Moving to Spain as an expat: job, contract and settling in

In short: As an expat, you come to Spain either with a Spanish employment contract or as a posted worker sent by your current employer. That determines where you pay social security and which employment law applies. As a German or Austrian you don’t need a visa, but you do need a NIE, a social security number and a plan for your taxes.

What is an expat?

An expat moves to Spain for a longer period, works there for a local employer or is posted by their company, and has a permanent residence in Spain. A digital nomad, on the other hand, works location-independently on a laptop for clients or an employer abroad and often stays only a few months (see Moving to Spain as a digital nomad).

Local contract or posting: what’s the difference?

The two routes look similar in everyday life, but legally they are fundamentally different. Clarify in writing with your employer which route applies to you before you give notice on your flat.

If you are posted, your employer applies for the A1 certificate in your home country. It proves which social security law applies to you. You don’t need recognition of your professional qualification for a posting. The authority that issues the A1 can tell you the maximum length of a posting under social security rules.

What’s in a Spanish employment contract?

The basis is the Workers’ Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores). Many details are also governed by the sector’s collective agreements (convenios colectivos). So always read both.

• Permanent is the rule: The law assumes a permanent contract. Fixed-term contracts are only allowed for special production circumstances (no more than 6 months, up to 1 year under a collective agreement) or to cover for someone. For seasonal work there is the “fijo-discontinuo” contract, which is permanent and allows for breaks between seasons.
• Probation period: no more than 6 months for employees with a university degree, 2 months for everyone else (3 months in companies with fewer than 25 employees). Collective agreements may differ.
• Working hours: no more than 40 hours per week averaged over the year, at least 12 hours of rest between two working days.
• Paid leave: at least 30 calendar days per year. Careful when comparing: calendar days include weekends.
• Public holidays: no more than 14 per year, 2 of them local.

What salary is realistic?

Salaries are well below those in Germany and Austria. Measure your offer against the cost of living where you’ll live, not against your old salary.

The figures come from the Wage Structure Survey of the statistics office INE. Andalusia and the Canary Islands are below the national average, and hospitality is the sector with the lowest wages. At the same time unemployment is high: 9.87 % nationwide and 14.56 % in Andalusia (Q2 2026). If you arrive with a signed contract, you have a clear advantage. You’ll find other ways to earn an income under Working in Spain, and the spending side under Cost of living.

Will your qualification be recognised?

You only need formal recognition in regulated professions. Doctors, general nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists, architects and vets benefit from automatic recognition in the EU. The European Professional Card exists for nursing, pharmacists, physiotherapists and estate agents, among others. Proof of language skills or membership in a professional body may also be required. The EU database of regulated professions shows whether your profession is regulated.

Social security and taxes: what applies to you?

With a local contract you are covered by Spanish social security. You need your own social security number, which you apply for online via the Import@ss portal. Your employer then handles the registration of your employment (alta). Only this registration gives you access to the public health system. How to get your health card afterwards is explained under Health insurance in Spain.

You are tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year or if the core of your economic interests is there. Spain doesn’t split the year: you are either resident for the whole year or not at all. If you move in the second half of the year, you will therefore usually only become liable to tax in Spain the following year.

The special rule for newcomers

For employees moving to Spain there is a special regime, often called the “Beckham Law”. It applies regardless of nationality, so EU citizens can use it too.

• Requirement: You were not resident in Spain in the five tax years before the move, and you are moving because of an employment contract, among other reasons.
• Effect: Your employment income is taxed at a flat 24 % (up to 600,000 €).
• Duration: the year of arrival plus the following five years.
• Application: with form Modelo 149 at the Agencia Tributaria.

The rule pays off mainly with higher salaries. With an average salary, the normal tax scale may be cheaper. The normal scale and the tax treaties with Germany and Austria are explained in Taxes in Spain.

The first weeks: in which order should you do what?

Your employer registers you, everything else is up to you. Follow this order and you’ll be ready on your first day at work.

1. Apply for the NIE

   The foreigner identification number appears in your employment contract and on every payslip. If possible, apply for it before the move via the consulate. Guide: Applying for a NIE.

2. Get your social security number

   Online via Import@ss. EU citizens can get the number with their passport at first and submit the NIE later.

3. Rent a flat and register at the town hall

   With an employment contract and payslips you are in a good position with landlords. Next comes the Padrón, the registration at the town hall.

4. Open a bank account

   Many employers want to pay your salary into a Spanish account. See Opening a bank account.

5. Apply for your health card

   As soon as your employer has registered you, you apply for the card at the health centre in your neighbourhood and are assigned a GP.

Partner, family and plan B

If you’re not coming alone, plan for the others too. Family members of EU citizens have a right of residence in Spain. With a posting, your family stays insured through your health insurer back home. For children, school places and enrolment deadlines matter, more on that under Moving with your family.

If your partner is looking for work in Spain and receives unemployment benefit at home, they can take it along: with form U2 for three months, extendable to up to six months depending on the authority. The condition is that they were registered as unemployed for at least four weeks beforehand. They apply for the U2 before leaving and must register with the Spanish employment service within seven days. Form U1 also documents your insurance periods in case you later need unemployment benefit in Spain.

Frequently asked questions

Cover image: Danielmlg86 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 es