Foreigners setting up a business in Spain generally go through one of two visa routes, depending on whether the business is considered innovative.
Requirements
The list below corresponds to the entrepreneur route under Spain's Ley de Emprendedores (Law 14/2013), for projects that ENISA, Spain's national innovation agency, assesses as innovative or of special economic interest. To qualify, you generally have to:
- Reside in Spain legally.
- Prove that the business idea has the capacity to create jobs and has economic interest for Spain.
- Be of age.
- Have no criminal record in the last five years.
- Not appear as "rejectable" in Spain or in any country with which Spain has agreements.
- Have health insurance in Spain.
- Prove sufficient resources for your own maintenance and accommodation, as well as the investment needed to start operating.
- Have the training and experience necessary for the project.
- Comply with the opening requirements that apply to your type of business.
Timeframes
ENISA has 10 working days to issue its report on the business plan, and the immigration unit handling these applications has 20 days in total to decide. If your business is a conventional one without an innovation component, such as a shop, bar, or standard trade, the self-employed (autónomo) work-permit route is usually simpler, since it does not require this innovation assessment.
