Work & Business
The EU Blue Card: work in Spain now, keep Europe open
We run Blue Card applications end to end for professionals and for the companies hiring them — correct salary threshold, complete file, start dates that hold. In English, at a fixed written fee.
We act for both employee and employer · English-speaking lawyers · Offices in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia & Alicante
01 / WHAT IT IS
A Spanish job with a European horizon
The EU Blue Card is the European residence and work permit for highly qualified professionals with a job offer in Spain. In 2026 it requires a gross annual salary of at least €39,269.92 — or €31,415.94 in reduced cases — plus a higher-education degree or equivalent professional experience. Its decisive advantage over Spain's national permit: built-in mobility to other EU countries.
It is designed for two readers: the international professional weighing a Spanish offer who wants a European career, not just a Spanish one; and the HR team that needs a confirmed start date, not an open-ended visa process. The employer files the application — we manage both sides.
02 / REQUIREMENTS 2026
What the Blue Card asks of you — and your employer
A job offer in Spain
Of at least 6 months, matching your qualification level.
Salary threshold
Gross annual salary of €39,269.92 or above. A reduced threshold of €31,415.94 applies in specific cases, such as recent graduates and shortage occupations.
Qualifications
A higher-education degree (minimum 3 years of study) or comparable professional experience; in certain tech roles, documented experience can replace the degree.
Degree recognition (homologación)
Where the profession requires it — we verify this before filing to avoid a mid-process surprise.
Clean criminal record
And lawful status at the time of application.
For the employer
Up-to-date standing with tax and social security authorities and a compliant formal offer. We prepare this side directly with the company.
03 / HOW WE WORK
One lawyer, both sides of the contract
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Dual eligibility check.
We review the offer (salary, duration, role) and the candidate (degree, experience, status), then confirm in writing whether the Blue Card or Spain's national highly-qualified permit (HQP) is the better instrument — and why.
Eligibility confirmed -
One file, two parties.
A single checklist coordinates employer and employee: contract, qualification evidence, recognitions, apostilles, sworn translations. One lawyer, one point of contact for both sides.
File complete -
Filing and tracking.
We file electronically, watch every deadline and answer official requests. HR knows the projected start date at all times; the candidate gets updates in English without having to ask.
Filed & tracked -
Onboarding and beyond.
Visa if needed, NIE, fingerprints, TIE. We leave the renewal, family reunification and — if it is in your plans — your future move to another EU country already mapped.
Approved
04 / FEES
Cost certainty, date certainty
[PENDIENTE CLIENTE — decisión hueco 9]
A fixed fee in writing, with a corporate rate for employers hiring repeatedly. Itemised: legal fees, government fees, employee + family members, official requests included. HR needs cost certainty as much as date certainty. Both go in writing.
05 / FAQ
The EU Blue Card, without the fine print
A gross annual salary of at least €39,269.92. A reduced threshold of €31,415.94 applies in defined cases, including recent higher-education graduates and shortage occupations. The salary must appear in the formal job offer and be maintained throughout the permit's validity — lowballing the contract is the fastest way to a refusal.
That is its core advantage. The Blue Card allows short professional stays in other member states without extra permits and, after 12 months as a holder in Spain, lets you apply for another EU country's Blue Card under a simplified procedure. Periods spent in different member states also add up towards EU long-term residence.
It depends on where your career may go. The national HQP can be more flexible on requirements for some profiles; the Blue Card imposes a precise salary threshold but adds EU-wide mobility and a harmonised status. If there is any chance your next role is in Berlin or Amsterdam rather than Madrid, the Blue Card usually wins. We compare both against your offer in the eligibility check.
Your employer files the application in Spain. In practice we coordinate both sides: the company's compliance documents and your personal file are prepared in parallel so the application goes in complete. If your future employer has never sponsored a permit, we speak to them directly and take the process off their desk.
Decisions on these permits are fast once the file is complete; what consumes time is degree recognition, apostilles and translations, which we schedule from day one with a written timeline. Your spouse and children can be processed alongside your application, with the right to live and work in Spain.
Usually not. For non-regulated professions, proof of your qualification or equivalent professional experience can suffice. For regulated professions (healthcare, certain engineering roles), formal recognition is mandatory and should start immediately — it is the longest item on the critical path. We check which case is yours before anything is filed.
06 / NOT YOUR CASE?