Residency application for entrepreneurs
What is the residency application for entrepreneurs?
By following this process, you can acquire the residency permit application while being lawfully present in Spain. This will provide you with a 3-year authorization to live and, if desired, work across the entire national territory.
Residency authorizations, governed by Law 14/2013 in support of entrepreneurs and internationalization, streamline entry and stay in Spain for reasons of economic interest, particularly for entrepreneurs.
What are the main benefits?
Corporate Tax rate set at 15% and special deferments available with the Administration
Exemption of €50,000 annually for the issuance of shares or stakes to employees of emerging companies
Reduced collateral requirements for startups seeking access to subsidies
Managing body
Unit for Major Enterprises and Strategic Collectives
Approximate timeframe
Approximately 30 days. Both the initial authorization and the renewal of the authorization are valid for 3 years.
What documentation do you need?
- Copy of a valid passport or travel document, and, if applicable, those of your family members.
- Verification of sufficient financial resources for both yourself and your family members throughout your residency in Spain, substantiated, if necessary, by the corresponding employment contract or documentation confirming a professional relationship or educational purposes.
- Public or private health insurance obtained through an authorized insurance entity operating in Spain, unless engaged in an activity that qualifies for insured status under the National Health System.
- If submitting the application from within Spain and holding a stay or study visa for less than six months, submission of the original criminal record certificate from the country or countries of residence over the past five years is required.
- For entrepreneurs holding a visa for pre-startup procedures:
- Evidence of possessing a residence visa for entrepreneurial activities.
- Documentation proving registration in the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers and payment of the Economic Activities Tax.
- For entrepreneurs without a visa for pre-startup procedures:
- Confirmation of meeting legal requirements to commence the activity or, when applicable, submission of copies of applications made (licenses, professional qualifications, or necessary registrations).
- If holding a stay or study authorization in Spain for less than six months, submission of a criminal record certificate from the country or countries of residence over the past five years is necessary.
- Business plan outlining the project, product or service description, market analysis, financing, contribution to the Spanish economy, and your professional background (CV).
- If the activity has already commenced, submission of a document confirming registration in the Special Regime for Self-Employed Workers and payment of the Economic Activities Tax.
What are the requirements to be taken into account?
- Be at least 18 years old and aiming to pursue entrepreneurial and business activities of an innovative nature with special economic significance for Spain.
- There are no specified minimum investment or job creation obligations.
- Must not be in an irregular situation in Spain.
- Must have a clean criminal record in Spain and in the countries where residence has been held in the last 5 years.
- Should have access to either public or private healthcare.
- Must demonstrate economic solvency for both the applicant and their family members during their residency in Spain.
What are the steps you should follow?
Download and fill out “Residence Authorization for Entrepreneurs ” report. After completion, Enisa will notify the Unit for Major Enterprises and Strategic Collectives about the submission of your request.
You are required to pay fee 038 using form 790 – section 7, either in cash or through a current account. Upon payment, you will receive the NRC (complete reference number), which you will need to provide when applying for authorization.
Download and complete the application form (MIT). Once filled out, navigate to the office of the Large Enterprises and Strategic Groups Unit. Select the application submission and fill in the details of the authorized person.
After uploading the documentation and clicking the 'sign' button, you will be issued a receipt confirming the submission."
Need help?
Contact us for any question or suggestion
Frequently asked questions
General and specific requirements outlined for each type of authorization must be fulfilled, as per the provisions of Law 14/2013. For a reference list of the required documentation, you can visit this link.
To qualify for long-term residency, you must meet the general requirements outlined in the Regulation of Organic Law 4/2000. The typical scenario involves having legally and consistently resided in Spanish territory for a period of five years.
Residency status will not be affected by absences from Spanish territory lasting up to six consecutive months, as long as the total sum of these absences does not exceed ten months (or one year in case of work-related absences) within the five-year period, unless the departures were irregular.
Concerning residence in Schengen countries, there is no differentiation between authorizations governed by Law 14/2013 and other residence permits.
Simply put, any foreign resident in Spain has the privilege of unrestricted movement within the territories of states adhering to the Schengen Agreement, provided the stay does not exceed three months within a six-month period. (At present, these states include Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Netherlands, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Sweden, and Switzerland.)
