Official data released on 29 December show that 25,767 foreign nationals entered Spain this year under the Gestión Colectiva de Contrataciones en Origen (Gecco) framework—a 25 % increase on 2024. Gecco allows Spanish employers, chiefly in agriculture, hospitality and logistics, to recruit seasonal staff directly in countries such as Morocco, Colombia and Honduras, bypassing the standard work-permit quota.
The uptick reflects buoyant demand for labour amid record tourist arrivals and a tight domestic job market. Employers cite Gecco’s streamlined process—joint recruitment fairs, pre-arranged visas and charter flights—as a key advantage over the ordinary work-permit route, which can still take several months. The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration confirmed that a new ministerial order for the 2026 season will be published in early January and is expected to expand the eligible occupations list.
For mobility managers, Gecco offers a predictable pipeline of legal labour but comes with compliance obligations: employers must guarantee return travel and housing, and workers are limited to nine-month stays.
VisaHQ’s corporate visa management platform can help employers and mobility teams navigate the Gecco paperwork: through our dedicated Spain page (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) we offer real-time tracking, document validation and appointment scheduling, ensuring seasonal staff receive their visas on time and in full compliance.
The programme is also politically sensitive. Trade unions argue that repeated seasonal rotations perpetuate precarity, while business groups say Gecco is essential to Spain’s farming competitiveness in the EU’s single market. Observers anticipate that the forthcoming order may pilot multi-year permits for high-performing workers—effectively a bridge to longer-term residency, echoing reforms already introduced for students and digital nomads.
Companies should begin workforce-planning discussions now. Early engagement with regional labour offices and embassy consulates will be critical to securing slots before the peak recruitment window opens in March.
The uptick reflects buoyant demand for labour amid record tourist arrivals and a tight domestic job market. Employers cite Gecco’s streamlined process—joint recruitment fairs, pre-arranged visas and charter flights—as a key advantage over the ordinary work-permit route, which can still take several months. The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration confirmed that a new ministerial order for the 2026 season will be published in early January and is expected to expand the eligible occupations list.
For mobility managers, Gecco offers a predictable pipeline of legal labour but comes with compliance obligations: employers must guarantee return travel and housing, and workers are limited to nine-month stays.
VisaHQ’s corporate visa management platform can help employers and mobility teams navigate the Gecco paperwork: through our dedicated Spain page (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) we offer real-time tracking, document validation and appointment scheduling, ensuring seasonal staff receive their visas on time and in full compliance.
The programme is also politically sensitive. Trade unions argue that repeated seasonal rotations perpetuate precarity, while business groups say Gecco is essential to Spain’s farming competitiveness in the EU’s single market. Observers anticipate that the forthcoming order may pilot multi-year permits for high-performing workers—effectively a bridge to longer-term residency, echoing reforms already introduced for students and digital nomads.
Companies should begin workforce-planning discussions now. Early engagement with regional labour offices and embassy consulates will be critical to securing slots before the peak recruitment window opens in March.
