Stone 10 of 14 · Your situation, and Guadalajara itself
Starting a job in Guadalajara and the Henares corridor
Before your first day, an EU citizen needs two numbers for the employer to register you: the NIE and the Social Security number. A non-EU citizen first needs a visa or authorisation that allows work, because a NIE alone does not. In the corridor and in the city, the order is the same.
Workers from the EU, EEA or Switzerland
Your passport already gives you the right to work. You need a NIE and, if you stay more than three months, the green certificate (form EX-18) that carries it. Most employers ask for the NIE before your first day.
Non-EU workers
You need an authorisation that allows work. It can come with a work visa, with a residence that includes work, or with an EU relative’s card. A NIE alone does not let you work. Work and residence authorisations in this province are decided at the Oficina de Extranjería, Avenida Francia 18.
Your Social Security number, for life
Every worker in Spain has a número de afiliación, a Social Security number. The Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS), the treasury of the Social Security, gives it. You get it once and keep it for life. Your employer then registers you, which is called the alta, before you start.
You can ask for the number online, or at a TGSS office with your passport and your NIE. The form for it is the TA.1. In the province, the Seguridad Social lists TGSS offices at Calle Carmen 2 in Guadalajara and at Avenida de Meco 25 in Azuqueca de Henares.
Before the first shift, in order
- Check that your passport and your situation allow you to work
- Get the NIE, or the residence paper that carries it
- Ask the TGSS for your Social Security number
- Open a bank account for your salary
- Give the numbers to the employer, and check that it registers you before you start
Temp agencies (ETT) and short contracts
Some jobs come through an ETT, an empresa de trabajo temporal (temporary work agency). The agency is then your employer. It needs the same numbers, and it registers you with the Social Security for each contract.
The same steps, told as a story: An EU worker’s first month near Guadalajara
Questions
My green certificate appointment is weeks away. Can I start work?
As an EU citizen you can work freely. The employer still needs a NIE to register you, so deal with the number early.
Can my employer get my Social Security number for me?
Yes, an employer can ask for it when it registers you. Many workers ask for it themselves, so the first day is not delayed.
I have a student TIE. Can I take a full-time job?
A student’s stay has limits on work. Ask before you sign, so the job does not put your stay at risk.
I want to work for myself. Is it the same?
You register as autónomo (self-employed) with the TGSS and with the tax office. EU citizens can do it freely; non-EU citizens need an authorisation for self-employment.
Official pages behind this guide
- Delegación del Gobierno en Castilla-La Mancha — Oficina de Extranjería, Avenida Francia, Guadalajara
- policia.es — foreigners’ procedures of the Brigada on Avenida del Ejército, Guadalajara
- Seguridad Social — office finder (TGSS offices in Guadalajara and Azuqueca de Henares)
- Junta de Castilla-La Mancha — directory of public employment offices
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