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Residence for research purposes (Ley 14/2013, art. 72)

Residence for research purposes (Ley 14/2013, art. 72) is filed with Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE). With Managora you do it 100% online: you answer a few questions, sign a digital mandato (power of representation) and we draft, sign and file your application for you. Estimated total cost: €546. Official tasa (government fee): The official fee (Modelo 790-038 tasa (UGE-CE), item 7.1, 73,26 €) is already included in the price: we advance it and file it for you.

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We draft your application for a research residence authorisation before the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE, the large companies and strategic groups unit), the route for every non-EU academic linked to a Spanish university or centre: PhD CANDIDATES (with a grant, with a contract or self-funded), pre-doctoral researchers with a contract (Ley de la Ciencia, FPI/FPU), post-doctoral researchers, contracted lecturers and researchers with a hosting agreement. A doctorate no longer goes through the estancia por estudios (student stay authorisation): Criterio de Gestión 2/2026 of the Dirección General de Gestión Migratoria, of 7 August 2026, places it under article 72 of Ley 14/2013, and consulates have stopped accepting student visa applications from PhD candidates, grant or no grant. A PhD candidate is not asked for a contract or a hosting agreement: admission to the programme and proof that the enrolment fees are paid are enough, provided the doctorate is listed in the RUCT register at Doctor level. It does NOT require homologación of your degree (unless it is a regulated profession), it allows teaching and simultaneous reagrupación familiar (family reunification). Deadline 20 days, silence means APPROVAL.

Practical guide: Studying in Spain: student visa, study stay and extension. Requirements, deadlines and the steps, explained.

What we charge you
€546
Managora's fee
€472.00 (21% VAT incl.)
Tasa (official government fee)
The official fee (Modelo 790-038 tasa (UGE-CE), item 7.1, 73,26 €) is already included in the price: we advance it and file it for you. (suplido: paid to the authority on your behalf, no VAT)
Processing time
Decision in 20 days. Silence means APPROVAL (Ley 14/2013 art. 76). Initial validity up to 3 years, or the duration of the contract or agreement if it is shorter.
Where it is filed
Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE) ↗
What you receive
Application

Cost breakdown: €546.00 everything included: professional handling with VAT and the official fee (Modelo 790-038 tasa (UGE-CE), item 7.1, 73,26 €), which we advance for you..

Residence for research purposes (Ley 14/2013, art. 72): how is it filed?

  1. 1Answer the questions (around 10 minutes).
  2. 2We hand you the application for the UGE-CE with its legal basis and the calculation of the deadlines.
  3. 3We file it electronically with the UGE-CE.

Which documents do you need?

  • •Complete, valid passport.
  • •PhD candidates: admission to the doctoral programme and proof that the enrolment fees are paid (the programme must be listed in the RUCT register at Doctor level). Every other profile: hosting agreement signed by the university or centre, or a research or teaching contract.
  • •Financial means: 50% of the salario mínimo interprofesional (SMI, the statutory minimum wage) on an annual basis (€8,547 at the 2026 SMI), or 100% (€17,094) if dependent family members come with you.
  • •Academic degree, translated and apostilled/legalised (no homologación needed, unless it is a regulated profession).
  • •Criminal record certificate from the country where you have lived for the last two years, apostilled and translated, plus a sworn statement covering the last five years.
  • •Health insurance taken out with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, with no co-payments and no waiting periods (travel insurance is not accepted).

Prerequisites we also handle for you

This procedure needs documents that we also obtain. If you are missing any, ask us for it here and come back once you have it:

And whatever a third party provides, we arrange it

  • Traducción jurada (sworn translation) into Spanish
  • Apostilla or legalisation of a foreign document

You do not have to look for anyone: we coordinate it. As it is provided by a third party it is quoted separately and does not go inside the price of this procedure, and we tell you the amount before ordering it.

Legal basis and things to bear in mind

  • Framework: Ley 14/2013 art. 72; Directive (EU) 2016/801 arts. 8 and 10 (hosting agreement); LO 4/2000 art. 38 bis.
  • Doctorates: Criterio de Gestión 2/2026 of the Dirección General de Gestión Migratoria, of 7 August 2026. Doctoral studies (MECES level 4, EQF level 8) are handled under art. 72.2.b) of Ley 14/2013 and NOT under the higher-education estancia por estudios of art. 52.1.a) of RD 1155/2024. Consulates will not accept a student visa application from a PhD candidate, grant or no grant.
  • Deciding body: UGE-CE, electronic filing. Deadline 20 days, silence means APPROVAL. Validity up to 3 years.
  • It does NOT require homologación of your degree unless it is a regulated profession.
  • It allows teaching and simultaneous reagrupación familiar (family reunification) with access to work. Unlike the estancia por estudios, this is RESIDENCE and it counts towards long-term residence.
  • From abroad the order is: first the authorisation from the UGE-CE and then, once granted, the visa at the consulate. The application can be signed either by the PhD candidate or by the university.
  • Borderline with the estancia por estudios: bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, FP, language courses and Erasmus+ go through estancia_estudios_extranjeria; doctorates and any profile with a contract or a hosting agreement come here.

Residence for research purposes (Ley 14/2013, art. 72): frequently asked questions

Residence for research purposes (Ley 14/2013, art. 72): how much does it cost?

We charge you €546: our fee plus, where applicable, the fixed official tasa we advance. €546.00 everything included: professional handling with VAT and the official fee (Modelo 790-038 tasa (UGE-CE), item 7.1, 73,26 €), which we advance for you.. Managora's fee is €472.00, 21% VAT included (€390.08 net + €81.92 VAT). The official tasa charged by the authority (a suplido paid on your behalf, no VAT) is: The official fee (Modelo 790-038 tasa (UGE-CE), item 7.1, 73,26 €) is already included in the price: we advance it and file it for you..

Residence for research purposes (Ley 14/2013, art. 72): how long does it take?

Decision in 20 days. Silence means APPROVAL (Ley 14/2013 art. 76). Initial validity up to 3 years, or the duration of the contract or agreement if it is shorter.

Residence for research purposes (Ley 14/2013, art. 72): which documents do I need?

You need to have to hand: Complete, valid passport., PhD candidates: admission to the doctoral programme and proof that the enrolment fees are paid (the programme must be listed in the RUCT register at Doctor level). Every other profile: hosting agreement signed by the university or centre, or a research or teaching contract., Financial means: 50% of the salario mínimo interprofesional (SMI, the statutory minimum wage) on an annual basis (€8,547 at the 2026 SMI), or 100% (€17,094) if dependent family members come with you., Academic degree, translated and apostilled/legalised (no homologación needed, unless it is a regulated profession)., Criminal record certificate from the country where you have lived for the last two years, apostilled and translated, plus a sworn statement covering the last five years., Health insurance taken out with an insurer authorised to operate in Spain, with no co-payments and no waiting periods (travel insurance is not accepted).. You do not upload them here: we collect the details through the guided chat.

Who files the procedure?

Managora files it in your name with Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE). You only provide the details through the chat and sign a mandato (power of representation); we prepare, sign and register it.

Can it be done online?

Yes. The whole process is online: you answer a few questions in the guided chat, sign a simple mandato on screen and receive the receipt and the official documents by email, with full legal validity.

Related procedures

Based on the legislation in force and on the official site of the competent authority: Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE) ↗.

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