If you are a researcher relocating to Spain, there is a specific residency available for you and your family members: VISA POR RESEARCHERS
The research permit is regulated in article 72 of the Entrepreneurial Support Act of 27 September 2013 which revokes the previous research residency regulation on the Immigration Act. This permit allows the individual to live and work in Spain as a professional researcher at a university, business or in a research body, if they have one of the following profiles:
a) Research staff referred to in article 13 and the first additional provision of Act 14/2011, of 1 June, on Science, Technology, and Innovation.
b) Scientific and technological staff carrying out scientific research, development, and technological innovation work, in business entities or R&D&I centres established in Spain.
c) Researchers subject to an agreement with public or private research bodies, under the conditions set out in the regulations.
d) Lecturers recruited by universities, higher education and research bodies or centres, or business schools established in Spain, in accordance with the criteria set out in the regulations.
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF RESEARCH PERMIT:
1-Residency for researchers EU
2- National residency for researchers
THE DIFFERENCE THEM:
- Residency for researchers EU aimed at those individuals who hold a doctorate degree or qualify to access a PhD programme.
Additionally, it will require a signed contract or agreement containing the following items:
- Name, goal, or scope of the research
- Commitment from the foreign national to complete the research
- Commitment of the Spanish University, business entities or R&D&I centres or research organisation established in Spain to receive the individual and host the research until its completion.
- Start and end date for the research activity
- Planning future short stay to receive research training in another member state.
- National residency for researchers would be applicable to all those researchers not included in the previous modality.
Some of the rules from the Immigration act regarding researchers are still valid since it hasn’t been formally revoked. Nevertheless, the permit regulated by the Entrepreneurs’ act has priority if it can be applied.
In the case of PhD student: For the purposes of this permit, doctorate students are not considered as researchers per se. According to the General Secretary of Universities, the doctorate student will only be considered a researcher once the studies are finalised.
FAMILY MEMBERS STATUS
Family members are allowed to join the researcher and their residences can be requested jointly or afterwards.
For this residency, the following relatives are considered family members:
- The spouse or partner
- Children who are minors or financially dependent on the applicant
- Parents in the charge of the researcher
DURATION
The validity of this permit will depend on the duration of the contract or research agreement, in any case, up to 2 years renewable for 2-year periods successively.
APPLYING FOR THE AUTHORIZATION
The residency permit must be requested by the institution on behalf of the researcher.
The application is to be done online, addressed to the Large Business and Strategic Groups Unit (Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estrategicos UGE-CE) through the platform http://extranjeros.empleo.gob.es/es/
Decisions are made on the residency request within 20 days.
MAIN REQUIREMENTS
Applicants should:
- Be a non-EU citizen
- Not be in an irregular situation in Spain
- Be at least 18
- Not have a criminal record in Spain and in the countries where he/she lived in the past 5 years
- Not be forbidden to enter Spain
- Have health insurance with coverage in Spain for the duration of the residency
- Have sufficient economic means
- Pay the administrative fees for the process
DOCUMENTATION TO ACCOMPANY THE APPLICATION:
- Passport (full copy)
- Background checks
- Certification of the research institution
- Signed contract or research agreement
- Proof of payment of residency fees
- Signed application form
- Proof of having one of the above-mentioned researcher profiles
- Health insurance
- Proof of economic means
- Proof of family link (when applying for family members)
When the researcher is already legally in Spain once this residency is granted, the next step is to book an appointment to request a new TIE.
If the researcher is abroad, once the residency is granted, a visa must be requested in the consulate from their home country.
Visa applications are expected to be answered within 10 days of the submission.
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