Senior modeling agencies in Spain

This catalogue lists 77 verified agencies in Spain, including Maroe Management, Salvador Models, Francina Management and Carmen Duran Model Agency. Only agencies with a current licence or professional-association membership, or confirmed by at least two independent sources, are included.

No. Spain has no licence or register for model agencies. The only state scheme for job intermediaries is the placement agency (agencia de colocación) under the 2023 Employment Act, but model agencies do not use it: the official list of 1,845 placement agencies contains no model agency. So you have to judge an agency yourself: our catalogue lists every professional agency with a live model board, and each profile shows AMAE membership and the company tax number (NIF) where known.

AMAE (Asociación de Modelos y Agencias de España) is the Spanish association of models and agencies, founded in Barcelona in April 2007. Its members page currently shows 69 members: model agencies, but also actor, kids and music agencies. Its statutes admit agencies, agents and models with a permanent establishment in Spain and set no turnover or trading-history thresholds. So membership alone does not prove an agency's quality, but it does show the agency has signed the association's code of ethics. In the catalogue, 37 of the 77 agencies are AMAE members.

The AMAE code of ethics says that agencies traditionally take 20% of the model's gross fee (work days plus image rights) on advertising contracts, 15% on film and TV and 8% on theatre. The agency also bills the client its own separate fee, but there is no public standard for its size. Always have the exact commission written into your contract.

There is no recent public data on model day rates in Spain, so amounts have to be discussed with the agency. The known limits: in 2026 the legal minimum for fixed-term contracts of up to 120 days with one employer is €57.82 per working day. Older press reports said that in 2005 a new model on the Madrid Cibeles runway earned €300–600 per show and a well-known Spanish model up to €1,800 per show. The agency commission (usually 20%) and taxes are deducted from the fee.

The working age in Spain starts at 16. Younger children may work in public shows and advertising only with permission from the regional labour authority for each job; the Madrid region expressly lists models among those who need it. On the Madrid fashion week (MBFWMadrid) runway, models must be over 16. New limits on children's working hours take effect on 25 May 2027.

Unlike the UK, Spanish law does not expressly ban model agencies from charging upfront fees. But professional agencies work on commission: it is standard sector practice and part of the AMAE code of ethics. If you have bought a course, photo shoot or book package online or off-premises, you can withdraw from the contract within 14 calendar days.

You do not need a work permit or visa; a valid passport or ID card is enough. Before your first job you need a Spanish Social Security number (NUSS). If you stay longer than 3 months, register in the Central Register of Foreigners within 3 months of arrival and you will receive an EU citizen certificate with an NIE number.

If you are not tax-resident in Spain, the 19% non-resident income tax (IRNR) for residents of other EU countries applies. You become resident if you spend more than 183 days in Spain in a calendar year. Spain and Lithuania have a double tax treaty in force since 26 December 2003: income for work done in Spain may be taxed in Spain, and the tax paid there is usually taken into account when you declare in Lithuania. Check your own case with a tax adviser.

In Barcelona and Madrid. Our catalogue lists 43 agencies in Barcelona, 19 in Madrid, three in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, two each in Valencia, Murcia and Ibiza, and one each in Seville, Bilbao, Marbella, Palma, Granada and Oviedo. The trade association AMAE is also based in Barcelona.