Overys · Qualified Professional and Blue Card Holder
Your job in Spain, on time.
And Europe, open.
You’ve been hired for a senior position and want to start your new job without any paperwork holding you up.
There’s a fast track for cases like yours—some are resolved in about twenty days—and a path that also allows you to move around Europe in the future. We’ll review your case and let you know which option offers you the best future. Your family can be included in the same application.
Your talent shouldn’t have to wait in line
You’ve done the hard part: you’ve earned the job. Now comes the part nobody explained to you—what kind of leave to request, where to apply, what the deadlines are, and what happens with your partner and your children.
Every week of uncertainty is a week that your team waits for you, and your life remains on hold. And choosing the wrong path can cost you months—or close doors you don’t even know exist today.
You deserve to start off on the right foot, not blindly.
A track designed for professionals like you
In Spain, those who reach a highly qualified position have a streamlined path. In fact these are two different procedures, and the difference between them decides your next five years:
The most accessible
National route
- You join your company in Spain with a fast-track permit through the Large Enterprises Unit —a decision in about twenty days and positive administrative silence—.
- Higher vocational training (FP Superior) or equivalent, or three years of experience, is enough.
- Renewable, and your family is included in the same application.
The one that opens Europe
EU Blue Card
- You live and work in Spain and, on top of that, it opens the door to moving to other European countries later.
- Requires a university degree or five years of experience (three if you work in tech).
- If you change employer after twelve months, a simple notification is enough —no new procedure—.
- Salary from 1.4 times the average annual income published by the INE.
We’ll review your case and tell you which one suits you —not the easiest to process, the one that gives you the most future—. And you can start from your home country, with the visa at the Spanish consulate, or from Spain if you’re already here with legal status.
We serve you in Spanish, English and French, with the precision of a law firm and the closeness of someone who knows what’s at stake for you.
Your four-step plan
01
Tell us about your situation
Your offer, your profile, your family. During a free call, we’ll figure out where you are and where you want to go.
02
Get your plan
What method, from where, with what deadlines, what documents, and the fixed price. In writing.
03
Let’s handle it together
We’ll take care of all the preparations and arrangements, using the fast track whenever possible. You can focus on your new job.
04
Settle in, calmly
You arrive, settle in, and get to work. We’ll be there for you when it comes to renewals, the Blue Card, and long-term residency.
What you get with Overys
- Clarity from day one: you know which path to take, why, and when
- You take advantage of the fast track designed for your profile
- Your partner and children, all on the same plan
- A path that doesn’t confine you: renew it, put down roots, or move around Europe
- A single point of contact, in your language (Spanish · English · French)
- If there isn’t a viable option for you, we’ll let you know during the call—free of charge
For Businesses
Are you the company looking to hire that professional?
You’ve found the right candidate for your project, but it turns out they’re from outside the EU. We’ll take care of bringing them here reliably and on time, so their onboarding isn’t held up by paperwork.
- We’ll tell you which career path is the best fit for the position and the candidate’s profile—including the one that offers the employee opportunities for mobility within Europe
- We prepare the company’s and the employee’s documentation and process the application through the large-company track when applicable
- A single point of contact for your team, in Spanish, English, and French
- If you bring in multiple profiles, we’ll set up a repeatable process
Looking for a different entry route?
Every profile has its own door. If this one isn’t yours, here are the others:
Move someone from your group to the Spanish entity, with dates under control.
Live in Spain while working remotely for a company abroad.
Work on a shoot in Spain, legal from day one.
Bring your foreign crew to a shoot on schedule, with a single contact.
Frequently asked questions
Two different procedures for the same highly qualified profile. Here they go separately, because choosing well shapes your next five years.
Requirements — National route (highly qualified professional)
- Higher qualification equivalent to at least MECES level 1 —in practice, from higher vocational training (FP Superior) upwards— or at least 3 years of comparable professional experience.
- Minimum salary: €41,356.36 gross per year. Single threshold, no reductions.
- Any company can apply, regardless of size, if it shows the profile is needed and that it can pay for it.
Source: art. 71.2.b, Law 14/2013 · UGE, Jun 2026 · rev. 2026-07-16
Requirements — EU Blue Card
- University degree of at least 3 years (MECES level 2) or 5 years of comparable experience. If you work in tech, 3 years within the previous 7 are enough.
- A contract or firm job offer of at least 6 months.
- Minimum salary: €41,356.36, which drops to €33,085.09 in two specific cases (see below).
- If your profession is regulated, you must have your qualification recognised (homologación).
Source: art. 71 bis, Law 14/2013 · Order PJC/44/2026 · UGE, Jun 2026 · rev. 2026-07-16
I have a job offer in Spain. Which of the two applies to me?
