Working in Spain on temporary protection: your rights, SEPE and the first contract

The right to work is already part of the status

The main thing to know: temporary protection in Spain is not merely permission to be in the country. The resolution granting the status includes an autorizacion de residencia y trabajo, the right to live and work, both as an employee (por cuenta ajena) and for yourself (por cuenta propia). You may work from the age of 16, in any sector and for any employer.

That means the employer does not have to request a separate permiso de trabajo for you, wait for quotas or prove that no local candidates are available for the post. Your resolution or TIE card marked with temporary protection, plus your NIE number, is enough.

On timing: in Spain the Ministry of the Interior, by Orden INT/96/2026, automatically extended protection beneficiaries' permits and TIE cards to 4 March 2027: even if the card itself shows an earlier date, the document remains valid and the right to work continues. No application is needed for this extension. At EU level protection has been extended to 4 March 2028, but the Spanish order for 2028 has not been published yet.

Registering: demandante de empleo and SEPE

The second step worth taking after you receive the status is registering as a demandante de empleo (jobseeker). This is a tool rather than an obligation, and it should not be confused with a work permit: you already have the right to work.

What registration gives you:

• Free courses in Spanish, vocational training and digital skills under state employment programmes.
• Employment programmes such as guidance, help with your CV and job matching; a number of autonomous communities run dedicated programmes for protection beneficiaries.
• Access to benefits. If you have already worked officially and then lost your job, unemployment benefit (prestacion) and subsidies are processed through SEPE, and demandante de empleo status is mandatory for that.

One nuance: jobseekers are registered by the regional employment services (SAE, LABORA, SOC and others), while SEPE administers the benefits. You book online or at the office for your registered address (padrón). After registering you receive a jobseeker document (DARDE) and the duty to renew the demanda (renovar la demanda) on time, since missing the date removes you from the register.

Before your first contract: NIE, Seguridad Social, bank account

To start work without delays, prepare three things:

1. NIE. Your foreigner number has already been assigned in the protection resolution and printed on the TIE, so there is nothing separate to obtain.
2. Número de la Seguridad Social (NUSS). Obtained through the Import@ss portal or a Tesoreria General office; often the employer makes the request. Without a NUSS there can be no alta, the registration of you as a worker.
3. A bank account. Your salary (nomina) is paid into an account, and temporary protection lets you open a resident account.

The key rule: the alta with Seguridad Social is completed before work begins, including for a probation period and for a so-called trial day. You can check free of charge that your employer really has registered you by requesting an informe de vida laboral through Import@ss.

The employment contract: what to check before signing

A contract in Spain is drawn up in writing, and you should sign it only after a calm review. Here is what to look at:

Every month you must receive a payslip, the nomina. An arrangement where part is official and part is cash in hand costs you contribution history and benefits, and creates risks when you move to another residence permit ground.

Working for yourself: autónomo on temporary protection

The status lets you work for yourself legally. For that you need to:

• register with the tax authority: an alta censal using forms 036/037, choosing your activity;
• register with the self-employed regime RETA at Seguridad Social;
• issue invoices (facturas), keep records of your income and file returns.

New autónomos benefit from a reduced contribution rate (tarifa plana); check the current amount on the Seguridad Social resources. Assess the taxes separately: IRPF and sometimes IVA and quarterly forms, which we cover in more detail in our article on registering as an autónomo.

How Krepko does it for you

You already have the right to work, but between the status and your first nomina lies a chain of bureaucracy: NUSS, padrón, a bank account, employment service registration, checking the contract and sometimes registering as an autónomo.

Krepko takes that chain on: we prepare the documents, book the appointments, obtain the NUSS, register you as a demandante de empleo, help you open an account and check that your documents are in order before you start work. Legally significant acts are performed by licensed specialists: lawyers, gestores and sworn translators. If you plan to move later from temporary protection to another type of residency, see our Residency in Spain service: we will build the strategy in advance, while your work history and padrón are working for you.

Leave a request and we will review your situation and tell you which steps you specifically need.

Sources

• Protección temporal - Ucrania Urgente, Ministerio de Inclusion, Seguridad Social y Migraciones
• Prorroga de la Protección Temporal - Ucrania Urgente
• SEPE - Servicio Publico de Empleo Estatal