Student visa in Spain

A student visa is one of the easiest ways to move to Spain. With this visa you can both study and work (the right to work is automatically granted to those on university programs or professional courses), and once you have completed your course of study, you will be able to renew for the following year without leaving Spain. One of the key conditions is to have €7,200 in your account for the year.

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Summary Snapshot

Spain's student residence is for non-EU citizens studying full-time at a Spanish university, vocational school or an officially recognised course.

Money: €600 a month, €7,200 for a year of study (100% of IPREM).
Work: university students may work up to 30 hours a week without a separate permit; other students need a work authorisation.
Also: admission to the programme, health insurance and no criminal record.
Validity: for the length of your programme.

Sources: Ley Orgánica 4/2000 and Real Decreto 1155/2024 (BOE).

Requirements

Invitation from an educational organization
Age between 18 and 30 years old
Certificate of no criminal record
Minimum amount of €7200 in your account

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FAQ about visa

Turnaround time:

3-4,5 months

Residence length:

student visa do not count for citizenship

Citizenship:

Expenses for preparing:

Possibility to work:

possible to get a part-time work permit

Family:

can come to Spain and live without the right to work by joining through their country's consulate

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Financial requirements for Spain study visa

In 2025 IPREM is €600
➡️ for the main applicant 100% IPREM multiplied by the length of stay,
➡️ for the second family member 75% IPREM (€450),
➡️ for the third and subsequent family members 50% IPREM (€300).

For a 1-year residence permit, you must have IPREM X 12 = €7 200

How to apply?

Option #1: at the Spanish consulate

You can get a student visa in your country of citizenship/residence, but you must meet the student age requirement (18-30 years old). Even if your documents are perfectly prepared, the consulate may still issue a refusal without explanation if they believe your true intent is emigration rather than study. Please note that for language courses, applying through the consulate is the only available option. Therefore, if you do not meet the age criteria, it is better to consider the second method.

Option #2: from Spain

Entering Spain legally on any visa/document, including tourist Schengen.
Once you arrive, you can apply to study, avoiding visa procedures at Spanish consulates in your home country, reducing time and stress levels.

💡 When requesting a student visa in Spain, it is important to keep in mind that there should be at least a month left before the end of your legal stay, not 30 days as often mistakenly thought. We recommend applying within the first 60 days of entry on a 90-day tourist visa or visa-free entry.

✍ General terms

Jurado - translation made by a specially designated sworn translator. Some documents from the list should be translated by a jurado translator (you will see a letter J near the name of such document). The list of certified jurado translators can be found here. Apart from that there are many intermediaries, who work with several translators at once. We prepare for you a special list of trusted intermediaries.
Tasa - state fee for different procedures. In order to apply for Digital Nomad, you pay €73,26 for tasa No 790-038. It can be generated here, however you will need a digital signature. You can text us and we will help! You can pay tasa almost in every bank before 11 am or in ATM.
Cita - this word in Spain is used for a meeting, both formal and informal, even for a romantic date 🧡. In relation to different visas and residence permits it is used for an appointment to any state agency or police office, for example: You need a cita to do fingerprints for your residence card.
Padrón / empadronamiento - registration in your apartment. In Spain you can register even in a rented apartment. You do not need such registration for a Digital Nomad Residence, however it's better to do it.
Autónomo - a Spanish term for self employment. Self employed nomads submit a promise to register Autónomo once their application is approved.
NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) - identification number of a foreigner. It is assigned once for a lifetime. You can request it separately in the police, or you will get it after application for a residence.
Pareja de hecho - common law marriage, that can be officially registered in Spain and is valid for all EU countries. The requirements vary from province to province, for example6 in Catalonia for two foreigners is enough to have a joint padrón for more than 3 months. This document is signed by a notary and then is certified by a local Register of Common Law marriages.
TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) - you Spanish residence card, with photo and indicated NIE number. Can be used as your ID card in Spain.

✍ Medical terms

Sin copago - insurance with full coverage without extra payments
Sin carencia - insurance without exclusion periods (for example, MRI can be done only after 6 months)

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Step-by-step guide

👉Documents checklist

Proof of enrollment in a educational center
Financial guarantees
Medical insurance
Criminal record certificate
Medical certificate
Application EX-00
Scan of all passport pages with entry stamp for Spain

Step

Certificate of no criminal record and declaration of no criminal record within the last five years

Certificate of no criminal record should be with an apostille from the countries where you have lived for 6 months during the last five years and translated jurado.

Certificate of no criminal record

‍All applicants over the age of 18 must submit a certificate of no criminal record from their country of citizenship or from the countries where they have lived in the last 5 years. Here you can find guidelines on how to get this certificate in different countries.

Declaration of no criminal record within the last five years

‍All you need to do is just fill the form and sign it.

Step

Proof of admission to a education center, school or university

You must be enrolled in an officially accredited educational center in Spain with a minimum of 20 hours per week, which includes a diploma or training certificate.

If you have doubts about the accreditation of a center, you can check its status in the National Registry of Educational Centers other than Universities (Registro Estatal de Centros Docentes no Universitarios (RCD)). Reference. And also accreditation can only be confirmed at the autonomy level (for example, business schools are accredited by CUALIFICAM, Madrid Autonomous Region). Reference.

