Spain · Work
Spain Intra-company transfer
First stay: 3 yrs
Intra-company transfer residence authorization (Art. 73 Ley 14/2013)
First checked against official sources on Change log
Key facts
Intra-company transfer is a work route for Spain. Checked 2026-10-11 against the official source.
- Government fees
- €90 ≈ $100
- Processing
- 20 working days
- First stay
- 3 yrs
Cost, time and long term
To apply: government fee €90 ≈ $100; decision: 20 working days. No lawyer or agent fee is included.
Government fees€90 ≈ $100
- EUR 90 (≈ $100)National long-stay visa (type D) processing fee, collected in euros or local currency; some nationalities pay a different amount under reciprocity.
RenewalRenewable, 3 years max
An EU ICT transfer lasts at most three years for managers and specialists and one year for trainee employees; the national modality is valid three years or the transfer length.
Permanent residenceAfter 5 years of residence
Long-term residence needs five years of continuous legal residence; absences of up to 6 consecutive months (10 in total, or 18 for work) do not break continuity.
CitizenshipAfter 10 years of residence
Nationality needs 10 years of legal, continuous residence immediately before applying (2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal), plus good conduct and integration.
Processing20 working days
The Large Companies Unit must decide within 20 working days of electronic filing (silence means approval); the consulate then decides the visa within 10 working days.
Boletín Oficial del EstadoMinistry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration
Where to applyAbroad or in-country
The company applies electronically to the Large Companies Unit; the worker uses a consular visa or, if already in Spain lawfully, applies there.
Why this route may not fit
Check this before you apply.
- Time on this route is capped at 3 years in total
- Needs a job offer from an employer in Spain
- Not open to EU, EEA or Swiss passports
What you'll need
Who can apply3
- The sending and the host company belong to the same company or group, with real business activity.
- The worker has had an employment or professional relationship with the group for at least 3 months.
- The worker holds a degree equal to Spanish level 1 (5A), or 3 years of comparable experience.
What you must show and pay1
- A fee of EUR 90 (≈ $100) · National long-stay visa (type D) processing fee, collected in euros or local currency; some nationalities pay a different amount under reciprocity.
Documents1
- Company documents showing the transfer, signed MI-T form and the worker's travel document.
Steps2
- The company applies electronically to the Large Companies Unit, which decides within 20 days.
- Registered companies in the Unit are exempt from proving some requirements again.
After you arrive2
- An EU ICT transfer lasts at most 3 years for managers and specialists and 1 year for trainees.
- The national modality is valid 3 years or the transfer length.
What happens at day 183
How Spain decides tax residence and treats foreign-source income, from its tax records.
- Stay on this route
Up to 3 years in total
- Tax residence
- More than 183 days in a calendar yearSpanish tax residence if more than 183 days in Spain in the calendar year (Art. 9 LIRPF), subject to centre-of-interests rules.
- Foreign-source income
Beckham regime (6 years)
Foreign-source income outside the qualifying work and entrepreneurial income is not taxed in Spain under this regime.
- Regime tied to this route
Special regime for workers, entrepreneurs and teleworkers relocated to Spain · 24% tax
All tax rules for Spain Tax records checked
Full official text
Residence authorization for managers, specialists and trainee employees transferred to a company or group entity in Spain, in an EU intra-company transfer (ICT) or a national modality. 1 2 3 4
What you must show and pay
- A fee of EUR 90 (≈ $100) · National long-stay visa (type D) processing fee, collected in euros or local currency; some nationalities pay a different amount under reciprocity. 3
Requirements
- The sending and the host company belong to the same company or group, with real business activity. 1
- The worker has had an employment or professional relationship with the group for at least 3 months. 1
- The worker holds a degree equal to Spanish level 1 (5A), or 3 years of comparable experience. 1
- Company documents showing the transfer, signed MI-T form and the worker's travel document. 1 2
- The company applies electronically to the Large Companies Unit, which decides within 20 days. 1
- Registered companies in the Unit are exempt from proving some requirements again. 1
- An EU ICT transfer lasts at most 3 years for managers and specialists and 1 year for trainees. 1
- The national modality is valid 3 years or the transfer length. 1
Stay
- An EU ICT transfer lasts at most three years for managers and specialists and one year for trainee employees. The national modality is valid three years or the transfer length.
