensation package. Make sure you understand how your offer is structured before counting on it to meet the threshold.
The application process
The process moves quickly once everything is in place:
- Your employer, or our firm on their behalf, submits the residence authorization application to UGE in Madrid
- UGE reviews the application and issues approval within 20 business days
- You apply for your visa at the Spanish consulate in your home country
- Once you arrive in Spain, you apply for your TIE residence card within 30 days
If UGE doesn’t respond within the 20-day window, your application is considered approved through what’s called positive administrative silence. In practice, we typically receive responses within two weeks.
Why there’s no labor market test
Regular work visas in Spain require employers to go through a lengthy process to prove they couldn’t fill the position locally. This means advertising the job publicly, waiting for responses, and documenting why each local candidate was rejected. The whole process can add months to your timeline.
The Highly Qualified Professional visa eliminates this entirely. Spain has determined that for positions above certain salary levels, the bureaucratic hurdle doesn’t make sense. They want to attract skilled professionals, and they’ve built a system designed to get them here quickly.
Beckham Law tax benefits
One of the biggest advantages of the HQP visa is eligibility for Spain’s special tax regime, commonly known as the Beckham Law. Instead of paying progressive income tax rates that can reach 47%, you pay a flat 24% on your Spanish income for six years.
For someone earning €80,000 per year, this works out to roughly €10,000 less in taxes annually compared to standard rates. Over six years, the savings are substantial. We help clients apply for Beckham Law status alongside their visa application to make sure they don’t miss this opportunity.
Bringing your family to Spain
Your spouse and children can be included in the same application, which means they don’t have to wait or go through a separate family reunification process. They receive their own residence permits with full work authorization, so your partner can pursue employment in Spain from day one.
This is often a deciding factor for professionals considering the move. Knowing that your whole family can relocate together, and that your partner won’t be stuck waiting for permission to work, makes the transition much smoother.
HQP visa vs EU Blue Card
Both visas offer fast-track processing for skilled professionals, and both skip the labor market test. The main difference is what happens after you arrive.
The EU Blue Card gives you mobility across the European Union. After 12 to 18 months in Spain, you can apply to relocate to Germany, France, the Netherlands, or any other EU country without starting from scratch. The Blue Card also has a lower salary threshold for applicants under 30, at €30,058 compared to €30,057 for HQP.
The HQP visa is Spain-specific, but it’s processed through UGE, a unit that specializes in exactly these applications and knows how to move them efficiently. If you’re committed to building your life in Spain, either visa works well. If you think you might move elsewhere in Europe later, the Blue Card offers more flexibility.
What we handle for you
We prepare the complete UGE application package, including the memoria descriptiva that explains why your role qualifies under the program. We coordinate directly with your employer’s HR team to gather the necessary company documentation, handle any queries that UGE raises during review, and guide you through your consulate appointment.
Most of our HQP clients are tech professionals relocating to Barcelona or Madrid, along with executives being transferred to Spanish offices of multinational companies. We’ve processed hundreds of these applications and know exactly what UGE looks for.
Ready to start your move to Spain?
Book a consultation with our immigration team to review your situation and begin the application process.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply without a university degree?
Yes. Three years of professional experience at an equivalent level can substitute for a university degree. You’ll need to clearly document your work history and demonstrate that your experience matches the level expected for your position.
What if my salary is slightly below the threshold?
The salary thresholds are strictly enforced, and only your fixed base salary counts. Bonuses, commissions, and stock options don’t apply toward the minimum. If you’re close to the threshold, consider asking your employer to restructure the offer with higher base pay. Also check whether you qualify for the under-30 reduction, which lowers the threshold by 25%.
Can my spouse work in Spain?
Yes. Family members included in your HQP application receive residence permits with full work authorization. Your spouse can work for any employer in Spain without needing a separate work permit.
How long until I can apply for permanent residency or citizenship?
You can apply for permanent residency after 5 years of continuous legal residence in Spain. Time spent on the HQP visa counts toward this requirement. Spanish citizenship requires 10 years for most nationalities, but only 2 years if you’re from Latin America, the Philippines, Portugal, or certain other countries with historical ties to Spain.
What’s the difference between HQP, PAC, and UGE visa?
These are all names for the same visa. PAC stands for Profesional Altamente Cualificado, which is Spanish for Highly Qualified Professional. UGE refers to the government unit that processes these applications. The legal framework comes from Ley 14/2013, Spain’s Entrepreneur Law.