As Spanish and British authorities strengthen their post-Brexit business ties, the standout news is that of a visa exemption for some UK workers heading to Spain. The deal will cut red tape and increase business opportunities for international workers.
British Chancellor Rachel Reeves recently visited Madrid to meet with Spanish businesses and strengthen ties between the countries post-Brexit, including a potential short-stay work visa waiver.
Reeves also had meetings with Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo to sign a joint declaration aimed at intensifying economic cooperation between the UK and Spain, within the framework of the first edition of the Trade and Investment Dialogue event in Madrid.
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The meeting also addressed a possible simplification of the travel rules for UK workers heading to Spain in the form of a work visa waiver for UK professionals travelling to Spain for short-stays.
READ ALSO: Spain and UK to agree on new work visa waiver and stronger business ties
From what is understood of the deal, Spain will exempt certain British citizens from the work visa requirement for stays of less than 90 days.
According to a joint statement released the British government: “The Spanish government has decided to exempt British nationals from a visa requirement for the provision of services in stays of less than 90 days, in full consistency with the Schengen acquis, with a view to facilitating the cross-border provision of services and reducing administrative burdens.”
Spanish daily El País reports that the move will also benefit workers from other non-EU countries such as the US, Canada and Australia.
The UK, for its part, plans to streamline the process of obtaining a sponsorship licence for Spanish companies, a mechanism that also affects skilled workers.
“Both governments will seek to reduce the cost and duration of the procedures required for short-term travel for the provision of services,” reads the joint statement released on Wednesday.
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Cuerpo pointed out that more than 2,300 British companies currently operate in Spain, and around 800 Spanish companies operate in the UK.
The waiver will be implemented with the aim of facilitating the cross-border provision of services and reducing administrative backlogs between the two countries.
Though neither government has specified on which roles might benefit, it will likely mainly be highly-qualified professional service providers in sectors like IT, telecoms and consultancy.
This could include jobs like lawyers, architects, analysts, book keepers, compliance officers and recruitment and consultant managers.
Madrid will not only exempt British professionals from visa requirements during short-stays but London will also streamline the process for Spanish companies to obtain sponsorship licences in the UK.
“We are in a time of great global uncertainty and now, more than ever, we need to stand by our strategic allies, and the United Kingdom is the most important partner in Europe, in the European Union,” Cuerpo said in a press conference following the meeting.
Both governments will seek to reduce the cost and duration of the procedures required for short-term travel for the provision of services, in accordance with the implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
This includes, amongst other things, the issuance of certificates guaranteeing that employees and employees pay social security contributions in only one country at a time when moving temporarily between the two for work purposes, an area in which the UK has already invested additional resources to reduce processing times.
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Furthermore, both ministers agreed on the importance of strengthening bilateral recognition of professional qualifications to improve trade in services between the UK and Spain, with an initial focus on the accounting and legal sectors and in full alignment with EU-UK agreements.
The deal represents further evidence of collaboration between Madrid and London in recent months, particularly with both having traditionally centre-left parties in government.
Spain and the UK were integral in negotiations with the EU and Gibraltar for its long-awaited post-Brexit deal.
It’s worth noting that it was the Spanish government which first proposed this mutual work visa exemption scheme with the United Kingdom in a bid to bypass post-Brexit bureaucracy and boost economic relations between the two countries.
READ ALSO: UK says Gibraltar-Spain free movement deal to be signed in April
