Can I Move to Spain as a Nurse? Homologation and Visas 2026

Short answer: It depends

Yes, if your nursing degree is homologated, you join a Colegio de Enfermería and an employer applies for an employed work authorisation (cuenta ajena) for you. That general work route is not one of the programmes in Transita's database, so this guide links the official source for it instead of quoting fees.

The programmes that apply to nurses in Spain

Fees, salary floors and processing times below come from the official sources in Transita's visa database. Processing is an estimate from the published figure, not a promise.

Programme	Fee	Salary floor	Processing	Job offer	PR after
Highly Qualified Professional	$200	EUR 41,356.36/yr (≈ $47,394/yr)	1–2 months	Yes	5 years
Student Visa	$80	None set	1–2 months	No	5 years

Highly Qualified Professional headline floor: single national threshold, gross annual, no reduced rate.

Highly Qualified Professional: Rarely fits nurses. It is designed for senior and specialist hires at large or strategic companies, with a salary floor most nursing posts do not reach.
Student Visa: Only relevant if you choose to study in Spain, for example to retrain locally. It allows limited work while you study.

Step one: homologation and colegiación

The Ministry of Health sets out what practising a health profession in Spain requires: a Spanish degree or the homologation of a foreign one, membership of the relevant professional college (colegiación), not being suspended, and professional liability insurance.

For a foreign nursing degree, homologation is handled by the Ministry of Universities, not the Ministry of Health.

Step two: the employer's work authorisation

Spain's standard employed route is the initial residence and work authorisation for employed work. The employer applies, with a signed contract, and the national employment situation has to allow the hire. It does when the job is on the public employment service's quarterly list of hard-to-fill occupations, or when the employer shows the vacancy could not be filled locally.

Because that route is not in our database, we do not quote its fee or processing time here. The Highly Qualified Professional is in our data (fee $200, floor EUR 41,356.36/yr (≈ $47,394/yr), about 1–2 months), and the HQP guide explains who it is for.

Who sponsors nurses in Spain

Transita does not hold a Spanish sponsor register. On the employed route the employer is the applicant, so the hospital or care provider that offers you a contract carries the paperwork. Ask whether the post is on the hard-to-fill occupations list, because that decides how much the employer has to prove.

The Transita sponsor register collects the official sponsor lists we hold, so you can check an employer before you apply.

Frequently asked questions

Can a foreign nurse work in Spain?

Yes, after the nursing degree is homologated by the Ministry of Universities and you join a provincial nursing college. A Spanish employer then applies for your work authorisation.

Who homologates a foreign nursing degree in Spain?

The Ministry of Universities. The Ministry of Health's guidance points there for foreign nursing titles.

Do nurses need to join a college in Spain?

Yes. Colegiación is one of the requirements for practising a health profession in Spain, together with a Spanish or homologated degree and liability insurance.

Is there a special visa for nurses in Spain?

Not in Transita's data. Nurses use the general employed work authorisation, which the employer applies for and which depends on the national employment situation.

Related guides

Keep homologation and the visa in one plan

Transita tracks the homologation, colegiación and work authorisation steps for Spain, and compares Spain with other countries that recruit nurses. Answer 8 questions and your routes, documents and dates are set up for you. Free.

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official sources: HQP · inclusion.gob.es·Type D Student · exteriores.gob.es