Visa for people aged 16 or over who seek to engage in self-employed activity in Spain.
To obtain a self-employed work visa, it is first necessary to obtain an initial residence and self-employed work permit. For this reason, the procedure comprises two stages.
1. OBTAINING AN INITIAL RESIDENCE AND SELF-EMPLOYED WORK PERMIT
Required documents
1.- Application form for an initial residence and self-employed work permit (EX-07). Each applicant must complete and sign two visa application forms, having filled in each section of the EX–07 form. If the applicant is a minor, one of their parents must sign the application.
2.- Passport. A photocopy of every page of a valid, unexpired passport or travel document.
3.- Activity permits and licences. List of permits or licences required for the installation, opening or operation of the planned activity or professional practice, indicating the status of the procedures for obtaining them. Certification of applications to the corresponding bodies must be attached.
4.- Professional training and qualifications. Original and a copy of the documents accrediting the legally required training, and where applicable, qualifications, for the professional practice. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
5.- Plan for the establishment or activity. Plan for the establishment or activity to be carried out, indicating the planned investment, the expected return, and, where applicable, the jobs that will be created. Documents written in a foreign language must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
6.- Financial means. Original and a copy of the documents accrediting that the applicant has sufficient financial means to carry out the planned investment, or a commitment by financial or other institutions to provide support. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
7.- Payment of fees. To pay the fees at the Consular Office, the applicant must complete all the fields of, and sign, two copies of form 790 code 052
, ticking box 2.1 (initial temporary residence permit) and of form 790, code 062, ticking box 1.5 (self-employed work permits).
The fee can also be paid online, through the links to forms 790-052 and 790-062. In this case, the proof of payment obtained from the same webpage must be attached.
Nationals of Ibero-American countries, nationals of the Philippines, nationals of Andorra, nationals of Equatorial Guinea, Sephardim, children and grandchildren of persons of Spanish origin, and foreigners born in Spain are exempt from paying the fee for self-employed work permits.
If a work permit is applied for in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, the fee must be paid directly to that Autonomous Community.
When necessary to assess the application, the Consular Office may request additional documents or data and may also ask the applicant to come in for a personal interview.
Procedure
This Consular Office is competent to accept visa applications from individuals residing in the consular district. (Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina).
- Who can apply for a permit: The application for an initial residence and self-employed work permit must be submitted in person by the applicant, or by one of their parents if the applicant is a minor.
- Place of submission: Applications must be submitted in person at the Consular Office. An appointment is necessary: cog.washington.vis@maec.es
- Proof of receipt: The Consular Office will provide the applicant with a copy of the application form (form EX-07) and, where applicable, of the receipts of payment of the fees (forms 790-52 and 790-62) and will forward the dossier to the corresponding Foreign Nationals' Office. Said Office will have a period of 3 months, from the day after the date on which the application is received, to reach a decision.
- Notification: The Consular Office will inform the applicant of the decision issued by the corresponding Delegation or Sub-delegation of the Government.
- If the decision is favourable, the Consular Office will invite the applicant to submit a visa application.
- If the decision is unfavourable, the applicant may submit an appeal for reconsideration to the Consular Office within 1 month of the day following the date on which notification is received. An application for judicial review may also be filed with the High Court Justice of Madrid within the 2-month period beginning the day after the date on which the applicant receives notification of the permit refusal or of the dismissal of the reconsideration appeal.
2. OBTAINING A SELF-EMPLOYED WORK VISA
Required documents
1.- One Application form (![]()
National Visa Application form): Each applicant must complete and sign a national visa application, filling out every section. It can be filled out electronically or handwritten in capital letters. If the applicant is a minor, one of their parents or a duly accredited representative must sign the application.
2.- One photo: Glued or clipped (not stapled) onto visa application form. Photo specifications: Passport-size, color photograph, recent (taken within the last 6 months to reflect your current appearance), printed on matte/glossy paper, taken against a white, light, clear, uniform background, facing forward, without dark or reflective glasses, or any garments concealing the applicant’s full oval of the face.
Photos with a dark background or with objects or people that can be seen behind your head will not be accepted. Photographs of babies must not show any part of the adult holding them.
3.- Valid, unexpired passport: Original and photocopy of the page or pages of the passport that contain biometric data. The passport must be valid for at least the requested time of stay and must contain at least two free pages for visas. Passports issued more than 10 years ago will not be accepted.
If the passport does not meet the requirements, it must be renewed before applying for the visa.
4.- Proof of legal residence in the United States. Non-U.S. citizens must also submit proof of legal residence in the United States: A photocopy of the valid U.S. long term Visa or a notarized copy of the U.S. Resident Card (Green card; please do not submit the original document).
B1/B2 visa holders do not qualify to apply for a visa at this Consular Office. They must apply for a visa in their country of residence or country of origin.
