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Spanish cover letter generator — carta de presentación with the colon greeting

Write a carta de presentación in Spanish format: A4, place and date top right, a greeting closed with a colon, formal usted register and 220–350 words. Free, with no sign-up.

Paper
A4
Date
16 September 2026
Length
220–350 words
Sign-off
Atentamente
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United States · cover letter

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Letterhead contact detailsprinted at the top of the letter, never in the body

Sets the paper size, date format, layout and length recruiters in United States expect.

Document
cover letter
Paper
US Letter
Date
September 16, 2026
Length
250–400 words

Use United States conventions

Writes the local greeting, sign-off for a cover letter.

Off: an international English letter on United States paper. Turning it on writes the local greeting and sign-off below.

Preview — cover letter

Dear Hiring Manager,

Sincerely,

Add the hiring manager's name to personalise the greeting.

Read the United States cover letter guide

Tone

Measured and businesslike. The safe default for corporate, finance, legal and public-sector roles.

Career level

2–7 years. Leads with ownership and delivered results.

Letter length

240–320 words. The length most recruiters expect. In this market letters usually run 250–400 words.

Layout

Meridian · US & EU

Technology, product, marketing and most corporate roles.

Single column, plain text, no tables or images.

Paste the job description to begin.

Vocabulary

What a carta de presentación is called in Spain

Using the wrong word for the document is the first small signal that an application was not written for Spain. These are the terms you will see in job adverts.

carta de presentación

Spanish

The cover letter — the standard Spanish name.

currículum / CV

Spanish

The accompanying document; Spanish CVs often include a photo and DNI/NIE.

carta de motivación

Spanish

Used for academic, public-sector and NGO applications.

The conventions

How Spain reads an application letter

The Spanish carta de presentación follows continental form with one detail that gives away every non-local application: the greeting ends in a colon. 'Estimado Sr. García:' — not a comma. The rest is familiar to anyone who has applied in France, Germany or Poland: A4, one page, place and date at the top right, a subject line in more formal contexts, three or four paragraphs, and a short formal sign-off.

The register is usted — formal but warmer than the German or Dutch equivalents. Spanish business letters tolerate a sentence of genuine interest in the company, and they punish effusiveness less than they punish vagueness. What they do not forgive is a letter that could be sent to any employer: with a high volume of applicants per vacancy in most sectors, the specificity of the first paragraph decides whether the second is read.

Spanish CVs still commonly carry a photograph, a date of birth and often a DNI or NIE, which surprises applicants from the UK, US and Ireland. None of that belongs in the letter. Availability does: 'disponibilidad inmediata' or a notice period in days is a normal line in the closing paragraph, as is a reference to the offer number where the advert carries one.

At a glance

Spain carta de presentación: the quick facts

Called
Carta de presentación
Paper
A4
Date style
Madrid, 16 de septiembre de 2026 (top right)
Length
220–350 words, one page
Paragraphs
3–4
Named recipient
Estimado Sr. García: / Estimada Sra. Álvarez:
No name found
Estimados señores:
Greeting punctuation
Colon, not a comma
Sign-off
Atentamente, / Un cordial saludo,
Register
Usted, formal

What recruiters expect

Six rules that make a letter look like it belongs in Spain

01

The colon after the greeting

Spanish business letters open 'Estimada Sra. Álvarez:' with a colon and start the body on the next line. A comma after the greeting is an English habit and is the fastest way to mark a letter as translated.

02

Place and date, top right

'Madrid, 16 de septiembre de 2026' — the month in lower case, no leading zero, the year after 'de'.

03

Asunto line in formal contexts

'Asunto: candidatura para el puesto de analista de datos (ref. 2026-44)'. Common in public administration, banking, law and large corporates; often dropped in start-ups and emailed applications.

04

Usted register, specific claims

Formal second person throughout, no contractions of the spoken kind, and results stated with numbers. Warmth is welcome; exaggeration ('apasionado', 'muy motivado') reads as filler.

05

Availability is expected

'Disponibilidad inmediata', 'incorporación en 30 días' or a notice period. Spanish recruiters ask about it early, and stating it in the letter removes a round of email.

06

Photograph and identifiers stay on the CV

The photo, date of birth and DNI/NIE that Spanish CVs often carry never appear in the letter, which is text only.

Paragraph by paragraph

The Spain paragraph plan

The generator follows this order. You can see it in the preview before you export anything.

  1. Header

    Your details, place and date

    Name, phone, email, city at the top; the employer's address block below on the left in formal letters; the place and date at the top right.

