The client, a start-up visa holder, lived in Valencia with her school-age son and decided to move to a business of her own — cuenta propia. To file, she changed province: she registered in Asturias, in a village 13 km from Oviedo. The Asturias immigration office approved the modification 36 days after filing. The new permit runs until August 2030 and allows both employment and self-employment.
- 36 days
- from filing to approval
- filed 24 August, decision dated 29 September 2026
- to 2030
- term of the new permit
- valid until 24 August 2030, renewal in the last 60 days
- employed and self-employed
- what the permit allows
- work as an employee and as an autónomo, anywhere in Spain and in any sector
- one week
- to register in the new province
- empadronamiento in a village 13 km from Oviedo
- Asturias
- where it was decided
- Oficina de Extranjería, Delegación del Gobierno en Asturias, Oviedo
What they came with
The start-up visa under Law 14/2013 was the client’s, and her son lived in Spain as her family member. The permit ran until autumn 2027, but they decided to move to the general regime early. The client came to us on a recommendation. It was clear from the start that the son would go second: a family member needs a housing report, and the client only had a registration at friends’ home. So the mother filed first, and the son’s case waited for her decision.
How the timeline ran
-
01
Chose the province to file in
May. A modification is decided by the immigration office of the province where the applicant is registered. The client lived in Valencia and was ready to move to another region for the filing. We first looked at Tarragona and settled on Asturias, where friends were willing to register her.
-
02
Registration in Asturias within a week
May. The client travelled to Asturias and obtained an empadronamiento in a village 13 km from Oviedo. It took a week from the arrangement with her friends to the registration certificate. Her son stayed registered in Valencia, where he goes to school.
-
03
Chose the activity and wrote the business plan
May to June. The main activity was matched to the client’s real qualifications: teaching Russian to foreigners. We wrote the business plan around it. The self-employed workers’ association issued the positive assessment a cuenta propia application needs.
-
04
Opened the autónomo registration and filed
24 August. The autónomo registration was opened only just before filing. The file had been ready since June, but we filed once the client was back in Spain. The application went to the Asturias immigration office in Oviedo.
-
05
Approval
29 September. The office granted residence and work as an employee and on her own account, anywhere in Spain and in any sector, until 24 August 2030. The legal basis is article 191.3 of the new immigration regulation.
-
06
Next: the card and the son
Within a month of notification the client applies in person for the residence card (TIE); the police fingerprint appointment is booked automatically. The client returns to Valencia, and her son’s case is filed there.
What did not go to plan
What actually delayed or complicated the process, and what we did about it.
The son could not be filed together with his mother
For a family member the immigration office requires an informe de vivienda adecuada — a town hall report that the home is suitable for the family. A registration at friends’ home does not give one: it takes a lease or ownership. So the two were filed in turn: the main applicant first, then the child where the family actually lives.
The activity was chosen to match her qualifications
The business plan is checked by the self-employed workers’ association and then by the immigration office. Both look at whether the person can really run such a business. An activity with no education or experience behind it could have been a ground for refusal. So we took what she can do and prove with documents: teaching Russian.
The filing waited for the client to return
The documents were ready in June, but we filed at the end of August: the client spent the summer outside Spain. We file a modification when the applicant is in the country.
What we did
- Worked out how the client and her son could leave the start-up visa for the general regime
- Helped choose the province to file in and explained what the registration had to provide
- Matched the business activity to the client’s qualifications
- Wrote the business plan and obtained the self-employed association’s assessment
- Assembled the file and filed the modification with the Asturias immigration office
- Set the order: the mother first, then the son in Valencia
What the service did not cover
The client found and arranged the Asturias registration herself, through friends. We explained what document was needed and why it did not solve the question of her son, but we did not find the housing.
Changing province is not a loophole. A modification is decided by the office where you are registered, and the registration has to be genuine. 36 days is Asturias in autumn 2026, not a promise for every province: practice under the new regulation is still forming and timescales shift. The son’s case is still ahead; we will report it when the decision arrives.
Questions we had to answer
Can you move from a start-up visa to cuenta propia?
Yes. In this case a start-up visa holder applied for a residence and work modification under article 191.3 of RD 1155/2024. The Asturias immigration office approved it in 36 days and issued a permit until August 2030.
Where do you file a modification if you want to change province?
A modification is decided by the immigration office of the province where the applicant is registered. The client registered in Asturias before filing, so Oviedo decided the case. The registration has to be genuine and must be updated after a move.
Why was the child not filed together with his mother?
A family member needs an informe de vivienda adecuada, a town hall housing report. A registration at friends’ home does not give one; it takes a lease or ownership. So the mother filed first, and the son is filed after her approval where the family lives.
Which activity should you register as an autónomo?
One you can actually run and prove with education, experience or certificates. The business plan is checked by the self-employed association and then by the immigration office. Here the activity was teaching Russian to foreigners, in line with the client’s qualifications.
When should the autónomo registration be opened?
In this case it was opened only just before filing, once the business plan and the association’s assessment were ready.
What does a permit por cuenta ajena y propia allow?
Work as an employee and as an autónomo, anywhere in Spain and in any sector. It must be renewed within the 60 days before it expires.
Sources
The laws and official documents we relied on. Links go to the primary sources, so you can check them yourself.
- Real Decreto 1155/2024, de 19 de noviembre, Reglamento de la Ley Orgánica 4/2000 The new immigration regulation. The application was made under article 191.3. Article 193 gives the Delegación del Gobierno the competence to decide such cases, and the decision records the article 80 requirements as met.
- Ley Orgánica 4/2000, sobre derechos y libertades de los extranjeros en España The Immigration Act the regulation implements.
- Ley 14/2013, de apoyo a los emprendedores y su internacionalización The law under which the client held her start-up visa and her son lived in Spain as her family member.
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The decision in this case
The Asturias immigration office's decision (Oficina de Extranjería, Delegación del Gobierno en Asturias). Filed 24 August 2026, decided 29 September, valid until 24 August 2030.
The decision grants residence and work as an employee and on one's own account under article 191.3 of RD 1155/2024, anywhere in Spain and in any sector.
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