Business Residence Permits in Poland, Slovakia, Spain

Registering a business does not guarantee residency in Europe. Find out how it works in Poland, Slovakia and Spain in 2026

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Opening a company, registering a sole proprietorship or becoming an autónomo is the first step, but it does not guarantee the right to stay in the country for a long time. This is reminded by the analytical material relocate.to, dedicated to how European migration authorities actually evaluate the business of foreigners when it comes to a residence permit.

The Visit World team has gone into detail and collected information relevant to 2026 on how the rules of Poland, Slovakia and Spain differ – and why popular advice from the Internet sometimes turns out to be a dangerous simplification.

Moving to a new country is not only about new opportunities, but also a large number of documents, requirements and bureaucratic nuances that differ from country to country. A temporary or permanent residence permit and citizenship are three different statuses with their own advantages and procedures for obtaining them.

In order not to get lost among the requirements of a particular country, the Visit World team has prepared “Immigration Guides” – step-by-step instructions for each direction of relocation. Enter your citizenship and destination country - and get a personalized guide within a few minutes.

Is it possible to obtain a residence permit in Europe through business?

More and more foreigners who have been living in Europe for several years on temporary statuses are wondering about the same question: can their own business become a basis for more stable residence. The logic of European migration services is quite peculiar here - it is not the fact of registering a company that is assessed, but how much a person's activity meets the requirements of a specific type of permit. Therefore, two entrepreneurs with almost the same business may well receive opposite decisions.

New rules for buying housing in Poland at the link.

Business and the right to residence are not the same

One of the most common mistakes is to confuse the right to conduct business with the right to live in the country on this basis. A foreigner can register a company, become its co-founder or even receive his first income - and this still does not mean an automatic right to residence.

A separate legal basis is required for the permit: for example, a temporary residence permit in connection with running a business, a residence and work permit for self-employment or another status provided for by the national legislation of a particular country. In Poland, Slovakia and Spain, such grounds exist, but with very different conditions.

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Poland: a separate permit exists, but company registration is not enough

Poland has a temporary residence permit for the purpose of running a business. It is intended for those for whom business is really the main purpose of staying in the country for more than three months.

Here, not only a package of registration documents is assessed, but also the real indicators of the company: income, employment of employees or prospects for fulfilling the established economic criteria in the near future. Official explanations for foreigners include, in particular, the criterion of a company's income at the level of at least 12 average monthly salaries in the relevant voivodeship - or alternative conditions related to job creation or business development plans.

From March 5, 2026, Poland has returned to the application of full general requirements for most temporary residence permits. This means that the scenario "I will register a company today, and tomorrow I will submit documents for a permit" works less and less in practice: it is the real economic activity that will have to be proven, and not the fact of the existence of a legal entity.

Read also, the most popular professions in Poland, which foreigners most often work in.

Slovakia: an advantage for those who are already working

The Slovak approach is somewhat different. Temporary residence (prechodný pobyt) here is always tied to a specific purpose, and entrepreneurship is one of such purposes, for which a permit is issued for a period of up to three years. If a person decides to change the direction of activity, they will usually have to apply for a new basis for residence.

In July 2026, a mechanism appeared in the legislation that gives an advantage to those who have been running a business for a long time in fact, and not just on paper: an applicant can apply for a permit on a specific basis if he has actually carried out the relevant activity for at least six months immediately before submitting the application. This applies not only to business, but also to other legally prescribed purposes of residence.

The difference for an entrepreneur here is fundamental. Someone who has really worked for himself for half a year or a year - with clients, accounts and a tax history - has a much stronger position than someone who registered a company literally on the eve of submitting documents.

Spain: Transition made more realistic after 2026 reform

The most notable changes over the past year have occurred in Spain. In April 2026, the country updated its migration rules, and on June 22, the State Secretariat for Migration issued special Instructions SEM 2/2026, dedicated to the transition from temporary statuses to other types of residence permits - in particular those that can be completed without leaving the country. The list also includes permits provided for by Law 14/2013 on the Support of Entrepreneurs.

Requirements and methods for obtaining a work visa in Spain are here.

General Spanish legislation provides for autorización de residencia temporal y trabajo por cuenta propia - temporary residence and self-employment permit. But even here, registering as an autónomo is not enough: you need to confirm compliance with the requirements of the chosen activity, if necessary - qualifications or experience, the necessary licenses, as well as prove the sufficiency of the planned investments and, if necessary, the impact of the project on job creation.

The Spanish model also has a significant advantage: the period of residence based on the previous temporary status is fully counted towards the five-year period of legal continuous residence required to obtain long-term residence. That is, the periods of different statuses are summed up, and are not reset when the basis changes.

What taxes do employees, entrepreneurs and property owners pay in Spain?

Three common myths about business and residence permits

Practice shows that most disappointments are not related to the rules themselves, but to false expectations:

- “Register a company - they will automatically give you a residence permit.” In none of the three countries does it work so straightforwardly: registering a company is only one of the elements, not a self-sufficient basis.

- “The main thing is a good business plan.” A plan may be important for a new project, but migration authorities look much more closely at the body of evidence: income, tax returns, social contributions, customer contracts, accounts and investments.

- “You need to open a business urgently, before the current status expires.” A business artificially created on the eve of filing usually looks like a weaker basis than an existing job, family circumstances or years of legal residence in the country.

What do migration authorities actually look at?

Despite national differences, the logic in all three countries is quite similar: the authority needs to make sure that the entrepreneurship is not a decorative construction for obtaining a document, but a real economic activity. The period of operation of the company, tax history, receipts to the account, contracts and invoices, customer base, social contributions, absence of debts, necessary professional permits and the applicant’s ability to support himself through this activity can be important. The longer a business has been in existence at the time of filing, the easier it is usually to prove its reality – although the specific criteria always depend on the country and type of permit.

As the practice of Poland, Slovakia and Spain shows, obtaining a residence permit through business rarely comes down to simply registering a company - each country has its own list of requirements, income criteria and deadlines that are easy to miss without careful preparation.

“Immigration Guide” from Visit World provides step-by-step instructions on how to apply for a temporary or permanent residence permit and citizenship on various grounds, including business ones. The document includes a complete list of required documents, the cost of application and the terms of consideration of the application, contacts of the relevant body of the country, as well as life hacks that save time at the submission stage. All information comes to your e-mail in PDF format literally a few minutes after registration. Before registering a business for the sake of a residence permit, check whether your situation really meets the requirements of the selected country. Order “Immigration Guide” on the Visit World portal.

Let us remind you! The Netherlands remains one of the most promising labor markets in Europe for foreigners: employers lack specialists in technical professions, medicine, logistics, IT and a number of other sectors. We have already talked about the most popular vacancies in the Netherlands, salary levels, opportunities for candidates without knowledge of Dutch and the rules for obtaining a work permit in 2026.

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