How to Move to Spain from China: Visas, Residency and Complete Guide for Companies and Citizens in 2026

The Spanish consulate in China: offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou

Spain has a solid consular network in China, with the Embassy in Beijing and two Consulates General in Shanghai and Guangzhou. Each one covers a specific territorial jurisdiction:

• Embassy of Spain in Beijing (Consular Section): San Li Tun Dong Si Jie, no. 9, Chaoyang District. Phones: +8610 6532 0780/81/82. Email: cog.pekin@maec.es. Serves the north and central-north of China, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria and other provinces in the area.
• Consulate General of Spain in Shanghai: serves Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and other central-east provinces (with extended jurisdiction).
• Consulate General of Spain in Guangzhou (Canton): serves Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian and southern China, including areas with the highest level of foreign trade activity with Spain.

Appointment booking is handled online at each consulate. Typical timelines in 2026:

• Highly Qualified Professional visa, digital nomad visa, entrepreneur visa (UGE-CE): 4-6 weeks from filing in Spain to visa issuance in China.
• Standard employee work permit: 6-12 weeks for an appointment; 1-3 months for resolution.
• Non-lucrative visa: 4-8 weeks for an appointment; 1-3 months for resolution.
• Student visa: 3-6 weeks for an appointment; 30-45 days for resolution.
• Intracompany transfer: 4-6 weeks, processed by the UGE-CE.

Practical recommendation: for Chinese citizens from inland regions, plan travel to the corresponding consulate with sufficient margin, and verify jurisdiction before booking the appointment, since each consulate only handles matters for residents within its jurisdiction.

The language barrier: sworn translation of Chinese documents into Spanish

The language barrier is one of the most concrete operational difficulties for Chinese citizens moving to Spain. Three practical points to keep in mind:

• Sworn translations: as indicated, they are mandatory and official Mandarin-to-Spanish translators are scarce in Spain, which can create bottlenecks in procedures.
• Romanization of names: Chinese names in pinyin (the official system) may show transcription variations across documents. Ensuring consistency between passport, apostille, sworn translation and Spanish procedures is essential to avoid incidents.
• Documents in traditional vs. simplified Chinese: for mainland Chinese citizens, simplified Chinese applies (with the MFA apostille). For Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan the procedures may differ (with different consulates and authorities), although sworn translation into Spanish is always required.

Chinese companies in Spain: how to establish, operate and relocate teams to Europe

The business section is probably the most relevant for the typical Chinese reader, given the weight of the entrepreneurial profile within the community. Spain offers a specific combination of advantages for Chinese companies looking to enter Europe.

Spain as a gateway to the European market for Chinese companies

Five factors make Spain a natural European hub for Chinese companies:

• EU passport: a Spanish company operates freely across all 27 EU countries without additional barriers.
• Spain-China Double Taxation Treaty, signed in Madrid on November 28, 2018 and in force since May 2, 2021, which replaces the former 1990 Treaty and updates the taxation criteria between both countries.
• Access to the Latin American market: Spain is, together with Portugal, the natural gateway to Ibero-America thanks to the common language and the network of treaties.
• Mature logistics ecosystem, with key ports (Valencia, Algeciras, Barcelona) and commercial platforms specialized in Chinese merchandise (Cobo Calleja in Madrid, Badalona in Barcelona).
• Stable legal framework, with a mature business regime, competitive operating costs and a supply of professional services specialized in China-Spain operations.

Spanish subsidiary of a Chinese company: incorporation process, capital and legal requirements

The most common option for Chinese companies establishing in Spain is the Sociedad Limitada (SL) subsidiary. The essential steps:

• Obtaining the NIE for shareholders and director, which can be handled from China via consulate or representative in Spain.
• Negative certification of company name from the Central Commercial Registry.
• Opening a bank account in the company’s name and depositing capital.
• Granting of the public deed of incorporation before a Spanish notary, with specific powers if shareholders do not travel.
• Registration with the Commercial Registry of the province.
• Tax registration and obtaining the definitive CIF.
• Registration as an employer with Social Security if the company will have employees.

The full process takes between 4 and 8 weeks and notarial and registry costs are around €1,000-€1,500 for a standard incorporation. For Chinese companies, the specific challenges typically lie in: (i) Chinese foreign exchange restrictions on capital transfer, which may require specific handling with the Chinese SAFE authorities; (ii) the apostille of Chinese corporate documents (registration certificate, articles of association, powers); and (iii) opening a bank account, where Spanish banks apply especially demanding anti-money laundering controls for Chinese shareholders. Our guide on how to create a company in Spain and our service for company incorporation in Spain coordinate all the steps.

Representative office vs. branch vs. subsidiary: which structure suits a Chinese company

For Chinese companies considering entry into Spain, the three available structures have very different profiles:

• Representative office: no legal personality of its own, can only carry out preparatory and promotional activities (without invoicing or signing binding contracts). Useful as a first market-testing step and for profiles requiring physical presence without commercial operations.
• Branch: legal extension of the Chinese parent, no legal personality of its own, taxed as a permanent establishment at 25%. Useful when you want to operate commercially but maintain legal unity with the parent.
• Subsidiary (SL or SA): a commercial company incorporated in Spain, with its own legal personality, separates the risk from the Chinese parent and operates as any Spanish company. It is the most common option for consolidated operations in Europe.

