Spain's Highly Qualified Professional Permit is a fast-track corporate employment visa for non-EU professionals in high-level managerial or highly technical roles at a Spanish company, processed via the Unidad de Grandes Empresas (UGE) with a statutory 20-day response window — no explicit refusal within 20 days triggers positive administrative silence (silencio administrativo positivo). 2026 minimum gross salary thresholds: €54,000/year for directors/managers, €40,000/year for scientific/technical professionals (up to 25% reduction if the hiring company is a recognized tech startup/SME). Applicants need a university degree or 5+ years of executive experience in the sector. Initial grant runs up to 3 years (tied to contract length) when applied for within Spain, with simultaneous family-member processing (spouse, children under 18 or dependent adult children, and dependent parents) granting immediate local work authorization.
Spain's EU Blue Card is a separate highly-qualified employment permit aligned with EU directives, processed via the UGE-CE, issued for an initial 3 years (or contract length + 3 months if shorter). Requires a higher-education degree (3+ year course) or 5+ years of top-level professional experience (3 years for specialized IT/communications managers within the prior 7 years). 2026 salary floor: 1.0-1.6x the standard gross average annual salary (~€38,500-45,000 depending on the technical scale), via a contract of at least 6 months. After 12 months holding a Blue Card in another EU state, holders can move to Spain via accelerated processing; Blue Card time across multiple EU states can be combined toward the 5-year permanent residence threshold, provided the final 2 continuous years are in Spain. Source: updated EU Blue Card Directive implementation.