Workforce Mobility & Immigration in Spain
EU Blue Card and Highly Qualified Professional permit applications, salary threshold compliance, and coordination for internationally mobile employees.
SpainCurrency
EUR
EU/EEA/Swiss nationals
No visa or work permit required
Main non-EU route
EU Blue Card — €39,269.92/year standard · €31,415.94/year shortage occupations and recent graduates (2026)
Registration deadline
Typically within 1–2 weeks of arrival
Housing — single employee
~€900–1,400/month (1-bed, central districts higher)
Housing — family of four
~€1,800–2,700/month (3-bed)
Moving workforce into Spain
Spain applies a corporate tax system tiered by company size and age, alongside a social security framework where employer contributions consistently rank among the highest in the EU. The standard corporate rate of 25% gives way to lower rates for SMEs and newly created companies, but payroll cost is the more material planning variable for most market entrants.
Discuss your Spain relocation planFreedom of movement, and the route for everyone else
Nationals of EU and EEA member states, and Switzerland, have full freedom of movement into Spain: no visa and no work permit are required, though address and tax registration is still expected shortly after arrival.
For third-country nationals, Highly Qualified Professional permit and EU Blue Card are the main routes for skilled non-EU hires The EU Blue Card salary threshold is €39,269.92/year standard · €31,415.94/year shortage occupations and recent graduates (2026).
Confirm the right route for a hireWhat sits with the company
Once the right to work is confirmed, payroll registration follows — see our Payroll & Workforce Management in Spain guide for the employer registration steps that come next.
Set up a relocation processWhat it costs to house a relocating employee
Figures below are indicative for Madrid, Spain's primary market for relocating employees — a company relocating multiple staff should budget by destination city, not a single national number.
| Item | Single employee | Family of four |
|---|---|---|
| Typical apartment | 1-bedroom | 3-bedroom |
| Rent (Madrid) | ~€900–1,400/month (1-bed, central districts higher) | ~€1,800–2,700/month (3-bed) |
| Security deposit | 1 month's rent by law, though landlords often request 2–3 months as additional guarantee | 1 month's rent by law, though landlords often request 2–3 months as additional guarantee |
Frequently asked questions
Talk to a Spain mobility expert
The structural cost of Spanish payroll is well understood by specialists but frequently underestimated by companies budgeting from headline salary figures alone. A single governance layer that models total employment cost from the outset prevents this gap from surfacing only after the first payroll cycle.