A resignation letter is five lines long, but the date and the proof of delivery matter more than the wording. A letter that is properly handed in protects you from arguments about notice and about your finiquito (final settlement). Below are three templates depending on your situation, and ways to prove delivery. If what you need is how many days of notice you owe or what your settlement looks like, that is in resigning from a job in Spain: notice period and finiquito.
Your employer will expect the letter in Spanish. Each template is therefore given in Spanish to copy, followed by an English translation so you know what you are signing.
What the letter needs to include
The Estatuto de los Trabajadores (Workers Statute) only says that the contract ends by resignation of the worker, “with the notice set by collective agreements or local custom” (debiendo mediar el preaviso que señalen los convenios colectivos o la costumbre del lugar). There is no official form. These are the details that actually help:
| Detail | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Your name, ID (DNI or NIE) and position | No doubt about who resigns and from which contract |
| The sentence “I leave my post voluntarily” | Makes the decision and its voluntary nature clear |
| Date of the letter | Normally the day from which notice is counted |
| Last working day | Avoids arguing about when the contract ends |
| Notice period and where it comes from | Collective agreement or contract, so it does not look invented |
| Request for the settlement and employer certificate | What you need to be paid your finiquito and, if it applies, to claim benefit |
| Space for a signed receipt | Proves the delivery date |
You do not need to explain your reasons or thank anyone. Include only what you want on record.
Template 1: with notice
The standard one: you say you are leaving, give the last day and ask for the paperwork.
Asunto: comunicación de baja voluntaria
A la atención de [nombre o departamento de RR. HH.]:
Yo, [nombre y apellidos], con DNI [número], que trabajo en [empresa] como [puesto], le comunico que he decidido dejar voluntariamente mi puesto de trabajo.
Mi último día de trabajo será el [fecha], tras cumplir el preaviso de [número] días [naturales / hábiles] que establece [el convenio colectivo aplicable / mi contrato].
Le solicito que me entregue la propuesta de liquidación de las cantidades pendientes y el certificado de empresa.
[Ciudad], a [fecha]. [Firma]
Recibí copia el [fecha]: [nombre y firma de quien recibe]
The English translation:
Subject: notice of voluntary resignation
To [name or HR department]:
I, [full name], ID number [number], who work at [company] as [position], inform you that I have decided to leave my job voluntarily.
My last working day will be [date], after serving the notice of [number] [calendar / working] days set by [the applicable collective agreement / my contract].
I ask you to provide me with the proposed settlement of the outstanding amounts and the employer certificate.
[City], [date]. [Signature]
Copy received on [date]: [name and signature of the person receiving it]
Template 2: with pending holiday
If you have unused days, put it in writing from the start. Holiday dates are set by agreement with the company, so this is a proposal, not an order. If the days cannot be taken, they are paid in the finiquito, with the details in unused holiday pay in Spain.
Asunto: comunicación de baja voluntaria y vacaciones pendientes
A la atención de [nombre o departamento de RR. HH.]:
Yo, [nombre y apellidos], con DNI [número], que trabajo en [empresa] como [puesto], le comunico que he decidido dejar voluntariamente mi puesto de trabajo, con último día el [fecha], conforme al preaviso de [número] días que marca [el convenio colectivo / mi contrato].
A fecha de hoy tengo pendientes [número] días de vacaciones. Le propongo disfrutarlos entre el [fecha] y el [fecha] y, si no fuera posible, que se incluyan en la liquidación final.
Le solicito la propuesta de liquidación y el certificado de empresa.
[Ciudad], a [fecha]. [Firma]
Recibí copia el [fecha]: [nombre y firma de quien recibe]
The English translation:
Subject: notice of voluntary resignation and pending holiday
To [name or HR department]:
I, [full name], ID number [number], who work at [company] as [position], inform you that I have decided to leave my job voluntarily, with my last day on [date], in line with the [number] days of notice set by [the collective agreement / my contract].
