In short: the initial residence-and-work permit for self-employment (cuenta propia), which non-residents apply for as a self-employed visa at the Spanish consulate, lets you live and work as a self-employed person (autónomo) in Spain. It requires a viable business project with sufficient investment, professional qualifications and the activity's licences, and no criminal record. It lasts 1 year, limited to one autonomous community and one sector; the decision takes 3 months (RD 1155/2024, arts. 82-87).
In person or by representative? It is mixed. A non-resident applies for the residence visa at the Spanish consulate for their place of residence, and that application includes the authorisation request (arts. 39.1 and 85.1). Sheet 14 says you file it yourself, in person, and that you also collect the visa in person. Art. 26.1 also allows filing at the centre of an external service provider the consulate works with, or electronically where an application exists for it. Since the sources do not fully match, plan to go in person. A representative is only accepted if the consulate agrees as an exception: when you do not live in the city where the consulate is and you prove that distance, transport, illness or your physical condition makes travelling very hard for you (art. 26.1). Once in Spain, within one month of registering with Social Security you apply for the TIE in person (art. 85.8).
Difference from cuenta ajena: if you will work for a company under a contract, that is residence and work as an employee (cuenta ajena) (the employer applies, art. 77.1). This permit is for running your own business / being self-employed: you provide the project, the investment and the activity's licences.
Difference from the entrepreneur residence (Law 14/2013): if your project is innovative or of special economic interest for Spain, there is another route. You apply online with the Large Companies and Strategic Collectives Unit (UGE-CE), which asks ENISA for a favourable report on the project (arts. 69 and 70 of Law 14/2013). The authorisation lasts 3 years, and if there is no decision within 20 working days it is deemed granted (art. 76.1). In the self-employment route on this page, silence means refusal.
Requirements (art. 84)
- Meet what the law requires of nationals to open and run the planned activity (licences, registrations, sector permits).
- Professional qualification legally required or sufficient proven experience, and professional registration (colegiación) where required.
- Prove the sufficiency of the planned investment to set up the project and, where relevant, its impact on job creation (including self-employment).
- Not be within a commitment not to return to Spain assumed on voluntary return to the country of origin, if any.
- Not pose a threat to public order, public security or public health (checked via absence of criminal record and a police report).
- Have paid the processing fee.
Official form: EX-07 — "Authorisation of temporary residence and self-employment" (official PDF, inclusion.gob.es). Official information on this route: Self-employment / entrepreneur (inclusion.gob.es).
Deadline and silence: 3 months from the consulate's communication; if no reply, the application is deemed refused (art. 85.4). A police report showing a record is not, by itself, an automatic ground for refusal (art. 85.2).
Steps
- Prepare your business project/plan and gather the documents proving the investment, qualification and activity permits (form EX-07).
- Apply for the self-employment residence visa at the Spanish consulate in your country (arts. 38-39); pay the fee.
- The immigration office resolves within 3 months (silence = refusal). If favourable, the visa is issued.
- After entering Spain legally, within 3 months register with Social Security (autónomos): this gives the authorisation effect (art. 85.7).
- Within 1 month of registration, apply in person for the TIE (foreigner ID card) (art. 85.8).
Official source: Immigration Regulation (RD 1155/2024), arts. 82-87 and Self-employment / entrepreneur (inclusion.gob.es). Informational only; exact requirements and documents vary — check the official source, the consulate and a professional for your specific case.
