¿Professional Athlete Work Visa Spain? To obtain a professional athlete visa in Spain, you must follow a specific process that includes submitting documentation and meeting certain requirements.
If you’ve come across this article, it’s likely because you are in a situation where you need to advise a player on obtaining a visa (for studies, professional sports, etc.) in Spain.
In this article, we will analyze the situation of a player who meets the following conditions: they are over 16 years old, of European nationality, want to work and pursue a professional football career in Spain for a period exceeding 3 months, which is crucial.
So, we will explain how to obtain a professional athlete visa in five simple steps, which you can find in this article or on our YouTube channel.
FIRST STEP: IDENTIFY YOUR ATHLETE CATEGORY
The first step you need to take is to identify your category as an athlete, meaning you must ensure that the club where you will be competing belongs to one of the following categories:
- In the case of football, either the First or Second Division of men’s football or the First Division of Women’s Football.
- In the case of futsal, the category of División de Honor Liga Nacional for both men and women.
- In basketball, the ACB League, LEB League, and Women’s League.
- In handball, the ASOBAL League and Women’s División de Honor.
- In volleyball, the Men’s and Women’s Division of Honor.
- Finally, in cycling, clubs or teams integrated into the Pro-Tour.
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SECOND STEP: SUBMITTING THE DOCUMENTATION IN PERSON
Secondly, the employer or any party legally authorized to represent the applicant must personally submit all the required documentation to the consular office corresponding to the applicant’s legal residence.
At the time of the application’s admission, the residence and work fees must be paid within a period of ten business days. Specifically, the following forms:
- Modelo 790 código 052 to be paid by the foreign worker
- Modelo 790 código 062 to be paid by the employer
Once the fees have been paid and the employer’s obligations regarding social security have been fulfilled, the work provision may commence.
However, prior to the commencement of employment, the requesting entity must communicate the use of the sports license as authorization for temporary residence and work to:
Pues bien, el plazo de resolución de la solicitud será de 3 meses contados a partir del día siguiente a la fecha en que haya tenido entrada en el registro del órgano competente para su tramitación.
- The Government Delegation or Sub-delegation of the province;
- The Directorate-General for Migrations, under the General Secretariat for Immigration and Emigration, and;
- The General Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Borders, under the Directorate-General of Police and the Civil Guard.
THIRD STEP: VISA APPLICATION
The third step entails that, in the event of the concession, the worker has one month from the notification to the employer to personally apply for the visa at the diplomatic mission or consular office in their place of residence.
For the visa application, they must attach:
- Ordinary passport with a validity of at least four months.
- Certificate of criminal record for the last five years.
- Medical certificate.
- Copy of the temporary residence and work authorization.
FOURTH STEP: COLLECTION
Fourthly, once the visa is granted, the worker must personally collect it within one month from the date of notification and enter Spanish territory during the validity period of the visa.
FIFTH STEP: APPLICATION FOR FOREIGNER ID CARD
And, in the fifth and final step, within one month of entering Spain, the athlete must personally apply for the Foreigner ID Card at the Foreigner’s Office or Police Station where the authorization was processed.
They will need to provide a copy of their passport, form EX17, proof of payment of the fee, proof of Social Security affiliation, and three recent color passport-sized photographs.
REQUIREMENTS FOR OBTAINING
- Not being a citizen of a European Union, European Economic Area, or Swiss State.
- Being a professional athlete, including coaches.
- Thirdly, to be eligible for a residence and work authorization as a professional athlete, you must not be in an irregular situation in Spain.
- You must not have a criminal record; therefore, you must provide documentation of criminal records from the previous five years with the visa application.
- You must not be within the non-return commitment period to Spain.
- Possess a sports license that enables participation in official sports competitions or activities organized by sports federations and/or professional leagues or similar entities.
- The employer must guarantee continuous activity during the validity period of the residence and work authorization. Naturally, the company must be registered in the Social Security system and be up to date with its tax obligations.
«At MSR Abogados, we specialize in handling immigration procedures for all types of athletes. If you are looking for professionals to obtain your visa, or if you are a lawyer and want to collaborate with our firm, do not hesitate to contact us through our email address at mario@msr-abogados.com or via our social media channels.»