Residence application for workers carrying out intra-company transfers
Foreign nationals who are transferred to Spain within the framework of an employment, professional or vocational training relationship with a company or group of companies established in Spain or in another country must hold the appropriate visa according to the duration of the transfer, as well as a residence authorization for intra-company transfer, which is valid throughout the national territory.
Spanish regulations provide two alternatives for the intra-company transfer of foreign nationals (non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss citizens):
- ICT-EU intra-company transfer authorization for managers, specialists and trainees.
- National intra-company transfer authorization for other cases, such as the transfer of workers for the execution of a contract (CSS).
- Original and copy of the complete passport.
- Public or private health insurance taken out with an entity authorized to operate in Spain.
- No criminal record in Spain or in the countries where the applicant has resided during the last two years.
- Documentation proving sufficient financial means for the applicant and family members during the period of residence in Spain.
- Higher education qualification or equivalent, or where applicable, a minimum of 3 years of comparable professional experience.
- Documentation proving a prior and continuous employment or professional relationship of 3 months with one or more companies within the group.
- Company documentation proving the transfer: letter from the foreign company, also signed by the transferred worker, stating the purpose of the transfer.
- Completed application form.
- Copy of the complete passport or valid travel document and, where applicable, those of family members.
- Proof of sufficient financial resources for the applicant and family members during the period of residence in Spain, which may be justified, where appropriate, through the relevant employment contract or documentation proving a professional or training relationship.
- Public or private health insurance taken out with an insurance company authorized to operate in Spain, unless the applicant will carry out an activity that grants insured status under the National Health System. In the case of intra-company transfers, if there is a bilateral Social Security agreement between Spain and the country of origin, the corresponding coverage certificate must be provided; otherwise, a document from the transferring company indicating who is responsible for compliance with Social Security obligations in Spain. Please note that if the bilateral agreement does not include healthcare coverage, the public or private insurance mentioned above must also be provided.
- Proof of payment of the corresponding fee.
- If the applicant is already in Spain at the time of submission and holds a stay or study stay of less than six months, they must submit an original criminal record certificate from the country or countries where they have resided during the last five years.
What are the steps you should follow?
Step 1. Complete the application form.
Download, complete and sign the residence authorization application form for main applicants. If you are moving together with your family members, you must complete the MI-F application form for family members for each of them, in order to apply jointly for the authorization.
Step 2. Pay the fee.
The established fee must be paid before starting the application submission process. The Form 790 (fee: 038 point 7) must be completed and downloaded.
Payment can be made in cash at a bank branch or ATM, or through a current account using a digital certificate or Cl@ve PIN or Cl@ve Permanente. Once the payment has been completed, you must obtain the Complete Reference Number (NRC), which is required to submit the file.
Step 3. Access the e-office of the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit.
Once the form has been completed and the fee has been paid, you must access the procedure “Submission of applications for international mobility residence authorizations regulated by Law 14/2013” on the e-office of the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE).
Select the “New application” option to start the procedure and register the application. To do so, if the digital nomad is carrying out the procedure themselves, they must identify themselves using a digital certificate or through the Cl@ve PIN or Cl@ve Permanente system.
At the bottom, the mandatory documents to be attached will appear (detailed below). In addition, you may attach any supplementary documents you consider appropriate.
When everything is correct, tick the box consenting to the electronic processing of the data and click the “Sign” button. Once the application has been submitted, you will be informed of the registration number and you will be able to download the file containing the signed application and the acknowledgment of receipt.
Step 4. Notification.
The residence authorization will be decided within the established period. A notice that the notification on the status of the application is available in the e-office will be sent to the email address provided when the application was submitted.
Do you need additional information?
Modelo_Solicitud_ICT-UE
Format: .pdf. 492.99 KB
Solicitud para familiares
Format: .pdf. 194.21 KB
The general requirements and the specific requirements established for each type of authorization must be met, in accordance with the provisions of Law 14/2013.
