Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
I will be on Spanish student visa, with NIE, for up to 6 months. I have recently applied for a job and they have said I should be fine to work up to 20 hours with this visa and I just need to apply for a social security number. What do you think? Is it possible?
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
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“I am under student visa and have NIE, but finding companies who are willing to go to la oficina de extranjeria and switch your visa seems impossible! Good luck if the company is willing to go there and help you to be hired.”
“you can work up to 20 hours with a work permit that they must apply for.”
“Your employer needs to apply for work permission on your behalf. It’s not automatic. (In short, its not impossible but unlikely)”
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See Vetted Lawyers →“All the above advice is good but honestly it’s Spain – companies are too lazy to do their own job let alone do extra paperwork for hiring students. Unless you’re a highly qualified worker, they seldom do it. Cuenta ajena and propia are good options”
“As people have said above, the paperwork and amount of waiting time are likely dissuasions for employers. If they can find an EU national with fantastic English to do the job (many people have dual passports and then there’s citizens of countries such as The Netherlands, who usually have an almost native English level), then they’re not going to go through all this. Sorry, but that’s the case here.”
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