The job search visa: descendants of Spaniards and graduates

Under the same name coexist 2 permits that are requested in different places, last differently and are aimed at different people. Confusing them is the most frequent mistake and the one that makes you miss deadlines.

The first is the visa itself, regulated in articles 43 and 44 of Real Decreto 1155/2024 (Royal Decree). It is requested at the Spanish consular office abroad and authorises you to travel to Spain to look for employment during a 12-month residence period. It has 2 classes: the one aimed at children or grandchildren of a Spaniard by origin and the one limited to certain occupations and territorial areas.

The second is not a visa, although almost everyone calls it that. It is the residence authorisation for job search or to undertake a business project of the seventeenth additional provision of Ley 14/2013 (Law). It is requested from Spain, by electronic means, and lasts 24 unextendable months. It is designed for those who have finished higher education studies in Spain.

The practical consequence is simple: if you are outside Spain and your link is family, your route is consular. If you are already in Spain with a study stay about to end, your route is that of Ley 14/2013 (Law) and you do not need to leave the country or apply for any visa.

The figure exists in the regulation, but as of 4 August 2026 it is not activated. Article 44.2 of Real Decreto 1155/2024 (Royal Decree) refers to the ministerial order for the collective management of hiring in origin for the number of visas, the selection system for recipients and the formulas for submitting applications. Without that approved number there is no call to apply for.

We have reviewed the full text of Orden ISM/1547/2025 (Order), of 23 December, which regulates the collective management of hiring in origin for 2026 (BOE of 30 December 2025). The order only reproduces the generic authorisation in its article 1 and provides in its second final provision a possible revision that could set those visas, but it does not approve any number. The same happened with the previous year's order.

This does not mean that a child or grandchild of a Spaniard by origin is left without a way out: it means that today their path is different. Article 40.1.h) of Ley Orgánica 4/2000 (Organic Law) expressly exempts children or grandchildren of a Spaniard by origin from the assessment of the national employment situation. In practice, an employer can request a temporary residence and work authorisation as an employee in your favour without the position having to appear in the catalogue of difficult-to-cover occupations, which is exactly the barrier that stops most foreign candidates.

Managora proves the link with the literal birth certificates of the Spanish ascendant and of each link in the family chain, prepares the file and submits it for you, and notifies you if the Ministry ever opens the visa quota.

This is the fully operational route. The requirements set by the seventeenth additional provision of Ley 14/2013 (Law) and detailed in informative sheet 20 of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration are these.

Having been the holder of a long-term stay authorisation for studies in Spain. Having finished studies at a higher education institution reaching at least Level 6 of the European Qualifications Framework, which corresponds to a bachelor's degree accreditation. A master's degree or a doctorate also comply, because the requirement is a minimum and not an exact level.

Having public or private medical insurance. Maintaining sufficient resources, which are proven through a responsible declaration in which you detail the means you have. Having no criminal record and not appearing as rejectable in the Schengen area. And paying the corresponding tasa (official fee).

The Administration only checks 3 things when resolving: that you have obtained the higher education degree or certificate or other proof of official qualification, that you have medical insurance and that you maintain sufficient resources. It is a narrow verification procedure, which explains why it is resolved in 20 days and with positive silence.

It is advisable not to confuse this procedure with the modification from a study stay to a residence and work authorisation, which is a different procedure (that of informative sheet 58) and which does authorise you to work from its concession. Here we are only talking about residence to look for employment.

No. During the validity of the residence authorisation for job search or to undertake a business project you are not authorised to work. This is the case in both routes: the consular visa does not authorise you to work until you obtain the residence and work authorisation either. Signing a contract and starting before having the authorisation exposes you to a sanctioning procedure and compromises your file.

What you can do is everything prior: interview, negotiate, sign pre-contracts, set up a company and prepare a business project.

When you find employment, the path depends on the route. With the consular job search visa it is the employer who submits the application for the initial temporary residence and work authorisation as an employee in your favour, and article 43.4 of Real Decreto 1155/2024 (Royal Decree) sets a maximum period of 10 days to resolve and notify, without the need to obtain a new visa.

With the graduate authorisation, section 6 of the seventeenth additional provision obliges you to request the authorisation corresponding to the position, from among those regulated in Ley Orgánica 4/2000 (Organic Law) (temporary residence and work as an employee or self-employed) or in Ley 14/2013 (Law) (for example, highly qualified professional). Which channel applies depends on the profile of the position and the company, and it is advisable to decide this before signing anything. Managora reviews the offer and chooses the fastest route for your case.

The number 1 failure is the deadline. The window to submit the application is 60 calendar days prior to the date your study stay expires and 90 calendar days after. Outside that window there is no margin: the whole file must be rethought.

The second failure is not knowing that submitting on time protects you. Section 3 of the seventeenth additional provision establishes that the application submitted on time extends the validity of the previous authorisation until the procedure is resolved. That is, you do not remain in an irregular situation while you wait, even if your student card expires in between.

The third failure is exhausting the 24 months. The period is unextendable and is not renewed. The sensible strategy is to treat the first 12 months as the real search period and reserve the last ones to process the work authorisation, which has its own resolution deadlines and may require documentation from the company.

The fourth is forgetting about family accompaniment. Your family members can stay with you if they already accompanied you during the study stay, but their stay is linked to the situation of the main holder. If your file drops, theirs drops.

A useful note for descendants of Spaniards: if you manage to reside legally in Spain, article 22.2.f) of the Código Civil (Civil Code) reduces to 1 year the residence time required to request Spanish nationality by residence when you were born outside Spain to a father, mother, grandfather or grandmother who had originally been Spanish. Legal residence for work opens that door in a short time.

The procedure carries an official tasa (fee) of form 790, code 052, which is paid before submitting the application. We calculate the current section and amount that correspond to your case and communicate them to you in writing before you pay anything. It is advisable not to count on the tasa (fee) exemption of article 47 of Ley Orgánica 4/2000 (Organic Law): that precept refers to the tasas (fees) for work authorisations, and this authorisation of the seventeenth additional provision is exclusively for residence, so the residence tasa (fee) is settled and the exemption does not apply here.

You have Managora's fees in the procedure's file, with the updated amount and no surprises.

Managora does the complete work: verifies that your degree reaches Level 6, calculates your exact submission window, drafts the responsible declaration of means, assembles the file, submits the EX-26 through Mercurio with an electronic signature, gives you the submission receipt and follows the file until resolution. In the descendants route we prove the kinship chain with the literal certificates from the Registro Civil (the Spanish civil registry) and the appropriate legalisations.

You can start your file today from the procedure's file. Managora prepares and submits it for you.