  2. Asunto

    Asunto: candidatura para …

    Optional outside formal sectors, and useful whenever the advert carries a reference number.

  3. 1

    Presentación

    The position, where you saw it, and one specific reason you are applying to this employer. Two or three sentences.

  4. 2

    Experiencia y logros

    One or two paragraphs of evidence against the advert's requirements, with figures.

  5. 3

    Aportación

    What you would take on in the first months and what it would change for them.

  6. 4

    Cierre

    Availability, the request for an entrevista, then 'Atentamente,' and your full name.

The shape on the page

What the finished carta de presentación looks like

Layout only — the generator fills this with your own facts, never with placeholder text you have to remember to delete.

Jane Doe (María García)
Calle de Alcalá 12, 3ºB · 28014 Madrid
maria.garcia@email.com · +34 612 345 678

Acme S.L.
A la atención del Departamento de Recursos Humanos
Paseo de la Castellana 89
28046 Madrid

                                    Madrid, 16 de septiembre de 2026

Asunto: candidatura para el puesto de analista de datos (ref. 2026-44)

Estimados señores:

[Presentación: the position, where you saw it, and one specific reason for this employer.]

[Experiencia: one or two paragraphs of evidence with figures.]

[Aportación: what you would take on in the first months.]

[Cierre: availability, then the request for an entrevista.]

Atentamente,
María García

Ready to use

Phrases that read as native in Spain

Copy one straight into the letter — the generator already uses the greeting and sign-off for this market when conventions are on.

Named man

Estimado Sr. García:

Note the colon.

Named woman

Estimada Sra. Álvarez:

Note the colon.

No name found

Estimados señores:

The conventional neutral form for a company.

To a department

A la atención del Departamento de Recursos Humanos:

Large organisations where the advert names no person.

Asunto line

Asunto: candidatura para el puesto de analista de datos (ref. 2026-44)

Formal sectors and public administration.

Availability

Cuento con disponibilidad inmediata.

One clause in the close.

Request

Quedo a su disposición para ampliar esta información en una entrevista.

The conventional, confident closing sentence.

Sign-off

Atentamente,

Formal. 'Un cordial saludo,' is slightly warmer and very common.

Before you send

The final check

Do include

  • One A4 page, 220–350 words.
  • Place and date top right: Madrid, 16 de septiembre de 2026.
  • The greeting ends in a colon.
  • Usted register throughout.
  • Two or three achievements carry real figures.
  • Availability or notice period is stated.
  • The reference number appears where the advert has one.
  • No photo, DNI/NIE or date of birth in the letter.

Never do this

  • Do not put a comma after the greeting.
  • Do not use the informal tú form in a first application, even for a start-up.
  • Do not open with 'Me dirijo a usted' — say what you do and why this role.
  • Do not list every previous job; the CV covers that.
  • Do not include a photograph or identifiers in the letter.

Finding the posting

Where Spain advertises the roles worth writing for

  • InfoJobs

    The largest Spanish board; adverts usually carry a reference number and high applicant volumes.

  • LinkedIn

    Dominant for professional and international roles in Madrid and Barcelona.

  • Indeed España

    Broad coverage across sectors and regions.

  • Empleo público / SEPE

    Public-sector vacancies (oposiciones and bolsas) follow their own formal requirements.

Questions

Spain carta de presentación FAQ

Is a carta de presentación required in Spain?

It depends on the advert and the sector. Public administration, banking, law, engineering and large corporates often expect one; start-ups and many tech employers screen from the CV. When the portal offers a field, use it.

Why does the greeting end in a colon?

Because Spanish epistolary convention requires it: 'Estimado Sr. García:' followed by the body on the next line. A comma is an English habit and marks the letter as non-native.

Should I include a photo or my DNI?

A photograph and DNI/NIE are still common on Spanish CVs, though neither is required and international employers do not expect them. They never appear in the letter.

How formal should Spanish be?

Usted throughout, with 'Atentamente,' or 'Un cordial saludo,' to close. Formal does not mean cold: one specific sentence about the employer is welcome.

What about Catalan, Basque or Galician roles?

Where the advert is published in a co-official language, replying in that language is a strong signal — particularly in public-sector and education roles in Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia.

Should I mention salary?

Only when the advert asks. Spanish postings increasingly publish a band; if one is given, confirming it fits is useful and takes one clause.

Applying elsewhere

Cover letter conventions for other countries

Each guide sets the generator up for that market: paper size, date format, layout, length and the local greeting.

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