To qualify for long-term residence, you must meet the general requirements set out in the Regulations of Organic Law 4/2000. The most common case is having resided legally and continuously in Spanish territory for five years.
Residence status will not be affected by absences from Spanish territory of up to six consecutive months, provided that the total of such absences does not exceed ten months in total (or one year if the absence is for work-related reasons) within the five-year period, unless the departures were made irregularly.
As regards stays in Schengen countries, there is no difference between authorizations regulated by Law 14/2013 and other residence permits.
In other words, any foreign national residing in Spain has the right to move freely within the territory of the States that apply the Schengen Convention for a period not exceeding three months per half-year. (The countries currently applying the Convention are: Belgium, Czechia, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.)
The documentation required to travel between these States is a valid travel document (passport or other equivalent document) and the residence permit. In addition, they must make a declaration of entry in the corresponding State.
For more information, you can consult the website of the Ministry of the Interior.
They are processed at the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit of the Deputy Directorate-General for Immigration, which belongs to the Directorate-General for Migration and is part of the State Secretariat for Migration of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. The procedure is carried out exclusively electronically.
Applications for initial residence permits and for their renewal must be submitted exclusively with a digital certificate through the electronic office of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.
Depending on the type of authorization, the applicant may be:
- For initial authorizations:
- In the case of investors and entrepreneurs, the foreign national themselves.
- In the case of authorizations for highly qualified professionals, researchers, or intra-company transfers, the company or entity requiring the foreign national’s services.
- For family authorizations:
- If the application is submitted together with that of the main holder, the applicant will be the main holder (in the case of investors and entrepreneurs) or the company or entity (in the case of highly qualified professionals, researchers, or intra-company transfers).
- If the application is submitted at a different time, it may be one of the above or the family member themselves.
- Renewals are submitted by the foreign national who holds the authorization (family members apply for the renewal of their own authorization).
Applications may be submitted by the interested party themselves or through a representative.
Foreign nationals who have been issued a residence visa under this regulation may remain in Spain for a period of one year, which authorizes the holder’s residence in Spain without the need to obtain a Foreigner Identity Card.
However, those who obtain a residence authorization under Law 14/2013 must apply for the Foreigner Identity Card in person. The decision granting the authorization indicates the procedure, the required documentation, and where it may be requested.
When the application is submitted in person, you must bring both the original and a copy, and the UGE will keep only the copy. If you submit it at a public registry, you must bring both the original and a copy and send only a certified copy.
You will find the residence authorization application forms at this link.
If a foreign national is in Spain in a regular status at the time of applying but will no longer be in a regular status at the time the decision is issued.
The Law establishes, as a requirement, that the applicant must not be in an irregular situation in Spain, so this requirement must be met at the time of the application.
The application for the residence authorization will extend the validity of the applicant’s residence or stay status until the procedure is resolved.
Yes, it is possible, provided that the requirements for modifying an authorization established in the Regulations of Organic Law 4/2000 are met.
Yes. The fourth additional provision of Law 14/2013 establishes that residence authorizations allow the holder to reside and work (both as a self-employed person and as an employee).
During their residence in Spain, the foreign national must have healthcare coverage, either through the public healthcare system or through private insurance.
Proof of insurance is not required when there is a reasonable expectation that the foreign national (as well as their family members) will be covered by the National Health System, as a result of being registered with Social Security due to an employment contract or a professional relationship.
In all other cases, the person must have public or private health insurance taken out with an insurance company authorized to operate in Spain, providing coverage equivalent to that of the National Health System and for the duration of their authorization or at least for one renewable year (travel insurance and policies with waiting periods or co-payments are not valid).
For inquiries about Social Security contributions, you can visit the website.
The law does not establish any specific documentation. Therefore, you may prove that you have sufficient financial means by any means of evidence admissible in law. For example, with a job offer, payslips, the updated average annual balance of bank accounts, deposits, etc.
All documents must be translated into Spanish. In the case of foreign public documents, they must also bear the Hague Apostille or, failing that, have been legalized through diplomatic channels.
You can obtain more information on document legalization at this link.
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