Hello and thanks for reading my post. I'm a U.S. citizen, Spanish resident (don't have my DNI yet, just the NIE), thinking of working in the UK. Am I able to work in the UK without sponsorship? I apologize if that's a silly question but I'm new to this side of the pond and I keep hearing conflicting stories from different people. Your insight into this is much appreciated!

I would say you are still a U S citizen so will need proper paperwork.
Just because you are resident in Spain does not give you the privilege of being an E U citizen, which you need to travel about Europe freely.
How did you get into the Spanish system ?

Husband is a Spaniard. I'll eventually become an EU-citizen but wanted to know what the possibilities were with an NIE.

Hi bram, and welcome,

Its not the NIE thats the key here its that Spanish husband hang on to him and you will be OK if he is also in UK with you. Also the next best thing after European Union member status and old commonwealth membership is to be an an American so you should be OK.

Regards,

John.

Why didn`t you say you had a Spanish husband ?
More facts make it easier to answer questions. ;-)

Thank you all for your responses. So, as long as husband is in the UK with me, I should be fine? I am trying to get in touch with the British Consulate here in my city to see what 'pre-work' I need to do before heading over to the UK. Thanks again everyone!

Hello,
I am in the same boat as you. My wife is Spanish I am american, and we live in Barcelona. However, I have a job interview in London next week. What I don´t know is if I can work in the U.K. I guess from what you´re saying in this forum, that she must have her official residency in the UK for me to be eligible? Can anyone clarify a little bit more?

Regards.

John.

Hi jdk

No, as said before your wife is a citizen of Europe so she can live and work anywhere in the EU with no formalities. She will of course have to register for tax and National Insurance in UK if she came here. If you accompany her you will be OK but if you want to work as well you will have to register as well.

Regards,

John.

Hi,

I'm also a Spanish resident (Bolivian national), my wife is Irish (we live in Barcelona), and I've been hired to work in the UK for 3 months. According to my employers with a Spanish residency I can work in the UK for a period of 6 months. I would be most grateful if you could help to clarify if I need any sort of clearance here at the UK Consulate before I leave and if my wife has to travel with me to the UK (she works in Barcelona and would not be able to leave).

Thanks a lot,

Luis

If you are not an EU citizen then you will need a work permit.
Have a read HERE

HI Bram

What sort of work are you looking to do. Employers in the UK are running scared of bureaucracy at the moment because the penalties are so severe. If they employ an illegal the fine runs to thousands.

Of couse this is confusing potential employees because they are being asked for so much personal information they feel that it is infringing their human rights.

The reason I ask what sort of work you are looking to do is to get a picture of the level of size of company you are looking at. Most large ones have a good HR department who will be upto speed on the laws


stew

When I left Greece (EU country) to go live in the UK with Michael (my now lawfully wedded husband.....back then just my boyfriend) for my National Insurance Number (without which you cannot work) they had me fill in a 4 page questionnaire and then wait while someone went through it on their own, then got called into an office to cross examine me on my written responses and ask me a further 101 questions, ranging from simple, to very personal, to downright silly (in my opinion).

After having applied for my NINO, I could work with a temporary one, until my permanent one was issued (which took over a year!).

Then, in order to work, I had to have a bank account. In order to open a bank account in the UK I had to have two letters of reference from two different banks in Greece, about my financial & credit status. Thankfully that was not a problem.

This all happened some 8 odd years ago and I don't know if anything much has changed, but I felt that I was being put through the mill, especially due to the fact that I was moving within two EU countries and having left a very well paid job in Greece to move to the UK......all in the name of love

I would be working for a very large multinational company as I do back home in the States...so HR issues would be minimized. Thanks.

You have to have lived in Spain for 10 years continually to be elligable for Spanish citizenship, being married to a national no longer gives any benifit, its the same rule as a EU person.

The NIE isn`t residencey just a number to use for official documents.

Thanks, but my question was regarding "working in the UK" and not about Spanish citizenship. Besides, it isn't 10 years - not for those married to a Spaniard. 2 years of continuous marriage + a few other things. Citizenship in Spain, much like the U.S., isn't guaranteed...after a couple of years and a "few other things," you are eligible to apply for citizenship. Not something I'm worried about.