📄 VISADO

Self-employed work permit

Residence and work authorization for individuals wishing to establish themselves as self-employed in Spain. Requires a business plan and sufficient investment.

Minimum income Sufficient investment based on the nature of the activity

Initial duration One year, limited to one regional area and one sector of activity (art. 83). Renewable

Decision time Three months from the competent body receiving the consular communication; once that period passes with no reply, the application is deemed refused (art. 85.4)

Work allowed? ✓ Yes

Family allowed? ✓ Yes

Fee 2026 Form 790, code 052 (check the current amount on the e-office when you apply)

Step by step

The applicant submits the application to the competent body or the consulate. What must be evidenced is the sufficiency of the planned investment (art. 84.c), not the viability of the project.

Prepare a business plan

Prepare a detailed plan including a market study, investment breakdown, financial projections, and job creation estimates. Specify the location of the business in Spain.

Gather supporting documents

Compile all required documentation. Apostille and translate any foreign documents. Obtain proof of professional qualifications.

Submit the application

Submit to the Government Delegation in the province where the activity will be carried out (if you have a representative in Spain) or at the consulate.

Decision

The decision is issued by the competent body, which is NOT always the Government Delegation — where the Autonomous Community holds powers over initial self-employment authorisations, the regional body decides (arts. 83 and 85.5). What is assessed is what art. 84 sets out: the sufficiency of the investment and its impact on job creation, and professional qualification or evidenced experience, with professional-body registration where the activity requires it. Project viability is not among the criteria.

Collect the visa and travel to Spain

If approved, collect the visa at the consulate. Enter Spain within the specified timeframe.

This step is not just one more formality — it is what GIVES EFFECT to the authorisation. Art. 85.7 RD 1155/2024 requires that within the THREE MONTHS following legal entry into Spain, the foreign national's registration, enrolment and subsequent contributions must take place, on the terms laid down by the Social Security rules that apply, and states that registering within that period gives effect to the authorisation. And art. 85.9 sets out what happens otherwise — if once that period ends there is no record of the registration, you are obliged to LEAVE the country, and failing to do so amounts to a serious offence of being unlawfully in Spain. Register as self-employed with the Tax Agency (form 036/037) and with Social Security (RETA), and apply for the TIE within one month of that registration (art. 85.8), Form 790 code 012.

Mistakes that get applications refused

⚠️ Believing you must prove the economic viability of the business

Consecuencia: Rejection

Solución: What you evidence is the SUFFICIENCY OF THE PLANNED INVESTMENT and its impact on job creation (art. 84.c), not that the business will be profitable. And there are only two grounds for refusal, set out exhaustively in art. 85.3 — the authorisation will be refused where the requirements for granting it under art. 84 are not met, and it will equally be refused where, in support of the application, false documents have been submitted or inaccurate statements made, or where there is bad faith. A solid plan helps, but the law does not ask you to predict the future.

⚠️ Failing to prove sufficient investment or capital for the activity

Consecuencia: Rejection due to inability to demonstrate the means to launch the activity

Solución: Provide bank statements showing the necessary capital or a letter confirming an approved loan. The required amount depends on the type of activity.

⚠️ Confusing recognition of the degree with professional-body registration

Consecuencia: Inability to legally practice the profession: doctors, lawyers, architects, nurses, etc.

Solución: What art. 84.b requires is registration with the professional body where the activity calls for it, not recognition of the degree. If you also need your qualification recognised in order to practise, start early because the process with the Ministry of Education takes 6–12 months, but do not confuse the two — the one the immigration office looks at for this authorisation is the former.

⚠️ Failing to account for self-employment social security contributions

Consecuencia: Unexpected fixed monthly costs

Solución: In 2026, the minimum monthly contribution is €225/month (flat rate for new self-employed workers for the first 12 months: €80/month). Include this in your business plan's financial projections.