- First stay: up to 36 months, decided case by case.
- Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.
Nationality
Non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.
Work
Work for the host entity during the transfer.
Family
Family members may apply together with the holder. Your spouse or partner may work in Spain without a separate permit.
Official sources
- Ley 14/2013, support for entrepreneurs and their internationalisation: consolidated text (Arts. 61-76, 74 bis-quinquies) · Boletín Oficial del Estado · checked 2026-10-10 · published 2013-09-28
- Sheet 66 - Initial residence and work authorization for highly qualified professionals · Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration · checked 2026-10-10
- Orden AUC/891/2024 setting the fees for processing visas · Official State Gazette (BOE) · checked 2026-10-11
- FAQs: residence and work authorizations for international teleworkers · Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE) · checked 2026-10-10
- Real Decreto 1155/2024, Regulation of Ley Orgánica 4/2000: consolidated text (in force 20 May 2025) · Boletín Oficial del Estado · checked 2026-10-10 · published 2024-11-20
- Código Civil, Art. 22 (Spanish nationality by residence) · Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado · checked 2026-10-11
Intra-company transfer and its alternatives
| Route | Money needed | Stay | Work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intra-company transfer | – | 3 yr, renewable | – |
| Employee visa | – | 1 yr, renewable | Limited |
| EU Blue Card | Needs income from €33k a year ≈ $37k | 3 yr, renewable | – |
| Highly qualified worker | Needs income of €41k+ a year ≈ $46k | 3 yr, renewable | – |
| Researcher permit | – | 3 yr, renewable | – |
Questions people ask
How much money do I need for the Intra-company transfer?
A fee of EUR 90 (≈ $100). National long-stay visa (type D) processing fee, collected in euros or local currency; some nationalities pay a different amount under reciprocity.
How long can I stay on the Intra-company transfer?
An EU ICT transfer lasts at most three years for managers and specialists and one year for trainee employees.
How long does the Intra-company transfer take to process?
The Large Companies Unit must decide within 20 working days of electronic filing (silence means approval); the consulate then decides the visa within 10 working days.
Can I work on the Intra-company transfer?
Work for the host entity during the transfer.
Can I bring my family on the Intra-company transfer?
Family members may apply together with the holder.
Who can apply for the Intra-company transfer?
Non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.
Does the Intra-company transfer lead to permanent residence in Spain?
Time on the Intra-company transfer counts toward permanent residence in Spain, which the rules allow after 5 years of residence. Time on the Intra-company transfer counts toward citizenship, which the rules allow after 10 years of residence.
Is there a tax break for Intra-company transfer holders in Spain?
Special regime for workers, entrepreneurs and teleworkers relocated to Spain (Beckham regime, Art. 93 LIRPF): Optional regime taxing Spanish-source income under non-resident rules: 24% up to EUR600,000 (≈ $670,000) and 47% above, for the year of arrival plus five years. It's separate from the visa and has its own conditions.
Tax
Special regime
Special regime for workers, entrepreneurs and teleworkers relocated to Spain (Beckham regime, Art. 93 LIRPF)
24% tax
Details
- Limit: €600k/yr ≈ $670k
Optional regime taxing Spanish-source income under non-resident rules: 24% up to EUR600,000 (≈ $670,000) and 47% above, for the year of arrival plus five years. Foreign-source income outside the qualifying work and entrepreneurial income is not taxed in Spain under this regime.
Taxed on
Tax calculated under Spanish nonresident-income-tax rules for opted-in individuals who become Spanish tax resident through a qualifying move. AEAT treats all work income and qualifying entrepreneurial-activity income earned during the regime as Spanish-source, even when activity is performed abroad, subject to the before-move/after-regime timing exception. Base A (dividends, interest and capital gains) uses a separate savings scale; other income is generally base B. A limited foreign tax credit may apply to qualifying foreign-earned employment/entrepreneurial income, with statutory cap.
Who it applies to
- Individual must become Spanish tax resident because of the move, not have been resident in Spain in the five tax periods before it, and elect the regime on form 149.
- The move (in the first year of application or the year before) must result from one of: an employment contract in Spain (including remote work for a foreign employer under the international teleworking visa), becoming a director of an entity, an entrepreneurial activity recognised under Art. 70 of Ley 14/2013, or a highly qualified professional serving start-ups or doing R&D&I work with more than 40% of business, professional and work income from it.