The choice depends on the expected volume, the desired risk separation and the tax strategy. To understand the differences between structures in detail, our guide on representative office, branch or subsidiary in Spain: differences compares the three options.

Relocating Chinese employees to Spain: intracompany transfer for teams of 5 to 100 people

When a Chinese company needs to relocate executives, specialists or trainees to its Spanish subsidiary, the appropriate vehicle is the intracompany transfer regulated under Law 14/2013. It is a streamlined permit with a 20-business-day resolution period before the UGE-CE, designed for profiles already part of the corporate group before the transfer. The essential requirements:

• Minimum tenure with the Chinese company of origin (3 months for executives and specialists).
• Employment contract with the Spanish subsidiary or secondment letter.
• Salary meeting the minimum thresholds for the position, in any case above the Spanish minimum wage.
• Documented qualification of the worker.
• Solvency and real activity of both companies (Chinese parent and Spanish subsidiary).

The intracompany transfer is particularly efficient for teams of 5 to 100 people that a Chinese company wants to deploy to Spain in a staggered manner. The timelines are fast, the documentation is standardized, and family members can be included in the same application. Our service for employee relocation to Spain coordinates the immigration aspects with the labor and tax matters of the relocated worker.

Due diligence for Chinese investors in Spain: what to analyze before investing

Before investing in Spain (acquiring a company, purchasing commercial real estate, joint venture or expansion via subsidiary), a Chinese company must perform due diligence covering at least:

• Legal and corporate analysis of the target asset or company.
• Cross-border Spain-China tax analysis, including the application of the new 2018 Double Taxation Treaty.
• Labor analysis, including the potential assumption of existing workforces.
• Regulatory analysis depending on the sector (authorizations, licenses, anti-money laundering, data protection).
• Review of the foreign investment control regime in strategic sectors (energy, telecommunications, sensitive technologies, defense), where the Spanish Government may apply a prior authorization regime for non-EU investors.

This step, frequently overlooked in intuitive operations, is what differentiates a successful investment from prolonged litigation or denial of administrative authorization.

Taxation of Chinese companies with activity in Spain: corporate tax and bilateral treaty

The taxation of a Chinese company with activity in Spain depends on the chosen legal structure and on the provisions of the new Treaty between the Kingdom of Spain and the People’s Republic of China for the Elimination of Double Taxation (BOE-A-2021-4911, signed in Madrid on November 28, 2018 and in force since May 2, 2021). This Treaty replaced the former 1990 one and modernized the tax framework between both countries. The key elements:

• Spanish subsidiary: pays Spanish Corporate Tax (general rate of 25%, reduced to 23% for new companies in their first two fiscal years). Dividends distributed to the Chinese parent are taxed according to the updated Spain-China Treaty.
• Branch: taxed as a permanent establishment at 25%; profits transferred to China are governed by the Double Taxation Treaty.
• Method for eliminating double taxation: the new Treaty removes the exemption method that applied under the 1990 Treaty and applies the credit method (deduction of tax paid in the other country).
• Wealth Tax: NOT covered by the current Treaty, which means Spain has full taxing capacity on the net wealth in Spain of Chinese residents.
• Principal purpose clause: the new Treaty includes anti-avoidance rules that may deny benefits if the structure is mainly designed to obtain tax advantages.

Cross-border Spain-China tax planning requires case-specific analysis, especially for groups with operations in Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore or third countries, where the Treaty’s anti-avoidance rules may have relevant effects.

Essential procedures upon arrival in Spain from China

Once you have obtained the visa and arrived in Spain, there is a sequence of urgent steps in the first weeks:

Empadronamiento. This is the first step and the foundation of everything else. It is done at the Town Hall of the municipality where you live, presenting a rental contract, deed or owner’s authorization.

TIE application. Within one month of your entry into Spain, you must request an appointment at the National Police Station to be fingerprinted and apply for the Foreigner Identity Card. You will need form EX-17, proof of fee payment, Chinese passport, visa and three photographs.

Social Security registration. If your visa is for employment, the employer handles it under the general regime; if you are self-employed, you handle it yourself under the RETA.

Opening a bank account. For Chinese entrepreneurs with cross-border operations, it is advisable to open an account at banks with international presence (Santander, BBVA, ICBC Spain) that facilitate transfers and compliance with anti-money laundering controls applicable to China-Spain flows.

Moving to Spain from China in 2026 is a significantly more agile process than just a few years ago, thanks to China’s accession to the Hague Convention in November 2023 and the modernization of the Double Taxation Treaty in 2021. For the dominant Chinese profile (business-oriented), Spain offers a combination hard to match in Europe: EU passport, common language with Ibero-America, mature logistics ecosystem, competitive operating costs and a tax framework with an updated bilateral treaty. The difference between a successful operation and one blocked by incidents usually lies in the proper handling of apostilled documentation, sworn translations, Chinese foreign exchange restrictions and cross-border tax planning. At ILLAY Legal we work with Chinese citizens and companies through 100% online management, integrating immigration, tax and corporate matters to design the optimal strategy for each case. Tell us about your situation and we will tell you exactly what steps to take.