Hiring foreigners in 2026: unrestricted jobs for shipping companies, sports clubs and construction firms

Key data

If your company needs to fill vacancies for sailor, electrician, crane operator, professional athlete or aluminum and PVC carpenter, and you cannot find candidates in Spain, SEPE has just given you the green light to hire directly in third countries during this quarter. The Resolution of August 3, 2026 from the General Directorate of SEPE updates the Catalog of Hard-to-Fill Occupations for Q3 2026, eliminating the requirement to prove the national employment situation for the positions included.

This catalog is updated every quarter in accordance with article 65 of the Regulation of LO 4/2000, with prior consultation with the Tripartite Labor Commission on Immigration. Its inclusion in the catalog is not a minor procedure: it is the difference between being able to hire a foreign worker in weeks or facing months of additional bureaucracy.

What does this regulation establish?

The catalog lists occupations for which there is structural labor shortage in Spain. For the positions included, companies can process initial authorizations for temporary residence and work as an employee for foreigners from third countries without proving that there are no available national candidates. That is the concrete benefit: fewer steps, less time, less risk of denial.

For the third quarter of 2026, the occupations included are grouped into three major blocks:

Inclusion in the catalog directly enables the processing of the initial authorization for temporary residence and work as an employee. It is not necessary to demonstrate that a national or EU candidate has been previously sought: the catalog already certifies that shortage for you.

Economic and operational impact

The impact is not direct cost, but rather time savings and reduction of operational risk. Filling a vacancy in Merchant Marine or on a construction site with a foreign worker without being in the catalog can mean months of additional processing, national employment situation reports, and a high percentage of denials. With inclusion in the catalog, that process is significantly simplified.

For sectors such as construction, where the lack of electricians and crane operators can halt projects and generate contractual penalties, or for shipping companies that need crew to keep their routes operational, this catalog has direct economic value: avoiding operational shutdowns due to lack of personnel.

In professional sports, the inclusion of athletes and coaches facilitates international signings outside the EU scope, reducing processing times that have sometimes prevented an athlete from being available at the start of the season.

Who does it affect?

• Shipping companies and Merchant Marine enterprises that need to fill positions of engineer, pilot, sailor or ship steward with workers from third countries.
• Professional sports clubs that want to sign athletes or hire coaches from non-EU countries.
• Construction companies with a need for foreign aluminum/PVC carpenters or crane operators.
• Electrical installation companies seeking electricians in third-country markets due to lack of local candidates.
• HR management firms and consultancies that process work authorizations for any of the above sectors.

Practical example

A shipping company based in Valencia needs to hire three sailors to cover a coastal route. It has been weeks without receiving valid applications from national or EU workers. Because the occupation "sailor" is included in the Catalog of Hard-to-Fill Occupations for Q3 2026, the company can directly begin processing initial authorizations for temporary residence and work as an employee for three candidates from a third country, without needing to submit the national employment situation report that the Immigration Office normally requires. This eliminates a phase of the procedure that typically adds between 4 and 8 weeks to the process, and reduces the risk of denial for that reason.

The same scheme applies to a Second Division football club that wants to hire a goalkeeper coach from Brazil, or a construction company that needs a crane operator for a project in Bilbao with a committed delivery date.

What should companies do now?

1. Verify if your vacancy is included in the Q3 2026 catalog. Check that the position you need to fill corresponds to one of the listed occupations: engineers, pilots, sailors, ship stewards, professional athletes, professional coaches, aluminum/PVC carpenters, electricians or crane operators.
2. Begin processing the initial authorization for temporary residence and work as an employee with the competent Immigration Office, explicitly stating that the occupation is listed in the Catalog of Hard-to-Fill Occupations for Q3 2026 and providing the reference of the SEPE Resolution of August 3, 2026.
3. Act before September 30, 2026. The catalog is quarterly: the inclusion of these occupations is in effect for Q3 2026 (July-September). If the Q4 catalog does not include them, applications submitted afterwards will lose this benefit.
4. Coordinate with your labor or immigration advisory firm to prepare the employment contract documentation, company accreditation and foreign worker requirements in advance, taking advantage of the time saved by eliminating the national employment situation report.
5. Monitor the Q4 2026 catalog to know if these occupations are maintained or if you will need to prove the national employment situation from October onwards.

Official source

View complete regulation at official source

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-18504