How to become an autónomo in Spain as a foreigner: steps and costs in the Valencian Community

In short: to become an autónomo in Spain as a foreigner in the Valencian Community you follow the same steps as anyone else. You register with the tax agency using form 036 and in the RETA (the self-employed scheme) of Social Security, on the day you start the activity or before. If you are not from the EU, you also need a NIE, a Social Security number and a permit that lets you work for yourself; temporary protection allows it. If you were not registered as an autónomo in the previous 2 years, in the first year you can pay the flat rate of €88.64 a month.

In person or by representative? Mixed. Social Security registration is done online in Import@ss, service «Alta en trabajo autónomo». According to the Import@ss guide, you log in with Cl@ve Permanente, a certificate or electronic DNI, or by SMS if your mobile is registered with Social Security. Form 036 is filed online or at a tax agency office, according to the Social Security guide. Many people hand both steps to a gestoría (administrative agency); the sources we reviewed do not detail how to authorise it at each office, so ask the gestoría.

Who can register

• EU citizens: the Social Security guide asks for the residence and work permit only from people who are not from the EU.
• Temporary protection (Ukraine): the official Ucrania Urgente website of the Ministry of Inclusion says it gives the right to work as self-employed or as an employee. Your TIE is valid until 4 March 2027 even if it shows another date (Order INT/96/2026). The EU extended the protection until 4 March 2028 (Decision (EU) 2026/1912); the Spanish document for after 2027 has not been issued yet.
• Arraigo and other permits for exceptional circumstances: they include permission to work as self-employed or as an employee (Royal Decree 1155/2024, art. 131). The exception is the socioformativo arraigo, which only allows work as an employee for up to 30 hours a week.
• If you live outside Spain or your permit does not include self-employment: you need the residence and work permit as self-employed, with a project and an investment. If you already live in Spain with an employee permit, in the first year it only allows self-employment as a secondary activity, with exceptions. You can also apply to switch to self-employment (Royal Decree 1155/2024, arts. 73.5 and 192.2); see the card on unemployment benefit as an autónomo.
• Other permits: check what your TIE or your resolution says about self-employment before you register.

The order matters

• Register with LABORA before becoming an autónomo (recommended). Registering as a job seeker is free and gives guidance and advice on self-employment. It does not entitle you to any grant: the last LABORA start-up grant for autónomos (2024) required being registered before starting the activity, and it has not been called again in 2025 or in 2026.
• If you receive unemployment benefit, decide before registering. The lump-sum payment of the benefit (capitalización) must be requested from the SEPE before you register, and the deadline to keep receiving the benefit as an autónomo is short. Both routes are in the card on unemployment benefit as an autónomo.
• Both registrations at the same time. The Social Security guide asks for the tax and Social Security registrations to match and to be done on the start day or before (up to 60 days before at Social Security). If you register late, you lose the contribution benefits, such as the flat rate, and a surcharge may apply.
• The flat rate is requested in the registration itself, not afterwards (Self-Employed Workers Statute Law, art. 38 ter.3). Details in the card on the €88.64 flat rate.

How much it costs

• Autónomo contribution: €88.64 a month for 12 months with the flat rate, and 12 more months if your net income is below the minimum wage. Without the flat rate, the 2026 minimum contribution starts at €205.88 a month.
• Taxes: IRPF and VAT, with their quarterly forms; see the card on taxes for a foreign autónomo.
• Generalitat «cuota cero»: it was announced on 28 September 2026, but there is no rule and no date; it cannot be requested yet.
• Gestoría: optional; each one sets its own price.

If you have temporary protection and are thinking about grants: some grants require keeping the activity for several years (the 2024 LABORA one asked for 3 years in the RETA). Compare that period with how long your status lasts before you commit.

Documents

• NIE and a valid TIE or residence document with work permission (if you are not from the EU).
• Social Security number; if you do not have one, request it in Import@ss, «Solicitar el número de la Seguridad Social».
• Start date of the activity and the address where you carry it out.
• An estimate of your monthly net income.
• IAE and CNAE codes of your activity (tax agency activity finder).
• A bank account (IBAN) for the direct debit of the contribution.
• Mobile phone and email.

This is the list in the Social Security guide for registration; your case may need more, such as municipal licences for premises.

Steps

1. Check that your permit lets you work for yourself.
2. If you want free guidance, register as a job seeker with LABORA (not required); if you receive unemployment benefit, decide first about the lump-sum payment.
3. Get a Social Security number and a bank account in your name.
4. File form 036 with the tax agency before or on the start day; form 037 no longer exists since 3 February 2025.
5. Register in the RETA in Import@ss with the same start date and request the flat rate in the same procedure.
6. From then on, file the quarterly taxes and pay the contribution every month.

Informational only; check the official source and a professional for your specific case.