UK Chancellor Signs 90-Day Work Visa Waiver with Spain in Madrid

It's Official: The UK-Spain Work Visa Waiver Is Signed

What had been trailed as an agreement "in principle" is now done. On March 18, 2026, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves travelled to Madrid and sat down with Spain's Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo to formally sign a joint declaration establishing a short-stay work visa waiver between the United Kingdom and Spain.

The agreement removes one of the most frustrating post-Brexit barriers for professionals who regularly travel between the two countries for business — and it does so on a fully reciprocal basis, benefiting both British workers in Spain and Spanish workers in the UK.

What the Agreement Covers

The visa waiver allows qualifying professionals to travel and work in the other country for periods of up to 90 days without a formal work visa. The arrangement applies to workers in the following sectors:

• Legal services — solicitors, barristers, lawyers, and legal consultants
• Financial services — banking, accounting, financial advisory, and compliance
• Consulting — management, strategy, and business consultancy
• Information technology — software, IT project management, and technical roles
• Corporate services — senior business support and specialist corporate functions

The deal is reciprocal — Spanish professionals travelling to the UK for short-term assignments in these sectors benefit from the same arrangement as their British counterparts coming to Spain. This symmetry was a key condition for both sides and distinguishes this agreement from more one-sided bilateral deals.

What Was Said in Madrid

Both signatories were direct about the motivation behind the agreement. Chancellor Reeves framed it in terms of resilience and partnership:

"In an uncertain world, we must build growth that is secure and resilient. We do this best through partnerships with those who share our interests."

— Rachel Reeves, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer

Spain's Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo echoed the sentiment, positioning the deal as part of a broader shift towards deeper European cooperation in challenging times:

"No country can face the challenges of this era alone — the answer is more cooperation with trusted partners, not less."

— Carlos Cuerpo, Spain's Economy Minister

The tone of both statements reflects the broader context: global economic uncertainty, shifting geopolitical alliances, and the ongoing work of repairing and rebuilding the UK's relationships with European partners after Brexit.

The Trade Relationship Behind the Deal

The visa waiver did not emerge in a vacuum. The UK-Spain trading relationship has been growing strongly despite the complications of Brexit, and the figures make clear why both governments are motivated to reduce friction:

Trade Flow	Value	Change
Spanish goods exports to UK (2025)	€24.9 billion	+4.5% year-on-year
Spanish services exports to UK (2025)	€29.2 billion	—
Spanish non-tourism services exports to UK	€10.6 billion	—
British exports to Spain (Oct 2024–Sep 2025)	£22.1 billion	+11% year-on-year

The UK Treasury projects that the visa waiver alone will generate an additional £250 million in British service exports over the next five years, by making it easier and cheaper for UK professionals to take on short-term assignments in Spain without navigating the visa bureaucracy that has been a feature of post-Brexit business travel.

The Bigger Post-Brexit Picture

Tuesday's signing builds on the momentum of a Strategic Framework agreed between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in September 2025. That wider framework set out a roadmap for deeper cooperation between the two countries across technology, defence, and life sciences — sectors where both governments see significant mutual benefit.

The work visa waiver is the most concrete and immediately practical output of that framework to date. For the thousands of professionals in law firms, banks, consultancies, and tech companies who regularly work across both countries, it translates a diplomatic relationship into something tangible: less paperwork, less cost, and less uncertainty when planning cross-border assignments.

What It Doesn't Do

It is worth being clear about the limits of the agreement, particularly for the large communities of British expats living in Spain and Spanish nationals based in the UK:

• This is not a restoration of freedom of movement — it applies only to short-term professional travel of up to 90 days
• It does not cover all job types — only the specified professional services sectors qualify
• It does not affect long-term residency rights — existing rules for Brits living in Spain and Spanish nationals in the UK remain unchanged
• Workers planning to stay beyond 90 days still need to apply for the appropriate visa or work permit
• It is not an open-ended arrangement — the 90-day limit applies per visit, not cumulatively over a longer period in the way that freedom of movement once did

When Does It Take Effect?

The joint declaration signed in Madrid sets out the political commitment. Both governments will now need to complete the domestic approvals and administrative steps required to bring the waiver into practical effect. Given the clear political will on both sides, implementation is expected to follow in the coming weeks.

Professionals and businesses in the affected sectors should watch for formal guidance from the UK Home Office and Spain's Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones on the specific eligibility criteria, documentation requirements, and effective date.

A Signal of Intent

Whatever its practical limits, the signing of this agreement carries a symbolic weight that matters. It is a clear statement from both London and Madrid that the post-Brexit story between the UK and Spain is one of gradual rapprochement rather than continued friction — and that pragmatic, sector-specific deals can achieve meaningful results even in the absence of a broader reset of the UK's relationship with the EU.

For businesses, professionals, and the millions of British and Spanish citizens whose lives are intertwined across both countries, that direction of travel is a welcome one.

This article is based on reporting from March 18, 2026. Implementation details are subject to formal government guidance. Check official Home Office and Spanish government sources for the latest information.