Visa for highly qualified workers and for intra-company transfers

Visa for highly qualified workers: Visa to carry out a work activity as an employee in Spain as a highly qualified professional, member of senior management personnel meeting certain criteria set forth in prevailing legislation, or as a graduate or post-graduate of a prestigious university and/or business school.

Visa for intra-company transfers: Visa to carry out a work activity as an employee in Spain as a member of senior management personnel, a specialist or a trainee, to perform a contract, or in respect of a professional relationship, when the transfer is made within the same company or group of companies.

The Consulate of Spain in Houston will consider applications for residents in this jurisdiction: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee or Texas.

Required documents for the worker

(ORIGINAL AND COPY OF EACH DOCUMENT)

National visa application form. Each applicant must complete and sign a visa application form, filling in each of its sections.
Photograph. It has to be glued to the application form. A recent, passport-size, 2x2 inches, with white background. The face should be clear and visible.
Passport or Official Travel Document. Original and copy of the page or pages of the passport that contain biometric data. The passport must have a minimum validity of 1 year and cannot be issued more than 10 years ago. Please, make sure that the passport has two consecutive blank pages to affix the visa. The passport will remain at the Consulate during the visa process.
Authorization of Initial Residence for Highly Qualified workers (Autorización de residencia inicial para trabajadores altamente calificados) Authorization of Initial Residence for Intra-company Transfers (Autorización de residencia inicial para traslado intraempresarial), issued by Dirección General de Migraciones, Large Companies and Strategic Group Unit.
Criminal record check certificate. Stating that the applicant has no criminal record in the place where he has resided for the last five years. Applicants over 18 must present original and copy of the criminal record check certificate issued by the FBI and legalized with the Federal Apostille of the Hague Convention requested to the Department of State in Washington DC. It cannot be older than 6 months from the application date and it must be translated into Spanish by a sworn translator.

Local State background checks and Apostilles are not valid.
Proof of residency in the Consular jurisdiction: State ID, Driver´s Licence or Student ID from one of the following States: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
Proof of legal residence in the United States (Non-US Passport holders): Original and notarized copy of Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) or valid US Visa. Holders of B‐1/B‐2 visas cannot apply in the United States. They must apply in their country of residence.
Proof of the representative's identity and capacity. If the visa application is submitted through a representative, a copy of the identity document or passport of the representative and of the power of attorney or document accrediting representation must be submitted. The originals must be submitted ant the time of submitting the application. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
Consular visa fees: Money order out to the Consulate General of Spain in Houston.

US Passport holders fee $190
Other nationalities fee $94
For Nationals of Australia, Ethiopia, Canada, United Kingdom and others, different rates are applied based on reciprocity. Please check the visa fee
Only USPS (Express or Priority Mail) self-address prepaid envelope with tracking number.
Postal delivery authorization

Applicants should not purchase their plane tickets until their visas have been granted.
We will not accept incomplete applications for processing.

Required documents for family members

The following family members of the worker may also obtain the visa:

The spouse or unmarried partner.
Children and adult children who are financially dependent on the worker and who have not created a family unit of their own.
Relatives in the ascending line in the worker's care.

Family members with Authorization of Initial Residence (Autorización de residencia inicial para familiares), issued by Dirección General de Migraciones. must submit:

All the required documents specified in the above sections 1,2,3,5,6,7 and 9.

Documents constituting proof of family relationship with the applicant:

Children: Birth Certificate apostilled and translated into Spanish by a certified translator.
For minors who travel with only one of the parents with joint custody, the non traveling parent must provide a copy of his/her ID along with a notarized authorization, which will be legalized with the Apostille of the Hague.
Spouse: Marriage Certificate apostilled, translated into Spanish by a certified translator and issued in the last 6 months. Commom-law marriage (informal marriage) also apostilled and translated into Spanish by a certified translator will also be accepted.
Relatives in the ascending line: Birth certificate translated into Spanish by a certified translator, and documents proving financial dependence and that they are part of the family unit. US and non US documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.

Procedure

Who can apply for a visa: This Consulate is competent to accept only visa applications from individuals residing in the consular district (Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas).
Place of submission: Applications and requirements must be submitted via postal mail to the Consulate General of Spain in Houston- Visa Department (1800 Bering Dr. Suite 750 Houston, Texas, 77057).
Proof of receipt: The Consular Office will provide the applicant with proof of receipt of the application with a code that enables them to check the status of the dossier through the following link: https://sutramiteconsular.maec.es/Home.aspx
Rectifying the application: The Consular Office may ask the applicant to submit any missing documents, or to provide additional documents or data that are necessary for a decision regarding the application. The applicant may also be called in for a personal interview.
Decision period: The legal period for reaching a decision is 10 days as of the day after the submission date of the application, but this period may be extended when an interview or additional documents are requested.
Collecting the visa: The Consular Office will inform the applicant regarding the procedure for the return of the passport and any other original documentation.
Visa refusal: Visa refusals will always be notified in writing, setting forth the grounds on which the decision adopted was based.
Appeals: If a visa is refused, the applicant may submit an appeal for reconsideration to this Consular Office within 1 month of the day following the date on which notification of the refusal is received. An application for judicial review may also be filed with the High Court of Justice of Madrid within the 2-month period beginning the day after the date on which the applicant receives notification of the visa refusal or of the dismissal of the reconsideration appeal.
Validity period of the visa: The visa is valid for 1 year, or for the same period as the residence permit granted, provided that this is for less than 1 year.

The visa accredits residence in Spain during its validity period, making it unnecessary for the worker to obtain a Foreigner Identity Card. However, the worker may apply for this card at the Foreign Nationals' Office or the corresponding Police Station.