Because the United States is not part of the European Union, which allows its citizens to work without special permission in any member country, securing a job for an American in Spain is complicated and time-consuming. Beyond the obstacle to finding a job, you will need to request special documents to allow you to live in Spain. These steps will first recommend you the way to secure a job in Spain and then they will teach you how to apply for and secure your work permit.
Steps
Step 1. Check job sites in Spain, newspaper classifieds, and migrant websites to find a job available in that country
Step 2. It is easier to secure a job in teaching English or in the tourism sector; However, if you have technical or business skills, look for specialized companies willing to hire foreign workers
Step 3. Look for tourism-oriented companies such as bars and hotels, or get a certificate of teaching English as a foreign language and look for a job in language schools if you are already in Spain
Step 4. Ask your employer to submit an application to the Spanish Migration Office where they approve a work permit and a residence visa
Step 5. Renew your passport if it expires next year
Step 6. Request a police record certificate from the local police wherever you have lived for more than six months in the last five years
The certificate must have the legalization of a notary. If you have lived outside the United States in that period, you will need a letter from the countries where you have lived.
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If you have been living in the United States for at least five years, you will need to request a background report from the FBI. This can take up to three weeks from the application date.
Work in Spain As an American Step 7
Step 7. Visit a doctor and ask for a printed report in the doctor's office, stating that you do not suffer from any contagious disease, drug addiction or mental illness
For this, there is a standard form on the website exterior.gob.es that your doctor can use.
In the United States, you will need to have a regular doctor, who will see you on a regular basis. If you have not seen the doctor before, it will be very difficult to obtain this report. Your doctor will need you to take a blood sample and provide your immunization history before giving you the report
Step 8. Take two passport size photos
Step 9. Fill out two national visa application forms from the Spanish consulate in the United States
Step 10. Gather the materials indicated above (including the letter from the Spanish Migration Office which approves your employer's application to receive a work permit and residence visa) and present them to the Spanish consulate that covers your area of residence in the United States
Step 11. Make the payment of the visa application fee through a money order, as other means of payment are not accepted
Step 12. Go to the consulate to collect your visa within a month after its approval
Check with your local consulate if you need to make an appointment. For example, for the consulate in Chicago you need to make an appointment, but in the case of the consulate in Washington DC it is not necessary to do so.
Step 13. Apply for a residence visa in Spain within the period of one month after your arrival in that country
Step 14. Register in the Spanish Social Security System as soon as you start your job in Spain
Advice
- Due to the fact that you will need to go personally to pick up your visa at the Spanish consulate in the United States, it is better to secure a job in Spain before traveling; otherwise, you will need to leave the country and return.
- Working in Spain is much easier for citizens of the European Union; It is also easier for employees to hire EU citizens, as there are fewer procedures in this case. Be inclined to look for work in companies that have hired Americans, or make yourself an especially interesting candidate by offering services that workers in Spain and the rest of the EU cannot provide.