- The individual must not earn income through a permanent establishment in Spain (except in the entrepreneur and highly qualified professional cases).
- The regime applies in the tax period of the change of residence and the following five tax periods, while the conditions continue.
- Spouse and children under 25 (or any age if disabled), or the parent where there is no marriage, can elect too if they also become resident and their combined taxable base is lower than the principal taxpayer's.
Exclusions
- Not automatic with a digital-nomad or other visa; tax election, residence and activity conditions are separate.
- Dividends, interest and capital gains (Art. 25.1.f TRLIRNR income) use the separate savings scale in Art. 93.2.e: 19% up to EUR 6,000, (≈ $6,700) 21% to EUR 50,000, (≈ $55,900) 23% to EUR 200,000, (≈ $223,000) 27% to EUR 300,000 (≈ $335,000) and 30% above (30% from tax year 2025 under Ley 7/2024). The 24%/47% scale applies to the rest of the base.
- Non-business urban real estate in Spain may generate imputed rental income even when used as the taxpayer's habitual home (TEAC unification criterion of 17 July 2025).
- Qualifying employment and entrepreneurial income earned during the regime is treated as Spanish-source even when the work is done abroad, apart from income from activity before the move or after the regime ends.
Limits
- EUR 600,000 a year (≈ $670,000) · General part of the base: 24% up to this amount and 47% above (Art. 93.2.e.1); withholding on employment income is 24%, and 47% on pay from one payer above EUR 600,000 (≈ $670,000).
- EUR 300,000 a year (≈ $335,000) · Savings part of the base: 19% to EUR 6,000, (≈ $6,700) 21% to EUR 50,000, (≈ $55,900) 23% to EUR 200,000, (≈ $223,000) 27% to this amount and 30% above (Art. 93.2.e.2).
Days in the country
- More than 183 days in calendar year · Spanish tax residence if more than 183 days in Spain in the calendar year (Art. 9 LIRPF), subject to centre-of-interests rules.
Tax residence
Applicant must become Spanish tax resident because of the move and not have been resident in the prior five tax periods; election is filed on form 149 and lasts the arrival year plus five. Participants are treated as non-residents for double tax treaty purposes and are taxed in Spain only on Spanish-source income, with qualifying work and entrepreneurial income deemed Spanish-source.
Visas
Independent tax election; a telework visa can be a qualifying circumstance but does not confer the regime.
Other taxes
Spanish social security, VAT and business registration are separate. Participants are subject to Wealth Tax on a limited (Spanish-situated assets) basis. Non-business urban property in Spain gives imputed rental income even if it is the main home (TEAC criterion of 17 July 2025). A foreign tax credit for qualifying work and entrepreneurial income earned abroad is capped at 30% of the related tax charge.
Checked against official sources on Change log
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≈ USD figures are approximate: daily reference rates from ExchangeRate-API, dated 12 Oct 2026, refreshed when the site is updated.
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How this was checked
Checked on 2026-10-11 against 6 official sources. Status: verified against the official sources.
Every figure on this page comes from the official source it links to. The record was researched against these sources, then reviewed separately, with special attention to effective dates and amendments. Where a source does not state something, the page leaves it out.
- Ley 14/2013, support for entrepreneurs and their internationalisation: consolidated text (Arts. 61-76, 74 bis-quinquies) · Boletín Oficial del Estado · checked 2026-10-10
- Sheet 66 - Initial residence and work authorization for highly qualified professionals · Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration · checked 2026-10-10
- Orden AUC/891/2024 setting the fees for processing visas · Official State Gazette (BOE) · checked 2026-10-11
- FAQs: residence and work authorizations for international teleworkers · Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE-CE) · checked 2026-10-10
- Real Decreto 1155/2024, Regulation of Ley Orgánica 4/2000: consolidated text (in force 20 May 2025) · Boletín Oficial del Estado · checked 2026-10-10
- Código Civil, Art. 22 (Spanish nationality by residence) · Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado · checked 2026-10-11
Tracked since 2026-10-10. Rule changes and corrections are listed on the changes page, and the methodology page explains how facts are checked. Found something out of date? Email contact@stayglobe.app with a link to the official source.