European passports: two numbers, then the alta
Europeans can start straight away, on a payroll or self-employed. What you need is a NIE (on the green certificate if you are staying; for a short assignment while living abroad, the NIE by itself, on the EX-15) and a Social Security number. Once your stay passes three months, register for the green certificate as an employee, with your contract as proof.
From outside the EU: the authorisation comes first
A non-EU national needs permission to work before the job begins. Most often the employer applies for a work authorisation, which the Oficina de Extranjería decides; in Valladolid, its page lists employed and self-employed work among its matters, at Calle Arzobispo José Delicado 7. Once it is granted, you obtain the visa at the consulate, travel, then book fingerprints for the TIE at C/ Gerona s/n.
Other routes exist for people already living in Spain, for students and for some qualified profiles, each with its own conditions. Tell us your situation and we point you to the one that fits.
Afiliación: one number for life
That is the Spanish name of your Social Security number. The TGSS (in full, Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social) issues it once, and it stays with you for good. Ask for it online through the TGSS’s Import@ss portal or at its Dirección Provincial in Valladolid, C/ Boston 6, showing your NIE document and passport; some employers apply for it on your behalf.
Putting it in order
- The right to work: a European passport, or a visa or authorisation
- The NIE: green certificate, EX-15, or the number given with your visa
- The número de afiliación, issued once by the TGSS
- A bank account for your salary
- The alta, made by your employer before your first day
- The padrón at your address and, for non-EU workers, the TIE
Self-employed in Valladolid
Self-employed workers (autónomos) register with the tax agency and the Seguridad Social themselves. Europeans can do so freely; non-EU nationals need an authorisation for self-employment, which the Oficina de Extranjería also decides.