The EU Blue Card for Spain for €600, fully online.
For qualified hires: a higher-education degree or equivalent experience, and a salary that matches the role. We manage the case with the employer, before the UGE-CE.
The EU Blue Card for Spain for €600, fully online.
The EU Blue Card for Spain: Two sibling regimes under Law 14/2013: the highly qualified professional permit (PAC) and the EU Blue Card. A professional with a qualified job offer in Spain; the employer drives the case. Booka's fee is €600. Can be applied for from Spain (with legal status) or from the consulate.
Spain's highly qualified professional permit (PAC) and the EU Blue Card (Law 14/2013, reformed to transpose the 2021 EU Directive) cover qualified hires: a higher-education degree — or at least 3 years of equivalent professional experience where admitted — and a contract of at least 6 months in a qualified role, processed before the UGE-CE.
The Blue Card salary threshold is set by Order PJC/44/2026: 1.4 times Spain's average gross annual earnings as published by the INE, with no fixed figure in the rule itself. The legal decision period is twenty days, with positive silence.
Updated on · Rule: Law 14/2013, art. 71 bis · Source: boe.es
The EU Blue Card for Spain: The facts that decide your case.
- What it is
- Two sibling regimes under Law 14/2013: the highly qualified professional permit (PAC) and the EU Blue Card.This page covers both; which one applies is decided when the offer is reviewed.
- Who can apply
- A professional with a qualified job offer in Spain; the employer drives the case.
- Where you apply
- From within Spain while in a regular situation, or from abroad.
- Official form
- The MIT form used across UGE-CE procedures.
- Can you work?
- Yes, in the qualified role and with the company the application is built on.
- Contract required
- At least 6 months in a qualified role.The EU Blue Card and the PAC differ in the detail of validity and renewal.
- Minimum salary for the role
- 1.4 times Spain's average gross annual earnings per the INE (Order PJC/44/2026), with a 0.8 coefficient for shortage occupations and for those qualified within the last three years.The Order sets no amount: the threshold moves whenever the INE publishes a new earnings survey.
- Government fee
- The Law 14/2013 procedure has its own fee, separate from Booka's charge.The exact amount is set out inside your case file.
The EU Blue Card for Spain: Who it is for — and who it is not.
This is your procedure if…
- You have an offer or a signed contract of at least 6 months in a qualified role in Spain.
- You hold a higher-education degree or at least 3 years of equivalent experience where admitted.
- The salary for the role reaches the threshold set by Order PJC/44/2026.
- The hiring company is ready to provide its documents: incorporation deed, tax number and tax and social security clearance certificates.
This is not your procedure if…
- You do not have a job offer yet: without a company driving it there is no case.
- The role is not a qualified one, or the salary falls below the threshold in force.
- You will work remotely for companies outside Spain rather than for a Spanish employer.
- You have been living in Spain without a residence permit: your route is probably a different one.
Is this really your procedure?
If you are torn between routes, answer them before hiring anything. Twelve questions, three minutes, and we tell you which ones fit your case, what you are missing for each, and what puts it at risk. It comes off the price if you then hire the full service.
The EU Blue Card for Spain if you come from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Argentina or Cuba
For the EU Blue Card, your university degree must be apostilled by the body in the table, after legalisation at the ministry of education where the table says so, or legalised at MINREX if you are Cuban. The visa, if applied for from abroad, is processed at the Consulate General of Spain for your district with your apostilled criminal record certificate.
