Are you working without a contract or without being registered with Social Security? Here is what you can do
Soraya Mohamedi Mohamed · Ubuntu Canarias · 7 min read
Finding a job is very important when you have just got your residence permit and want to start a new stage in Spain. But accepting a job is not the same as working without being registered with Social Security (in Spanish, estar dado de alta).
Sometimes a company says: “Start for a few days and we’ll do the contract later.” Or: “First I want to see how you work.” Other times the person starts working and nobody explains anything about the contract or the registration.
If you work for a company, with a schedule, taking orders from a manager and doing the tasks you are given, you have the right to be registered. Being a migrant, having had your residence permit for only a short time or being in your first job in Spain does not take away your labour rights.
What does being registered mean?
When you work for a company, the company must register you with Social Security. That way your work is officially recorded: it counts for your work history, for unemployment benefit, for your pension and for being covered if you have an accident.
The company must register you before you start working, not days or weeks later.
“I am working” is not the same as “I am working and I am registered”. A person can be working in a restaurant, a hotel, a building site or a shop and find out that the company has not registered them. Working without registration is an offence that the Labour Inspectorate can sanction.
How to find out if you are registered
Do not rely only on what the manager tells you. You can check it yourself with your work history report (informe de vida laboral), which is free. It shows the companies that have registered you and from what date.
You can request it on the Social Security website, in the Importass service. You can log in with Cl@ve, a digital certificate or a code sent by SMS, if your mobile number is registered with Social Security. There is also the Importass app. If you do not know how to do it, ask for help.
What if you have only been working for a few days?
It still matters. For example, a person starts on Monday as a kitchen assistant. They work Monday to Friday, with a fixed schedule, and do what the manager tells them. On Friday they find out that they are still not registered.
They should not think “it’s only one week, it doesn’t matter”. They need to keep evidence of those days and ask for information. The sooner they act, the easier it will be to prove what happened.
What evidence to keep
If there is a problem with the company, do not delete messages. Keep everything that can show you worked there:
- WhatsApp messages with the manager: when you have to go in, what schedule, what tasks.
- If they tell you “start working and we’ll do the contract later” or “you are not registered yet”, keep that message.
- Photos related to the job and the location of the workplace.
- The name and address of the company, and the name of the manager.
- Contract and payslips, if you have them.
- Receipts of payments and bank transfers.
- Names of co-workers who can confirm that you worked there.
Also write down every day which days you worked, what time you started and finished, and what you did. For example:
- Start: 29 September.
- Hours: from 10:00 to 18:00.
- Job: kitchen assistant.
- Place: name of the restaurant.
- Manager: their name.
You do not need to argue with the company to gather this information. What matters is to keep it.
“But the company says they need to try me out first”
A contract can have a trial period. But being on trial does not mean being outside Social Security. During the trial period there is already an employment contract, and the company must register you anyway.
What to do if you find out you are not registered
- Check your situation with the work history report.
- Keep the evidence. Do not delete WhatsApp or other work messages.
- Write down the days and hours you work.
- Ask the company about the contract and the registration, preferably in writing, and keep their answer.
- If the company does not fix it, you can go to the Labour Inspectorate or ask for labour advice.
Where to report it
The Labour and Social Security Inspectorate (Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social) checks whether companies follow labour and Social Security rules. There are two ways to contact it, and they are not the same.
1. Formal complaint (denuncia)
This is the option for the person affected. You have to identify yourself and explain the facts clearly: which company it is, where the workplace is, what work you do, when you started, what your schedule is, who gives you orders, whether you have a contract or not, and what happened when you asked about the registration. You can add any evidence you have.
Anyone can file a complaint, whatever their nationality. Being a foreigner does not stop you from reporting. The Inspectorate has a duty to keep the identity of the person who filed the complaint secret.
You can file it online, at the Ministry of Labour’s online office (with Cl@ve or a digital certificate), or on paper at the Inspectorate’s office.
2. Labour Inspectorate mailbox (buzón)
It is used to report a possible irregularity without giving your name. But it is not a formal complaint, and the person who writes does not receive information about the outcome.
You can access it here: Labour Inspectorate mailbox (in Spanish).
What if they fire you for asking?
It is normal to be afraid to ask “am I registered?”, especially if you have just got your residence permit and need the job. That is exactly why it is so important to know your rights.
If you are dismissed or face retaliation after complaining or reporting, look for advice straight away. The deadline to challenge a dismissal is very short: 20 working days.
Do not just leave the job, and do not sign any paper you do not understand. If the company gives you a document to sign, read it calmly and, if you have doubts, ask for help before signing.
Can you get paid for the days you already worked?
Reporting to the Inspectorate is not the same as claiming your money. If you worked and were not paid properly, you can also make a claim for the amounts owed.
For this it is best to go to a trade union, a graduado social (labour relations adviser), a labour lawyer or an organisation that offers legal advice.
Where to go in Gran Canaria
Provincial Labour and Social Security Inspectorate of Las Palmas
C/ Luis Doreste Silva, 64. 35004 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Phone: 928 29 14 64
Before you go, check on the Ministry of Labour website the opening hours and whether you need an appointment.
If you have just got your residence permit
It is normal to be afraid of losing the job. But accepting a job does not mean giving up your rights. You can ask without fear:
- Do I have a contract?
- Am I registered with Social Security?
- Which collective agreement (convenio) applies?
- What is my schedule?
- How much will I be paid and when do I get my payslip?
Keep all your papers together: the residence decision, the contract, the registration, the payslips and any work document.
From Ubuntu Canarias
If you have a problem at work, we recommend not making rushed decisions and looking for guidance. We can give you information and tell you which services to go to, but Ubuntu Canarias is not a law firm and does not replace legal or labour advice. If you want, write to us.
More official information on the website of the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy (in Spanish).
Having a job does not mean you have to accept working without rights.
Information checked on 6 October 2026. Rules and contact details may change: always check the official pages.