How do I change jobs in Spain?
Changing employer in Spain is simple once your permit is renewed or you are a long-term resident. In the first year of an employer-based work permit, the job, the region and the timing all matter, so plan the switch before you resign.
In 30 seconds
- Your first work permit lasts up to a year and is limited to one region and one occupation. You can change employer in the same occupation after 3 months
- Since 20 May 2025 a renewed permit lasts 4 years and lets you work anywhere in Spain, for anyone, employed or self-employed
- If you resign, you usually can’t claim unemployment benefit (paro). If your job ends for other reasons and you have 360 days of contributions, you can, and it can support your permit renewal
What your permit allows
The immigration regulation (Real Decreto 1155/2024) came into force on 20 May 2025. It sets these rules for the ordinary employee work permit (residencia temporal y trabajo por cuenta ajena):
| Stage | What you can do |
|---|---|
| First permit (up to 1 year) | Work in the region (comunidad autónoma) and occupation on your permit, unless your job was exempt from the labour market test. Some regions with their own powers can set a narrower area |
| After 3 months, in the first year | Change employer, in the same occupation. The new employer tells the immigration office (oficina de extranjería). Moving to another region or occupation needs a change to your permit |
| Any time in the first year | Change employer if your employer seriously breaks your contract, or if something outside its control stops the job. You then have 3 months for a new employer to notify the office |
| Renewed permit (4 years) | Any work, employed or self-employed, anywhere in Spain |
| Long-term resident | Work like a Spanish citizen. See How do we get long-term residence and citizenship? |
So a job offer in Barcelona while your first permit is for Madrid, or a move from hospitality to office work, needs more than a new contract. Check with the immigration office or an immigration lawyer (abogado de extranjería) before you resign.
Renewing your permit
- Apply in the 2 months before your permit expires. Applying in that window keeps your old permit valid until you get a decision. You can still apply up to 3 months late, but you may be fined
- It is renewed if you still have the same job, or if you worked at least 3 months a year and now have a new contract, or your job ended through no choice of yours and you have stayed registered as a job seeker ever since
- It is also renewed if you are receiving contributory unemployment benefit, or if you worked and paid social security for at least 9 months in any 12
- The office must decide within 3 months. If it doesn’t, the renewal counts as granted
- Ask for your new TIE (residence card) within a month of the decision. See How much tax will I pay in Spain?
Other permits
Highly qualified and EU Blue Card permits run through a different law. If a Blue Card holder loses their job, they have 3 months to find another highly qualified job, or 6 months if they have held the card for at least 2 years. Digital nomads must keep working mainly for employers or clients outside Spain. Check your own permit’s conditions with the UGE-CE or a lawyer See Which Spanish visa do I need?
Resigning and your finiquito
You resign (dimisión) by giving the notice set in your collective agreement (convenio colectivo) or by local custom, so check your agreement first. Give it in writing with your last day. If you are still in your trial period (periodo de prueba), either side can usually end the contract without notice; by law the trial period can’t be longer than 6 months for qualified technical staff, or 2 months for others, unless your agreement says otherwise.
When the job ends, your employer must give you a proposed settlement (finiquito). Check it before you sign. It should include:
- Salary owed to your last day
- Holiday you have earned but not taken. You get at least 30 calendar days a year
- Your share of the two extra payments (pagas extra) a year, unless they are already spread across your monthly pay
- You can ask for a workers’ representative to be present when you sign, and the receipt must say whether you used that right
If your employer ends your job
| How it ends | Compensation set by law |
|---|---|
| Dismissal ruled unfair (improcedente) | 33 days’ salary per year worked, up to 24 months’ pay (older contracts can get more for time before 12 Feb 2012) |
| Objective dismissal (economic or similar reasons) | 20 days’ salary per year, up to 12 months’ pay, with 15 days’ notice |
| End of a fixed-term contract | 12 days’ salary per year |
| You leave because of a serious breach (such as repeated late pay) | The same as an unfair dismissal, if a court agrees |
Unemployment benefit (paro)
- You need at least 360 days of contributions for unemployment in the 6 years before you lost your job, and you must be legally resident and registered as a job seeker
- Your job must end in a “legal situation of unemployment”, such as dismissal or the end of a contract. A voluntary resignation isn’t on the list
- You get 120 days of benefit for 360 to 539 days of contributions, rising to 720 days for 2,160 days or more
- It pays 70% of your average contribution base for the first 180 days and 60% after that, within a minimum and a maximum that depend on children
- Apply within 15 working days of your last day
Non-compete clauses
A clause stopping you working for a competitor after you leave is only valid if your employer has a real business interest in it and pays you adequate compensation. It can last no more than 2 years for qualified technical staff and 6 months for others. If your contract has one, read it before you accept a new job. Compare offers with the pay calculator, and see What are my rights at work?.
What to do next
- Check your TIE for the region and occupation your permit covers
- Find the notice period in your convenio colectivo before resigning
- Diary the 2-month window to renew your permit
Keep going
- BOE: Real Decreto 1155/2024, the immigration regulation (in force 20 May 2025)
- BOE: Ley Orgánica 4/2000 on the rights of foreign nationals (article 38: renewing work permits)
- BOE: Ley 14/2013 (highly qualified workers, EU Blue Card, international teleworkers)
- BOE: Workers’ Statute (Estatuto de los Trabajadores, consolidated text)
- SEPE: Contributory unemployment benefit (paro)
- SEPE: Contributory benefit after working a year or more (requirements, amount, how to apply)
- SEPE: How long the contributory benefit lasts
- SEPE: Legal situations of unemployment