Renewal

Renewed for: FOUR years. Art. 87.1 RD 1155/2024 states that the renewed authorisation is valid for four years, unless long-term residence applies, and that it allows work BOTH AS AN EMPLOYEE AND AS SELF-EMPLOYED anywhere in Spain and in any sector — unlike the initial permit, limited to one regional area and one sector (art. 83)

When to apply: Applied for ON THE OFFICIAL FORM during the TWO MONTHS before the authorisation expires (art. 86.1). Filing within that window extends the previous authorisation until a decision is issued, and it is also extended if filed within the THREE MONTHS afterwards, although that opens penalty proceedings

Requirements:

Evidencing continuity in the activity that gave rise to the authorisation, with the tax and Social Security obligations checked EX OFFICIO (art. 86.2.a)
Arrears in Social Security contributions do NOT prevent renewal, provided the activity is shown to have been carried out regularly — the competent body reports the arrears to the Labour Inspectorate, but does not refuse you on that basis (art. 86.2.a)
Renewal is also possible without continuity in the activity — if a family member under art. 66 meets the financial requirements to bring you in under family reunification, if you have been granted cessation-of-activity protection, or if you are an economically dependent self-employed worker and the contract is interrupted or terminated for reasons beyond your control, including where you are a victim of gender or sexual violence (art. 86.2.b, c and d)

Silence is REVERSED compared with the initial application. On the initial one, once three months pass with no reply the application is deemed refused (art. 85.4). On RENEWAL, art. 87.2 states that the decision shall be deemed favourable if the administration does not decide expressly within three months of the application being filed. The effects of the renewed authorisation are backdated to the day immediately following the expiry of the previous one (art. 87.1).

Legal basis

LO 4/2000 (LOEX) arts. 25 bis, 36 and 37; RD 1155/2024 (Immigration Regulation), arts. 82-85.

Checked against the consolidated text on 2026-08-31.

Official sources

🔗 Ley Orgánica 4/2000 de derechos y libertades de los extranjeros → 🔗 Reglamento de Extranjería - RD 1155/2024 → 🔗 Alta autónomos - Seguridad Social → 🔗 Agencia Tributaria - Alta censal → 🔗 Ministerio de Inclusión, SS y Migraciones →

Última actualización: 2026-07-08

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📁 Documentos necesarios

📄 Valid passport Opcional

Minimum validity of ONE YEAR — that is what art. 38.d RD 1155/2024 requires, not that it cover the requested period. A valid travel document recognised in Spain is equally acceptable.

📄 Business plan or activity project Opcional

Description of the activity: type, location, required investment, projected income and expenses, and anticipated job creation. What the regulation asks for is NOT proof of economic viability — art. 84.c RD 1155/2024 requires evidence of the sufficiency of the investment planned for setting up the project and of its impact, where applicable, on job creation, self-employment included.

📄 Professional qualifications Opcional

Art. 84.b requires holding the legally required professional qualification OR sufficient evidenced experience in carrying out the activity, where the activity calls for it, as well as REGISTRATION WITH THE PROFESSIONAL BODY where that is required. Note the distinction — the article speaks of professional-body registration, not of official recognition of the degree, which is a different thing. Recognition may be needed for your qualification to take effect in Spain, but it is not what this article requires.

📄 Proof of investment or financial means Opcional

Evidence of sufficient investment to launch the activity: own capital, approved loan, etc. Must include a bank certificate.

📄 Criminal record certificate Opcional

From the countries where you have resided over the last five years, and only for offences that exist under Spanish law; art. 38.e also requires it solely where the applicant is above the age of criminal responsibility. The country of origin is not a separate category — it counts if you lived there in that period. You do not provide the SPANISH certificate — art. 85.2 states that for the assessment of this requirement the immigration office will obtain, on its own initiative, the central criminal records report to verify the absence of criminal records in Spain, and will obtain a police report on the applicant; both reports are issued within seven days, and that a record in the police report shall not, in itself and automatically, be grounds for refusal — in that case the competent body will assess, case by case and in the round, that you do not pose a threat to public order, internal security, public health or the international relations of any EU Member State. Apostilled and translated.

📄 Medical certificate Opcional

Certifies that the applicant does not suffer from any serious disease posing a risk to public health.

📄 Business licenses or permits (if applicable) Opcional

Opening license, health permits, or any other authorizations required depending on the nature of the activity.

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