They aren’t two names for the same thing: they are two different procedures, with different requirements, duration and advantages. A quick rule to place yourself: if you hold a university degree of at least 3 years (or 5 years of experience, or 3 if you work in tech) you can choose, and then the EU Blue Card is usually the better bet for the reason you’ll see in the next question. If your qualification is higher vocational training (FP Superior) or equivalent, or you can show 3 years of experience, your door is the national route. The minimum salary is the same in both. What is no longer automatic is the case of someone who qualifies for both and has plans in another European country: there, today’s choice shapes the next five years.
Source: arts. 71 and 71 bis, Law 14/2013
If I change employer, do I lose the permit?
This is the difference that costs the most to overlook. With the national route, every new employer requires a brand-new authorisation from scratch —the full procedure, all over again—. With the EU Blue Card, if you have 12 months of contributions with the first employer and the new post is still highly qualified, a simple notification is enough. In other words: if you’re likely to change jobs in Spain, choosing well today saves you a whole application two years from now.
Source: UGE (Large Enterprises Unit)
How much do I need to earn?
In both, €41,356.36 gross per year. The difference is in the exceptions: the national route has none; on the EU Blue Card the minimum drops to €33,085.09 if your occupation is on the shortage list (groups 1 and 2 of the national classification of occupations) or if you obtained your qualification within the last 3 years. An important note: these figures changed on 28 June 2026 and will change again on their own when the INE (national statistics institute) publishes the new average wage, usually each May. If you’ve read a different amount elsewhere, it’s probably the previous one.
Source: Order PJC/44/2026 · UGE, Jun 2026 · rev. 2026-07-16
I don’t have a degree. Am I out?
Not necessarily. The national route accepts higher vocational training (FP Superior) or equivalent and, if you have no qualification, 3 years of comparable experience in the contract’s sector. The EU Blue Card does require a university degree of at least 3 years, or 5 years of experience —unless you work in tech, where 3 years within the last 7 are enough—. Whether your experience is “comparable” isn’t up to you or to us: it has to be evidenced, and how it’s documented makes the difference between a yes and a no.
Source: arts. 71.2.b and 71 bis.1.a, Law 14/2013 · UGE
I’m a doctor, architect or engineer. Do I have to get my degree recognised?
If your profession is regulated in Spain and you go for the EU Blue Card, yes: you must prove recognition (homologación) under the rules of your profession. It’s the slowest step of the whole application, so it’s where you start.
Source: art. 71 bis.1.a, Law 14/2013
How long does it last, and when can I apply for permanent residence?
Three years. If your contract is shorter, you get it for the length of the contract plus three months. It’s renewed for two years each time, and after five years you can apply for long-term residence. Renewal is requested in the 60 days before it expires.
Source: art. 71.3, Law 14/2013
How long does the decision take?
The maximum is 20 days from filing the application online. And there’s a detail in your favour: if there’s no reply in time, it’s deemed granted —what the law calls positive silence—. Filing the application also extends your legal status until they decide. If it’s granted for more than six months, you then apply for the physical card (TIE).
Source: art. 76.1 and 76.2, Law 14/2013
I already hold an EU Blue Card from another EU country. Do I start from scratch?
No. You can come to work in Spain 90 days out of every 180 without applying for anything else. And if you’ve lived 12 months as a holder in another EU country (or 6 if in several), you have the right to settle here: you apply for the Spanish EU Blue Card and you can register and start working as soon as the application is complete, without waiting for the decision. A deadline not to overlook: if you’re already in Spain, you have one month from your entry to file it.
Source: art. 71 bis.4, Law 14/2013 · UGE
What if I lose my job? (EU Blue Card only)
You have some room: three months to find another job if you’d held the card for under two years, and six months if for two or more.
Source: art. 71 bis.3, Law 14/2013
Can my family come?
Yes: spouse or partner, children (minors, or adults who depend on you financially) and dependent parents. They can apply at the same time as you or later; if it all goes together, it’s decided together. On this route there is no published scale that raises the financial requirement per family member: what’s assessed is your salary.
Source: art. 62.4 and 62.3.f, Law 14/2013
Do I have to apply from my home country?
You can do it two ways: as a visa from your home country, at the consulate, or as an authorisation from within Spain if you’re already here with legal status (for example, on a valid tourist stay). When possible, we usually recommend the route from Spain because it avoids the consular appointment —but both exist and the choice depends on your case—.
Source: Law 14/2013, international mobility section
Do you qualify for both and don’t know which suits you? On a free info call we’ll tell you which door is yours and why. It’s free because we only take on cases we know we can handle, and this is clear in twenty minutes.
Spain is a great place for your next chapter
Tell us about your situation on WhatsApp. We’ll clearly explain your best course of action and what it takes to get started. Prefer to talk it through? Book a free call. Would you rather see the plans first? Here they are.