Entry and residence of teaching and research staff (TRS) from outside the EU

Article 117 of Royal Decree 557/2011, of 20 April, which approves the Regulations of Organic Law 4/2000, sets out the procedure for applying for residence permits and work permit exemptions.

Foreign teaching and research staff invited or hired by a Spanish university may be exempted. Foreign teaching and research staff who, having the appropriate academic qualifications, are invited or contracted by a Spanish university to carry out teaching tasks or a technical, scientific or general interest programme, are considered as such.

• If the lecturer is not a legal resident in Spain, he/she must apply for a residence visa and work permit exemption at the Spanish consulate of his/her country of origin or legal residence. 

The UB must provide the signed contract or letter of invitation. 
 

You can search for the Spanish consulate or embassy of the corresponding country on the Embassies and consulates website. 

It is advisable to have this permit if the researcher does not plan to bring family members with him/her. In this type of permit the decisions of the holder and family members are not always made jointly and the family members' permit does not entitle them to work.

• If the foreign professor is a legal resident in Spain (e.g. has a temporary residence and self-employment permit), then he/she must apply for the modification of the permit at the Subdelegation of the Government so that this exception is recognised.

Requiered documentation

• Application form in official model (sheet EX-09) in duplicate, duly completed and signed by the foreigner or his/her legal representative in the case of minors.
• A complete copy of the passport, travel document or registration card valid for at least four months.
• Documentation accrediting the case of exception to the work permit.
• In case of not being a resident in Spain at the time of making the application:
  • Criminal record certificate issued by the authorities of the country of origin or the country or countries where you have resided for the last five years.
  • Medical certificate.

Important note: When documents from other countries are provided, they must be translated into Spanish or the co-official language of the territory in which the application is submitted. On the other hand, any foreign public document must be previously legalised by the Spanish Consular Office with jurisdiction in the country where this document was issued or, if applicable, by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, unless this document has been apostilled by the competent authority of the issuing country according to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 and unless this document is exempt from legalisation by virtue of an international convention.

Information on translation and legalisation of documents

Procedure

For any queries or procedures, please contact us:

Technical and management staff and administration and services staff: pas@ub.edu

Academic staff: personal.academic@ub.edu

Research staff: personal.investigador@ub.edu

Postal address:

Pavelló Rosa - Recinte Maternitat

Travessera de les Corts, 131-159

08028 Barcelona

Renewal of the permit

Article 118.3 of Royal Decree 557/2011, of 20 April, which approves the Regulation of Organic Law 4/2000, indicates that the first authorisation granted is valid for a maximum of one year. The second authorisation is valid for two years, and the next renewal is valid for two more years, if the circumstances for which the exception was granted continue to exist. 
The renewal of the work permit exemption can be done directly by the applicant at any official registry of the Ministry of Public Administrations or Generalitat de Catalunya.

Article 72 of Law 14/2013, of 27 September, on support for entrepreneurs and their internationalisation, describes the procedure for obtaining a residence and work permit for researchers. It can be requested whether the researcher is in Spain in a regular situation or in his or her country of origin.

If the researcher is in Spain, the initial application corresponds to the company and involves the payment of the 790 038 fee. This application is submitted electronically to the Large Companies Unit.

If the researcher is outside Spain, the company submits the application under the same terms as in the previous case and, once authorisation has been obtained, it is sent to the researcher so that he/she can request a residence and work visa from the corresponding consular office.

This permit is recommended in cases where the researcher has family members, because it allows the family members to apply for a residence and work permit together with the family regrouping permit that allows them to work without having to apply for any other permit.

Procediment

A non-EU student who has a residence permit for study purposes may carry out work activities without the need for additional authorisation, provided that his or her permit states that he or she is authorised to work.

This authorisation allows you to work up to 30 hours a week, provided that it is compatible with your studies. Its expiry date is subject to the end date of the contract and/or the expiry date of the TIE (foreigner's identification card), although it is renewable.