| Country | Apostille or legalisation | Consulate of Spain | Criminal record certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | Colombia apostilles online at the Cancillería (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Colombian degrees are first legalised, free and online, at the Ministry of National Education. | Consulate General of Spain in Bogotá | Colombia's certificate of judicial records (antecedentes judiciales) is issued by the National Police and apostilled online by the Cancillería as a digital document. |
| Venezuela | Venezuela apostilles at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MPPRE), by appointment, with an electronic apostille for many documents. Venezuelan degrees first go through the Ministry of University Education. | Consulate General of Spain in Caracas | Venezuela's criminal record certificate is issued online by the Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace, valid for 3 months, and apostilled by the MPPRE. |
| Argentina | Argentina apostilles at the Foreign Ministry (TAD platform, digitally signed documents) or at any Colegio de Escribanos (notaries). Argentine degrees are first legalised at the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Health. | Consulates General of Spain in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario and Bahía Blanca, depending on the province | Argentina's criminal record certificate is issued online by the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia, valid for 90 days, and apostilled via TAD or at a Colegio de Escribanos. |
| Mexico | Mexico has a dual apostille system: federal documents are apostilled by the Secretaría de Gobernación (SEGOB) and state documents by each state's Secretaría General de Gobierno. Mexican consulates do not apostille. | Consulates General of Spain in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, depending on the state | Mexico issues the federal criminal record certificate (SSPC, online, with SEGOB electronic apostille) and the state certificate of no criminal record; check with the Spanish consulate which one it requires. |
| Peru | Peru apostilles at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, online or in person in Lima. Peruvian degrees must be registered with SUNEDU before the apostille. | Consulate General of Spain in Lima | Peru's criminal record certificate is issued electronically by the Judiciary (Poder Judicial), valid for 90 days, and apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
| Cuba | Cuba is not party to the Hague Convention, so there is no Cuban apostille: Cuban documents are legalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) and, when the Spanish authority requires it, at the Consulate General of Spain in Havana. | Consulate General of Spain in Havana | Cuba's criminal record certification is issued by the Ministry of Justice and legalised by MINREX; it is the slowest document in a Cuban file, so it is requested first. |
| Ecuador | Ecuador apostilles online at the Cancillería, with no appointment, and the apostille arrives by email. An Ecuadorian degree must be registered with SENESCYT before it is apostilled. | Consulates General of Spain in Quito and Guayaquil | Ecuador's criminal record certificate is issued online and free by the Ministry of the Interior, valid for 90 days, and apostilled online by the Cancillería. |
| Chile | Chile's apostille is decentralised: the Civil Registry apostilles its certificates online, higher-education degrees are legalised and apostilled at Ayuda Mineduc and all other documents at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. | Consulate General of Spain in Santiago de Chile | Chile's certificate of criminal record for private purposes is issued by the Civil Registry with ClaveÚnica and apostilled online in the same request. |
Common to all eight countries
- Nationals of Ibero-American countries can apply for Spanish citizenship after 2 years of legal residence (article 22 of the Spanish Civil Code), instead of the general 10 years.
- Criminal record and civil certificates are usually required to be less than 3 months old when filed, and every document not in Spanish needs a sworn translation (traducción jurada) in addition to the apostille or legalisation.
Consular pages at exteriores.gob.es and the Hague Conference status table, checked 4 October 2026.
The EU Blue Card for Spain: What you have to prove.
Evidenced qualification
A higher-education degree works, or — where the rules allow it — at least 3 years of equivalent professional experience. The CV always travels with the degree, because it is what connects your training to the role the company describes; when that connection is not visible, a correction request follows.
Requirement 1 of 6A contract of at least 6 months in a qualified role
The contract alone is not enough: the file includes a description of the role and the applicable collective agreement, the documents that show the work really is qualified. This is where it shows whether the company prepared the offer or improvised it.
Requirement 2 of 6Salary above the Order PJC/44/2026 threshold
The EU Blue Card threshold is not a fixed figure in the law but a formula: 1.4 times the average gross annual earnings published by the INE. The Order publishes no euro amount, so there is no figure to memorise: the offered salary is checked against the INE figure current on the day of filing. A 0.8 reducing coefficient applies to shortage occupations in CNO-2011 groups 1 and 2 and to anyone who obtained their qualification no more than three years earlier.
Requirement 3 of 6A solvent company, up to date with its obligations
The incorporation deed, tax number and clearance certificates from the tax agency and social security treasury are provided. Any outstanding debt with either blocks the case however strong the candidate's profile, which is why it is checked before anything is assembled.
Requirement 4 of 6The worker's criminal record
Certificates are required from every country where you lived over the last five years, legalised and with sworn translations, plus the corresponding declaration. They have short validity, so they are requested once the company's side is on track.
Requirement 5 of 6A documented starting situation
If the case is filed from within Spain, entry and a regular situation must be evidenced; from abroad, the route includes the later consular visa. It is the first thing settled, because it changes the whole calendar of the case.
Requirement 6 of 6Does your case fit?
Tick what applies to you. Nothing is sent and we ask for no personal data: the result is only for you.
This is guidance, not a decision: approval depends on the administration and on the complete file.
The EU Blue Card for Spain: the documents you need.
This is the checklist. If one is missing, the file is not submitted — and that is precisely what keeps it from being returned.
Empresa· 7
Trabajador· 7
Familiares (si procede)· 4
Official source: Order PJC/44/2026 of 27 January and article 71 bis of Law 14/2013. boe.es
The EU Blue Card for Spain: Who prepares and who files your case.
Two teams, one file. Booka prepares and checks your documents; Booka Legal (our in-house legal team, supported by external lawyers) reviews the case and files it as your representative.
- Booka prepares
- We ask for your documents, tell you what is missing or will not be accepted, and build the file in your online case file. 100 % online.
- Booka Legal files
- Booka Legal reviews the complete file and files it as your representative online with the UGE-CE or, from abroad, at the Spanish consulate.
- If there is a request or a refusal
- Booka Legal can answer a request for more documents or appeal a refusal. The appeal is included in the price. No firm can guarantee the outcome: the administration decides.
- Price
- A fixed fee of €600, published on this page. Official government fees are paid separately to the administration.