As of today I have [number] days of holiday pending. I propose to take them between [date] and [date] and, if that is not possible, to have them included in the final settlement.
I ask you for the proposed settlement and the employer certificate.
[City], [date]. [Signature]
Copy received on [date]: [name and signature of the person receiving it]
Template 3: if you want to leave before the notice ends
Here you ask for an earlier exit and make clear that, if the company does not accept, you will serve the full period. That second sentence protects you: it gives no basis to say you abandoned your post.
Asunto: comunicación de baja voluntaria y petición de salida anticipada
A la atención de [nombre o departamento de RR. HH.]:
Yo, [nombre y apellidos], con DNI [número], le comunico que he decidido dejar voluntariamente mi puesto en [empresa]. El preaviso de [número] días que marca [el convenio / mi contrato] terminaría el [fecha].
Le pido, si le resulta posible, que acepte adelantar mi último día al [fecha]. Si no lo acepta, cumpliré el preaviso hasta el [fecha].
Le solicito la propuesta de liquidación y el certificado de empresa.
[Ciudad], a [fecha]. [Firma]
Recibí copia el [fecha]: [nombre y firma de quien recibe]
The English translation:
Subject: notice of voluntary resignation and request for early exit
To [name or HR department]:
I, [full name], ID number [number], inform you that I have decided to leave my job at [company] voluntarily. The [number] days of notice set by [the agreement / my contract] would end on [date].
I ask, if possible, that you agree to bring my last day forward to [date]. If you do not agree, I will serve the notice until [date].
I ask you for the proposed settlement and the employer certificate.
[City], [date]. [Signature]
Copy received on [date]: [name and signature of the person receiving it]
If the company agrees, get it in writing: an email saying “I accept that your last day will be [date]” is enough to have the date agreed.
How to hand it in and prove it
What matters is being able to prove the day you handed it in. The options, from most to least convenient:
- By hand, with two copies. The company keeps one and you keep the other, with the signed receipt and the date.
- Email to the HR address or to your manager, with a read receipt or a reply. Keep the sent message and the reply.
- Burofax. The option when the company refuses to sign the receipt or you doubt they will make it easy. It records both date and content.
If you hand it in by hand and they will not sign, do not argue: send the same letter by email that same afternoon. Do not let days go by without proof, because the notice normally runs from that date.
An example with dates: 15 calendar days or 15 working days
Marta’s collective agreement sets 15 days of notice, but does not say whether they are calendar or working days or from when they count. She hands in the letter on Monday 2 November 2026. She counts from the next day, 3 November, ignoring local holidays.
| Reading of the agreement | Last working day | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| 15 calendar days | Tuesday 17 November 2026 | — |
| 15 working days (Monday to Friday) | Monday 23 November 2026 | 6 days more |
Marta has a job offer starting on 18 November. If the agreement means working days, it does not fit by six days. So she does not put a fixed date in the letter until she has confirmed how her agreement counts: she asks HR, gets the answer in writing and only then sets the “last day”. With template 3 she would have asked to bring the end forward to 17 November, with the back-up sentence that she will serve the full period if it is not accepted.
What I would do
Before signing anything I would open the collective agreement and look for the notice period and whether it counts calendar or working days. Then I would use template 1, unless I had pending holiday (template 2) or was in a hurry over the date (template 3). I would hand it in with two copies and, the same day, send a copy by email. I would not give reasons, criticism or “with immediate effect”. And I would not hand it in before the new job was signed: resignation does not usually give you paro (unemployment benefit), and it is hard to go back.
After you hand it in
Ask for the proposed settlement and the employer certificate, and check the receipt before signing: if something does not add up, sign as not in agreement. To estimate what you are owed, use the final settlement calculator. And if you think resigning might leave you with paro, read unemployment benefit after resigning in Spain first: exceptions exist, but you need to have documented the cause before you go.