5.- Proof of residence or study in the consular district. The applicant must be a legal resident or be enrolled in in-person studies in a center within our consular jurisdiction (Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina).
Residence must be proved by one of the following, valid documents: Photocopy of U.S. Driver’s license, State ID, University Student ID. Please do not submit the original document.
If you do not have a U.S. Driver's license or State ID it is possible to prove residence in our consular district by other documents, e.g. a copy of a lease agreement or utility bill.
6.- Criminal record check certificate. Applicants of legal age (18 years old and older) must submit the original and a photocopy (not notarized) of their criminal background check certificate(s) issued by their country or countries of residence for the past 5 years.
- The criminal background check must be issued by the U.S. Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). We do not accept State or Local Police Background Check.
- The background check must be issued within the 6 months preceding the submission of the visa application.
- The background check must be authenticated with The Hague Apostille. We do not accept background checks without the Hague Apostille. The Apostille must certify the signature on the Criminal Background check, not other signatures. We do not accept apostilles that certify the signature of a local notary that stamps a seal on the criminal background check.
- The criminal background check will not be accepted if it has been altered or damaged in any way, including damage caused by removing staples.
- The background check must be accompanied by an official translation into Spanish by a sworn/certified translator (the translation does not need an Apostille and the Apostille does not need a translation).
If the applicant has spent more than 6 months (more than 180 days) during the last 5 years in another country (outside the USA or Spain), an additional criminal background check from every country of residence must be provided. The criminal background checks must be authenticated with the The Hague Apostille, unless it is issued by an EU member state. The criminal background check issued by an EU authority does not need to be apostilled to be accepted. If the country in which the applicant has lived in the past 5 years does not subscribe to The Hague Convention of 1961, the background check must by authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the issuing country and then by the Consulate of Spain in this country. The background check must be accompanied by an official translation into Spanish (if the original is not written in Spanish or does not include the text in Spanish).
Please submit an original and a copy of all documents: Criminal background check, Apostille and official translation.
You may find certified translators through the AMERICAN TRANSLATORS' ASSOCIATION or Buscador de traductores jurados del MAEC.
7.- Medical certificate. Original and a copy of a medical certificate accrediting that the applicant does not suffer from any disease that could cause serious health repercussions for public health pursuant to the 2005 International Health Regulations.
- The certificate must be issued in the 3 months preceding the submission of the visa application.
- The certificate must include a stamp from the issuing Medical Center, doctor’s name and signature, doctor’s License Number and date of expedition.
- The certificate must be signed by a Doctor (Physician), not by a Nurse Practitioner or a Physician assistant.
- The certificate must be written on letterhead paper from hospital/doctor’s office or directly on the provided template. The recommended model can be found here:
MEDICAL CERTIFICATE. If the certificate does not include the text in Spanish, an official or certified translation into Spanish is required. In the case of using the bilingual model from our website, the Spanish translation is not necessary.
Please include a photocopy of the medical certificate with your submitted documents.
8.- Proof of the representative's identity and capacity. If the applicant is a minor, it will be necessary to present originals and submit copies of the identity document or passport of one of their parents, as well as of the document constituting proof of kinship. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish.
9.-Payment of the visa fee. Cash or Money Order. Different rates are applied due to reciprocity. Fees in 2024:
- For US citizens: $270
- For citizens of Australia, Canada, Ethiopia, Mauritania, and UK: fee must be consulted with the Consular Office.
- For all other citizens: $99
Visa fees are revised quarterly according to current exchange rates and can be subject to changes.
Additional documents, Interview:
When necessary to assess the application, the Consular Office may request additional documents or data and may also ask the applicant to come in for a personal interview.
Procedure
- Who can apply for a visa: Visa applications must be submitted in person by the applicant, or by one of their parents if the applicant is a minor.
- Visa application period: Visas must be applied for within 1 month of the day following the date on which the notification of a favourable decision regarding the initial residence and self-employed work permit is received.
- Place of submission: Applications must be submitted in person at the Consular Office by appointment only.
Once you have all the required documents you must scan and e-mail them to cog.washington.vis@maec.es. If there is not enough space to include all the attached documents, you can send them in different, numbered emails. Please write the email subject as follows: “APPOINTMENT REQUEST. Visa Type. Given Name FAMILY NAME. Email Number”
Please do not send emails if you do not have all the required documents yet. Please be sure that you have all the required documents before scheduling an appointment, as only complete applications with all requirements will be admitted.
When we receive all the required documents, we will answer your mail and schedule an appointment to come in person to the Consular Section of the Embassy to submit the application.
- 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 1 month as of the day after the submission date of the application, but this period may be extended if 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 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 will be valid for 90 days. Once in Spain, workers must register with the Social Security system within a period of 3 months and before beginning their employment activity. They must also apply for a Foreigner Identity Card at the Foreign Nationals' Office or the corresponding Police Station within a period of 1 month from their registration with the Social Security system.