- Follow-up
- You see the status and every notice from the authority in your case file.
€600, and you know it before you commit.
Document review, case preparation, filing and follow-up until the decision.
Official fee paid separately. The salary threshold is not a fixed figure: it is 1.4 times the INE average annual gross salary (with a 0.8 coefficient for shortage occupations and for recent graduates), and it changes whenever the INE publishes a new survey.
on signing, to open your case and start reviewing your documents.
when we file your application with the administration.
No interest, no surcharge: it is the same price, split. You request it from your case file and someone from the team confirms it within 24 working hours.
There is no paid consultation to find out the price, and no custom quote. This is the price, and it is published.
Almost nobody publishes the price.
Of the digital immigration firms we reviewed in September 2026, only one publishes a price and lets you hire online. The rest ask you to call, or to pay for a consultation before telling you what the procedure costs.
Fixed price, published before you commit. Official fees are separate in both cases.
The EU Blue Card for Spain: Booka, a gestoría, a lawyer or on your own
The same application can go four ways. What changes is the price, whether you have to go in person and who checks the file before it reaches the administration.
Booka
- Price
- €600 in fees
- Online?
- Yes, end to end, without travelling to file
- Who reviews the file
- Booka's team, then Booka Legal, before filing
- Official fee included
- No, paid apart
Traditional gestoría
- Price
- Variable quote, depends on the firm
- Online?
- Depends on the firm; often requires an in-person appointment
- Who reviews the file
- The gestor handling the case
- Official fee included
- Depends on the quote
Immigration lawyer
- Price
- Variable quote, depends on the firm
- Online?
- Depends on the firm; often requires an in-person appointment
- Who reviews the file
- The lawyer
- Official fee included
- Depends on the quote
On your own
- Price
- Only the official fee
- Online?
- Depends on the procedure: online portal or in person
- Who reviews the file
- Nobody: you check it yourself
- Official fee included
- You pay it directly
Fully online, and you always know where it stands.
No office to visit, no phone calls and no waiting for someone to tell you where your case is: you can see it yourself, whenever you want.
From wherever you are
You open your case and upload documents from your phone, whether you already live in Spain or are still in your home country. No office visits.
Stage by stage, nothing missed
You see which stage your case is in, which document is missing and which one is already reviewed. Every change is logged with its date, so you never depend on a callback to know how it is going.
Your questions, with the people handling your case
You ask from inside your own case file and the immigration team handling it answers — not a WhatsApp number that can stop replying. Every action is written down, with a name on it.
Nothing is filed half-done
The file is not submitted until it is complete: that is what keeps it from being returned, and what saves the most months. Once filed, the official receipt appears inside your account.
- Professionals on Booka
- 107,000+
- App rating
- 4.8 / 5
- Support
- 24/7
Legal decision period of 20 days, under the fast-track Law 14/2013 regime.
The EU Blue Card for Spain: 5 stages, and you see which one you are in.
Document collection
You upload your documents to the portal. We tell you what is missing and what will not be accepted before any clock starts.
Stage 1 of 5Internal review
The team reviews the complete file before filing. This is the step that prevents it from being returned.
Stage 2 of 5Official fees
Government fees are paid directly to the administration, with the receipt stored in your case file.
Stage 3 of 5Filing
The application is registered with the competent authority. You see the date and the receipt in your file.
Stage 4 of 5Decision
The authority decides and notifies, with the next steps explained inside your case file.
Stage 5 of 5The EU Blue Card for Spain: How long it really takes.
| Step | How long |
|---|---|
| The company's documents | 1 to 3 weeksIncorporation deed, tax number and clearance certificates from the tax agency and social security. |
| The worker's documents | 2 to 6 weeksSet by the degree and the criminal records from your country, with legalisation and sworn translation. |
| Review and case preparation | A few daysThe salary is checked against the threshold in force before filing. |
| Filing with the UGE-CE | OnlineNo in-person appointment: the Law 14/2013 procedure is fully electronic. |
| Decision | Legal period of 20 daysThat is the legal period of the Law 14/2013 regime, not a forecast: a request for documents pauses the clock. |
| Visa and TIE card | Depending on the routeFrom abroad, a consular visa; on both routes, the TIE card afterwards with its separate 790-012 fee. |
The 20 days are the period the law gives the UGE-CE to decide, not a commitment from them or from us: any request for documents stops it, and administrative silence is a technicality of the procedure, never a way to obtain the permit. In this case much of the calendar is also set by the employer: the sooner their documents arrive, the sooner we file.
The EU Blue Card for Spain: What gets files returned — and how we stop it.
Setting the salary against an outdated threshold
What it costs you
The threshold follows the latest INE earnings survey, not a stable number. An offer pitched at last year's limit can fall short and force the contract to be renegotiated with the case already running.
