Finding a job in Spain

Documents you need

• Degree certificates and transcripts

  optional

• NIE or residence document

  Needed to register with the public employment service.

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Check whether you may work

   • EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can work immediately; register and get your social security number.
   • Non-EU citizens usually need an employer willing to request a residence and work authorisation for them, or a route such as the highly qualified professional permit or the EU Blue Card. Job-search visas exist but are issued only in limited numbers. Students may work up to 30 hours a week. See Visas and residence permits for Spain.
2. 2

   Step 2: Register with the public employment service

   Spain's public employment service is the SEPE together with the regional services. In Catalonia it is the Servei Públic d'Ocupació de Catalunya (SOC). Registration as a job seeker (demandant d'ocupació) is free and voluntary (compulsory only if you receive unemployment benefits) and gives access to job offers managed by employment offices, vocational training courses, career guidance and work-experience programmes.

   • With a Spanish DNI you can register online.
   • Foreign nationals with an NIE linked to a residence authorisation can register by phone on 930 886 200, where employment office staff assist them, or at their employment office by appointment.
   • After registering you receive a document called DARDO; complete your professional profile within 30 days or the registration lapses.
3. 3

   Step 3: Search actively through several channels

   • Public portals: SEPE's job portal and EURES for jobs across Europe.
   • Company websites and online job platforms; compare several and set up alerts.
   • Temporary employment agencies (empresas de trabajo temporal, ETT) for short contracts.
   • Networking: professional associations, alumni groups, meet-ups and your own contacts. EURES notes that telling friends and family that you are looking is common practice in Spain.
   • In Barcelona, Barcelona Activa, the city's local development agency, runs free employment, training and entrepreneurship activities.
4. 4

   Step 4: Prepare a Spanish-style CV and letter

   According to EURES, applications usually consist of a CV and a cover letter in Spanish, on A4. Keep the CV to about two pages, adapt it to each offer, and use clear language without acronyms. A photo is optional. Certificates are usually brought to the interview rather than attached. Selection often includes interviews and sometimes tests or assessment days.

5. 5

   Step 5: Get your qualifications recognised if needed

   • Regulated professions (for example in health or engineering) require homologation of a foreign university degree to the equivalent Spanish degree, decided by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
   • For other jobs, a declaration of equivalence to a Spanish bachelor's or master's level can help employers understand your degree, but has no professional effect.
   • Both are applied for online on the ministry's electronic office; the fee is €166.50. Degree documents from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland must be legalised or apostilled.

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Sending an English CV to Spanish-language job ads.
• Assuming a foreign degree must always be homologated; it is only required for regulated professions and some public jobs.
• Not registering with the employment service, which gives access to free training and job offers.

Tips

• Learn the vocabulary of contracts and payslips early; see *Your rights as an employee in Spain*.
• Keep improving your Spanish while you search; EURES describes it as essential for most jobs in Spain.
• Ask the employer which collective agreement applies; it sets minimum pay for your category.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Start your job searchAdd to plan
• Check whether your degree needs recognitionAdd to plan
• Register with the Catalan employment service (SOC)Add to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 6 Apr 2027.