Work history report Spain (vida laboral): how to get it as a foreigner

In short: work history report Spain (vida laboral): you request it in Import@ss, service «Informe de tu vida laboral», by clicking «Consultar vida laboral». You log in with Cl@ve Permanente, Cl@ve Móvil, DNIe, an electronic certificate or SMS; with none of them, you give your details, a selfie and a photo of your document. SMS works only if your mobile is already on record at Social Security. You can also request it by post. The pages we reviewed do not mention a fee.

In person or by representative? Online. Import@ss offers the option «Consultar como apoderado» (consult as authorised representative) for someone acting on your behalf, but its page does not explain how. The request by post is also made on the internet. We found no in-person route described on the official pages (see below).

Requirements

• Having been registered (alta) with Social Security at some point. According to Import@ss, if you never have been, you cannot get the report.
• Periods abroad, military service and the substitute social service cannot be consulted in this service. If you worked outside Spain, those periods do not appear.
• You can request it at any time; the report reflects the information up to that day.
• It is the Social Security report of your registrations and deregistrations (altas and bajas) in all schemes and the days registered. People sometimes search for it as «fe de vida laboral»; the official service name is «Informe de tu vida laboral».

Documents

• NIE (or TIE, which carries your NIE): Import@ss and the postal form ask for a DNI or NIE, so a NIE is enough. If you do not have one yet, see how to apply for the NIE and how to get the TIE.
• An identification method: Cl@ve Permanente, Cl@ve Móvil, DNIe, an electronic certificate, or a mobile that is on record at Social Security (SMS). How to get Cl@ve and the certificate.
• With none: your personal details, a selfie and a photo of your identity document. The Import@ss help asks for a copy of both sides of the DNI or NIE and a selfie holding the front of the document.
• For the postal request: first name, surname, DNI or NIE, date of birth, home address and email.

Vida laboral by SMS: when it works

To request the vida laboral by SMS, Import@ss asks for your mobile number, your date of birth and a code sent to you by SMS. The Import@ss help makes this conditional on your mobile being in the Social Security database. If you have not given your phone number or it is out of date, you can add or change it in the Import@ss service «Datos personales». There you must also identify yourself: with an electronic method or, without one, with your details, a selfie and a photo of the document.

That is why SMS can fail for newcomers: if you have never given your mobile, it is not on record and SMS will not work for you yet. The page «Cómo identificarme» on seg-social.es says the same: the SMS route is valid only if you have already provided your number.

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Vida laboral with a NIE and no Cl@ve or digital certificate

With a NIE you have three ways out, described on the official pages:

• No electronic method, in Import@ss: under «Elige tu método de identificación» tick «Ninguno de los anteriores» and provide your details, the selfie and the photo of the document. This is the same route that works for the vida laboral without a digital certificate and without Cl@ve; the page says an electronic method is quicker.
• By post: the report is sent to your home address (see below).
• Get Cl@ve: clave.gob.es offers the invitation letter with a DNI or NIE. The letter is sent by post to your tax address (domicilio fiscal), the address the Tax Agency has on file. You need a mobile and an email, and each DNI or NIE is linked to a single mobile. Details in Cl@ve and the electronic certificate.

Where: online or by post

• Online: «Informe de tu vida laboral» in Import@ss. Click «Consultar vida laboral» (or «Consultar como apoderado»). With an electronic method (Cl@ve, DNIe, certificate or SMS) the procedure is quicker. The report comes as a PDF, complete or limited to a period, and you can download it.
• By post: in the same service, the option «Recibir informe en mi domicilio», or the home delivery form. The address you type must match the home address held by the General Treasury of Social Security. The page does not say how long delivery takes.
• Status of the postal request: «Consulta el estado de un informe solicitado». You can use it 24 hours after you receive the email confirming the request, with the reference number and your document number.
• At an office: the Social Security website says you can visit its offices, but we found no official page saying the vida laboral is issued there. Confirm with Social Security before you go.

Deadlines

• Online: you can request it at any time and it reflects the information up to that day.
• By post: the official page does not publish a delivery time.

Cost

• The official pages we reviewed do not mention a fee for the vida laboral.

Vida laboral in immigration procedures

This card does not claim that any immigration or nationality procedure requires the vida laboral. When we reviewed the text of the Immigration Regulation (Royal Decree 1155/2024), the expression «vida laboral» did not appear. The official list of documents for each procedure is in its information sheet from the Ministry of Inclusion, which we could not open automatically on 17.10.2026. Check which documents your procedure asks for in that sheet or at your Immigration Office; for arraigo, start with arraigo social and arraigo sociolaboral, and for nationality with nationality by residence.

A fact from the past: a note from the CGPJ (Spain's judicial governing body) dated 20.04.2021 says the Supreme Court accepted the vida laboral certificate among the valid proofs for arraigo laboral, under the rules of that time. It is not a current list of requirements.

What to do if the report has errors

• The Import@ss page says that, if you detect errors, you can request that data be added or corrected.

Steps

1. Have your NIE or TIE ready and choose the route: Cl@ve, certificate or SMS (only if your mobile is on record), which are quicker, or «Ninguno de los anteriores» with a selfie.
2. Open «Informe de tu vida laboral» in Import@ss and click «Consultar vida laboral».
3. Under «Elige tu método de identificación» tick the one you have and click «Continuar».
4. With no electronic method, provide your details, the selfie and the photo of your document.
5. Get the report as a PDF, complete or for a period. If you prefer paper, use «Recibir informe en mi domicilio» and check the status of the request.
6. If a period in Spain is missing, the Import@ss page says you can request that data be added or corrected if you detect errors.

Official source: Import@ss, Informe de tu vida laboral and Import@ss help. If you do not have a Social Security number yet, see how to request it as a foreigner. The terms NIE and TIE are in the glossary.

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