Mixing up the PAC permit and the EU Blue Card
What it costs you
They are sibling regimes with different requirements and effects. Picking the wrong fit at filing means rebuilding the case, and the right one is not always what the company assumed.
A generic job description
What it costs you
If the role is not described as qualified and consistent with the candidate's degree, the UGE-CE asks for clarification and the clock pauses. It is the document most often dispatched in two lines, and the one that carries the most weight.
A company with tax or social security debts
What it costs you
The clearance certificates come back negative and the case stalls until it is settled. We check it when the case opens, while there is still room, not the week of filing.
Treating mobility to another EU country as automatic
What it costs you
The EU Blue Card provides for mobility, but each member state applies its own conditions and timelines. Planning a move on that basis without checking it there is the expensive mistake in this procedure.
Criminal record certificates expired by filing time
What it costs you
They arrive with short validity: requesting them at the start and filing months later means requesting them again, with the legalisation all over.
The EU Blue Card for Spain: the questions we get most.
Where can I apply for the EU Blue Card in Spain?
Three routes: on your own, online with the UGE-CE or, from abroad, at the Spanish consulate; through an immigration lawyer or a gestoría, at a price quoted by each firm; or online with Booka for a €600 service fee, without travelling to file; Booka Legal, our legal team, reviews and files the case. Government fees are paid separately.
What degree and salary does the EU Blue Card require?
A higher-education degree or equivalent experience (at least 3 years where admitted), a contract of 6+ months in a qualified role and a salary of at least 1.4 times Spain's average gross annual earnings (Order PJC/44/2026). The Order publishes no euro amount: the threshold is a formula, checked against the INE figure current on the day of filing.
How is it different from the regular work permit?
The Blue Card and PAC run through the fast-track UGE-CE regime (20 days, positive silence) and are not subject to the shortage occupation catalogue; the regular permit follows the general regime with the employer as protagonist. Salary and qualification decide which fits.
My degree is not recognised in Spain yet. Can I qualify?
Qualification can be evidenced by degree or, in admitted cases, by experience. And if you need recognition, Booka also handles that case, with its price published on its own page: both files advance in parallel.
Does my family get work rights?
Family members are their own block of the case, applying jointly or reunifying later. Their authorisation follows the holder's, with case-specific nuances.
PAC or Blue Card — which one applies to me?
It depends on the salary, the qualification and whether mobility within the European Union matters to you, which is the Blue Card's own advantage. They are sibling regimes with different nuances: we determine it when reviewing the offer, at no consultation cost.
Does the Blue Card let me work in another EU country?
The Blue Card provides for mobility within the European Union, but it is not automatic: each member state applies its own conditions, timelines and entry formalities. It is a point in favour when choosing the regime, not a licence to move without checking.
What does the employer have to provide?
Incorporation deed, tax number, tax and social security clearance certificates, the contract, the job description, the applicable collective agreement and the MIT form. We ask for exactly that, as a closed list, so there is no second round of requests.
Can I file while already in Spain?
It can be processed from within Spain in a regular situation or from abroad, and that choice changes the calendar — the route from abroad adds the consular visa. We settle it when reviewing your situation, before opening the case.
What happens if I change employer?
The permit is granted for a specific role with a specific company. Changing employer is not automatic: it has its own procedure and requirements, best resolved before signing anything rather than after starting.
Can I pay in two instalments?
Yes, with no interest or surcharge: the total is identical either way. The first half opens your case and starts the document review; the second is paid when we file your application — if we have not filed, you do not pay it. You request it from your case file and someone from the team confirms it within 24 working hours.
Are official government fees included?
No: Booka's fee covers review, preparation, filing and follow-up. Government fees are paid directly to the administration, and we tell you which ones apply and when inside your case file.
How do I know this is not a scam?
Three things you can check: the price is published before you pay, payment is online with an invoice, and the second half is only charged once your application has been filed, with the official registry receipt visible in your case file. No informal intermediary gives you those three proofs.
The EU Blue Card for Spain as a doctor or nurse: your degree too.
The permit is one thing; practising is another. A foreign doctor, nurse or dentist also needs the degree recognised (homologación) and professional registration. Bookahospi, Booka's healthcare vertical, handles the recognition before the Ministry and wrote a step-by-step guide to this procedure for healthcare professionals.
Once granted, the TIE card remains, with its own appointment and separate 790-012 fee, and then renewal for as long as the role and the salary conditions hold. Family members can join the same case or reunify later. The legal residence you build up may count towards later procedures such as citizenship, depending on the rules in force at the time and on your nationality.
Family reunification in SpainRelated procedures
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Booka's fees cover the professional handling of your application only and do not include official government fees, which are paid separately to the relevant authority. Approval of any permit rests solely with the competent administration and depends on the applicant meeting all legal requirements. The information on this page is for guidance only, may change as regulations evolve, and does not constitute individual legal advice.