Hire Workers in Spain from India, Nepal and Bangladesh
Spanish employers can sponsor non-EU workers directly, and the shortage-occupation catalogue decides how hard it is. We source from South Asia, check your role against the catalogue for your province, and run the authorisation end to end.
- Checked against your province, not the average
Spanish shortage lists are provincial. A role that clears in Almería may not clear in Madrid.
What You Need to Hire Workers in Spain
The main route is the autorización inicial de residencia temporal y trabajo por cuenta ajena — an initial temporary residence and work authorisation that the employer applies for, on the strength of a signed offer of employment. Once it is granted the worker collects a visa at the Spanish consulate, enters Spain and registers for a foreigner identity card.
What decides the difficulty is the Catálogo de Ocupaciones de Difícil Cobertura, the shortage-occupation catalogue published quarterly by the SEPE. If your occupation appears in the catalogue for the province where the job sits, you are exempt from proving that the post could not be filled locally. If it does not appear, you must run that proof through the state employment service first, which adds both time and risk.
Two things follow from that, and both matter commercially. The catalogue is provincial, so the same job title can be straightforward in one province and difficult in another. And it is quarterly, so a role that qualified last quarter is not guaranteed to qualify this one. We check the catalogue in force for your province before quoting, and we tell you which of the two paths your file is on.
Spain also runs collective hiring at origin — the gestión colectiva de contrataciones en origen — for seasonal work. That programme operates mainly with countries holding bilateral migration agreements with Spain, which does not currently extend to the South Asian nationalities we source, so we do not route South Asian workers through it.
Who We Are
Hire Across Euro is an independent international recruitment consultancy with an active sourcing network across India, Nepal and Bangladesh. The founder runs every engagement personally, so a Spanish employer gets a provincial answer rather than a national generalisation.
What We Handle for Spanish Employers
Sourcing and Vetting
We shortlist workers whose training documents and work history stand up to consular scrutiny. Every file is checked for document completeness and practical competence before it reaches you.
- Document verification
- Trade competence check
Catalogue Check and Authorisation
We check your occupation against the catalogue in force for your province, then assemble the initial work authorisation file — including the employment-situation evidence where the exemption does not apply.
- Provincial catalogue check
- Authorisation file assembly
Consular and Arrival Support
We support the visa application at the Spanish consulate and the post-arrival formalities, including the foreigner identity card appointment.
Workplace Onboarding
Workers are briefed on the applicable convenio colectivo, Spanish working-time rules and site safety expectations before they travel.
Sectors Where We Hire Workers in Spain
Four areas where Spanish shortages are structural and appear regularly in provincial catalogues.
Agriculture and Glasshouse
Field, orchard and glasshouse work across Andalucía, Murcia and the Ebro valley, and packing-line staff.
Construction
Bricklayers, formwork carpenters, steel fixers and finishing trades for contractors and developers.
Hospitality and Tourism
Kitchen, housekeeping and service staff for hotels and resort operators through the season and beyond it.
Metal and Manufacturing
Welders, machine operators and production staff for metalworking and light industrial plants.
The Spanish Route at a Glance
The essentials employers ask for on the first call, in one place.
| Permit | Autorización inicial de residencia temporal y trabajo por cuenta ajena |
|---|---|
| Who applies | The employer, on a signed offer of employment |
| Labour market test | Waived where the occupation is on the Catálogo de Ocupaciones de Difícil Cobertura for that province |
| Catalogue cycle | Published quarterly by the SEPE, and set province by province |
| Pay floor | The applicable convenio colectivo for the sector and province |
| Not available | Seasonal hiring at origin (GECCO) runs with bilateral-agreement countries, which does not cover South Asia |
How to Hire Workers in Spain from India, Nepal and Bangladesh
Spanish employers looking to hire workers in Spain from South Asia tend to get one thing right and one thing wrong. Right: Spain is genuinely more open than most of northern Europe, and an employer can sponsor a non-EU worker directly without an intermediary scheme. Wrong: they treat the shortage-occupation catalogue as a national list, and budget on that basis.
The Catálogo de Ocupaciones de Difícil Cobertura is provincial and quarterly. It is compiled by the SEPE from actual placement difficulty in each province, which is exactly why it is useful — it reflects where employers really cannot fill posts. It is also why a national answer to “is this role on the list” is worthless. A metalworking role in one province and the identical role in another can sit on opposite sides of the labour-market-test requirement.