Essential documents for inter-country travel encompass a valid travel document (be it a passport or another recognized document) and the residence permit. Additionally, a declaration of entry into the respective state is mandatory.
For more comprehensive details, kindly refer to the Ministry of the Interior's website.
Applications for initial authorizations and their renewals are processed at the Unit for Major Corporations and Strategic Collectives, a part of the Immigration Subdirectorate under the General Directorate of Migrations. This unit operates within the General Secretariat for Immigration and Emigration, a branch of the Ministry of Employment and Social Security, situated at Plaza de la Remonta, number 12, 3rd floor, Postal Code 28071, Madrid.
Applications for initial residency authorizations and their renewals can be lodged at any public registry. If you prefer, you can choose to submit them at the registry of the General Secretariat for Immigration and Emigration located at 39 José Abascal Street, Madrid. Alternatively, you have the option to submit them at the headquarters of the Unit for Large Companies and Strategic Collectives situated at Plaza de la Remonta, Madrid. In this case, please make sure to request a prior appointment. Further information regarding appointment scheduling can be found at the website.
Alternatively, you have the option to file your applications electronically using a digital certificate through the online platform of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. Detailed information on the digital application process is available on their website.
The applicant for each type of authorization varies depending on the authorization category:
- For initial authorizations:
- For investors and entrepreneurs, the applicant is the foreign individual.
- For highly qualified professionals, researchers, or intra-company transfers, the applicant is the company or entity requiring the services of the foreign individual.
- For family authorizations:
- If the application is submitted together with the main applicant, the applicant is the main applicant (for investors and entrepreneurs) or the company or entity (for highly qualified professionals, researchers, or intra-company transfers).
- If the application is submitted separately, the applicant can be one of the aforementioned or the family member themselves.
- Renewals are submitted by the foreign individual holding the authorization (family members request the renewal of their own authorization).
Applications can be submitted by the interested party themselves or through a representative.
Foreigners who have received a residence visa under this regulation can stay in Spain for up to one year, allowing the holder to reside in Spain without the need to obtain a foreigner identity card.
However, those who are granted a residence permit under Law 14/2013 must personally apply for the foreigner identity card. The authorization resolution specifies the procedure, required documentation, and where the application can be submitted.
If submitting the application in person, bring both the original and a copy, with the UGE retaining only the copy. If submitting to a public registry, bring both the original and a copy, and send only a certified copy.
You can access the residence authorization application forms at this link.
If a foreigner is in Spain in a regular situation at the time of application but will not be at the time of resolution.
The law stipulates the requirement of not being irregularly in Spain, so compliance with this requirement at the time of application is necessary. The residence authorization application will extend the validity of the residence or stay status held by the applicant until the resolution of the procedure.
Yes, it is possible, provided that the requirements for modifying an authorization set by the Regulations of Organic Law 4/2000 are met.
Yes. The fourth additional provision of Law 14/2013 establishes that residence authorizations allow both residence and work (both self-employed and employed).
While residing in Spain, foreigners must be covered either by the public health system or private insurance. Proof of insurance is not necessary if there is an expectation that the foreigner (along with their family members) will be covered by the National Health System due to enrollment in Social Security resulting from an employment contract or professional relationship.
For entrepreneurs, if the business activity is not starting immediately, insurance with limited validity (such as travel insurance, typically valid for three months) is acceptable.
In all other cases, individuals must have public or private health insurance arranged with an authorized insurance entity operating in Spain, providing coverage equivalent to that of the National Health System and for the duration of their authorization, or at least for a renewable one-year period (travel insurance is not considered valid).
For inquiries about Social Security contributions, you can visit the website.
All documents must be translated into Spanish. For foreign public documents, they must also be accompanied by the apostille from The Hague Convention, or if not available, legalized through diplomatic channels.
You can find more information on document legalization at the following links:
To demonstrate that an entrepreneurial or business venture is characterized by innovation and holds special economic importance for Spain, applicants should include, along with the residence authorization application, relevant documentation related to the business plan. The Large Business Unit will automatically seek a report from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness regarding the project's innovative nature, and this report will be issued within 10 business days.