Where the catalogue exemption does not apply, the route is still open, it is simply slower: the post goes to the state employment service, the search is documented, and the authorisation is applied for on the strength of that record. Employers who plan for the slower path and are pleasantly surprised do better than employers who plan for the exemption and are not.
On terms, Spain is unambiguous. The offer must meet the applicable convenio colectivo for the sector and province, and the authorisation is assessed against it. Underpaying a South Asian hire relative to the convenio does not save money; it loses the file. Our current roles are on the vacancies board, our standards are set out in ethical recruitment compliant with EU labour law, and employers comparing southern European markets often also look at Portugal and Greece.
How the Process Works
Six steps from the first requirement call to workers on site in Spain.
Requirement Call
We go through headcount, roles, worksite location, contract length and the start date you are working back from.
Shortlist
We present vetted workers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh or Pakistan with their training and work-history evidence attached.
Permit Filing
We check the provincial catalogue, then file the initial residence and work authorisation with the Oficina de Extranjería.
Visa Application
We prepare the consular file and the employer-side documents your HR team is asked to produce, and track it to decision.
Arrival
We coordinate travel and the first days in Spain, including the foreigner identity card appointment and registration.
Onboarding
We support induction at the worksite and stay reachable through the first weeks of the placement.
Quick Answers
What is the Catálogo de Ocupaciones de Difícil Cobertura?
It is Spain’s shortage occupation catalogue, published quarterly by the state employment service and broken down by province. An occupation listed for your province is exempt from proving the post could not be filled locally, which is the single biggest determinant of how long your file takes.
Why does the province matter so much in Spain?
Because the catalogue is provincial, not national. The same job title can be exempt from the labour market test in one province and require full evidence in another, so a national answer to “is this role on the list” is worthless. We check the province where the job actually sits.
How long does it take to hire workers in Spain?
It depends on the province, on whether the catalogue exemption applies and on consular capacity, so a single honest number does not exist. We give you a range for your specific province and file at the first call, and we say plainly when a target date is not achievable.
Official Sources and Further Reading
We work from the bodies that administer the route. The catalogue in particular is revised every quarter, so check it against your own province before committing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Spanish shortage occupation list national?
No, and this is the single most common misunderstanding. The Catálogo de Ocupaciones de Difícil Cobertura is published by province and revised quarterly. Your role has to be on the list for the province where the job is, in the quarter you file.
What happens if our role is not in the catalogue?
The route stays open but gets slower. The vacancy goes through the state employment service, the search is documented, and the authorisation is applied for on the strength of that record rather than on an exemption.
Can we use the seasonal contratación en origen programme for Indian or Nepali workers?
Not in practice. Collective hiring at origin operates principally with countries that hold bilateral migration agreements with Spain, which does not currently cover the South Asian nationalities we source. We use the standard employer-sponsored authorisation instead.
Do we have to pay the convenio colectivo rate?
Yes. The offer is assessed against the applicable sector and provincial collective agreement, and an offer below it will not support an authorisation. It is a condition of the permit, not a guideline.
How long does the whole process take?
It depends on the province, on whether the catalogue exemption applies and on consular capacity, so a single honest number does not exist. We give you a range for your specific province and file at the first call, and we tell you when a date is not achievable.
How much does it cost to hire workers in Spain from South Asia?
There are three cost lines and we quote all of them before you commit: our recruitment fee, the state charges on the authorisation, and your own travel and accommodation commitments. What will not reduce the cost is offering below the convenio colectivo, because the authorisation is assessed against those terms and a below-scale offer produces a refusal rather than a saving.
Our occupation is not in the catalogue this quarter. Is Spain closed to us?
No. The catalogue exemption is a shortcut, not the only door. Where it does not apply the vacancy goes through the state employment service, the search is documented, and the authorisation is applied for on the strength of that record. It takes longer and carries more risk, but it is a real route and we run it regularly.
Request Workers for Spain
Tell us the roles, the province and the headcount. A consultant replies within one business day with the catalogue position for your province and what the file will take.
Talk to Us
If your operation in Spain needs workers from India, Nepal or Bangladesh, send us the requirement and a consultant replies within one business day with the route, the provincial position and a quote.