Documents that confirm enrollment in the educational organization:

Invitation from the educational authority, it must contain the date of the start date of the study. Studying must start before the end of your legal stay on a tourist visa.
Payment of tuition fees. It is necessary to present a payment document from the educational organization (recibo), which confirms the payment of the tuition fee.
Study program with the name of the course, the number of hours, the start and end dates of the course, an indication that the training is full-time. It must be clearly stated that it is at least 20 hours per week. The duration of the training must be more than 6 months.

Step

Get a bank statement

Request a bank statement 2 weeks before your trip, it must be in the student's name.

To apply for a visa €7 200 is required, but we recommend showing a little more. Due to problems with opening an account in Spain, it will be best to show a foreign account statement (the probability of rejection will be minimal).

If your savings are not enough, you can provide an account statement from your relatives and provide a sponsorship letter stating that all the costs of your studies will be covered by your family members. In this case, the letter will need to be notarized + apostille and sworn translation.

Step

Spanish health insurance

If you're applying for a Non-Lucrative residence as a self-employed/individual entrepreneur, you don't need private Spanish health insurance.

💡We recommend purchasing an insurance policy from companies that are authorized to operate in Spain

Key requirements

The insurance is valid for one year with automatic renewal.
The insurance policy should be without additional payments (sin copago) and exclusion periods (sin carencia).
The insurance should cover all family members.
With repatriation — con repatriación
With hospitalization — con hospitalización
Coverage amount at least 30.000 €

Documents to be provided

An insurance policy that clearly states what services are included and especially emphasizes that there are no surcharges or limitations.
Payment document showing that the insurance has been paid for.
If possible, a certificate from the insurance company stating that the insurance policy has been paid.

💶 The average cost of such insurance in Spain is €600-1000 per person

Step

Scanned pages of passport (all pages)

To apply, you must provide a valid passport:

The original and a photocopy of the page or pages containing biometric data are required
The passport must be valid for at least one more year and have two blank pages
Passports issued more than 10 years ago are not accepted.Spain was your first EU country (you came from third countries — Turkey, Serbia, etc.) ‍

Step

Spain study visa application process

You can submit your documents in person at an immigration office or electronically through the Mercurio system using an electronic digital signature.

💡 The official processing time is 30 days, but in practice student visas are processed for up to 4 months. While the case is being processed, you are legally in Spain, but after the end of the tourist visa on which you entered, you will not be able to leave Spain until the decision is received.

Kamilla A.

Case Manager

I independently went through the process of applying for and successfully extending a student visa while in Spain. I have knowledge and experience in types of visas such as Study visa, Passive income holders and Digital nomads.

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Step

Appointment at the police station and application for a residence card

Only after you receive your visa, you will need to go to the police station to submit your fingerprints in order to obtain your physical residence card (TIE). The appointment can be booked here.

You must select the police station in the region where you are officially registered (empadronado). When booking, choose the category TRÁMITES CUERPO NACIONAL DE POLICÍA and then select the option TOMA DE HUELLA, EXPEDICIÓN DE TARJETA.

Document for application for a residence card

Confirmation of your cita (appointment)
Confirmation of your residence approval (a paper with CONCEDER)
EX17 questionnaires (it is better to fill in both). Fill it in as MI-T.
Passport and scan of its first page
Photo 32х26 mm (check Google-maps for foto para carne de conducir)
Paid tasa 790-012 (16,08€)
Certificate of registration

How to fill in tasa and pay

The first part IDENTIFICACIÓN fill in like in MI_T (NIE, name, address)
Then check scans bellow:

Autoliquidación section of the form with Principal option selected

Tasa form table with the first-issue TIE option selected

City, date
Forma de pago — to pay in cash

The easiest way — to pay tasa in cash in the BBVA ATM with bar code scanner. You can do it up to 11 pm

How to check if the card is ready

If you need a cita to collect the card, then you can easily check if the card is ready — just select your office and service RECOGIDA DE TARJETA. On the next page you will see the current lot with cards.

Cita Previa page stating the latest TIE card batch received by the office

If you can collect your card without cita, you then need a bit of imagination: you can call the police office and ask for the current number, you can visit them and check, you can look for TG, WA and Twitter chats, sometimes people publish there updates of lots. "Lote №" is the number that can be found on the document that was given to you after getting your fingerprints.

If there is no other way you can wait until the mentioned deadline.😉

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Hola! I'm here to make your relocation smooth and calm. I provide an assistance with each step of your DN submission or modificatications, share with you tips about documents, regulations, traveling with pets and life in Spain ⭐

My main focus is the Spain Digital Nomad visa/residence. I'll guide you through every step—from decision-making to receiving your residence cards 🙂 I approach my work with care, so feel free to ask even the simplest questions!

The process of obtaining a residency permit in Spain can be simple and interesting. I would be happy to help you navigate bureaucratic intricacies, answer questions, provide support, and reassure you 🤗

J. is an immigration and international mobility lawyer, registered with the Madrid Bar Association. He has experience assisting clients to relocate or invest in Spain, focused overall on Latin American and US clients.

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Migrun is the greatest service for relocation – I have received my residence permit in Spain as a digital nomad in less than 1.5 months – from initiation to approval. The best thing about Migrun – they have many affordable solutions combined with lots of free guides, so you get the best value for your money. Plus you never feel pressured to pay more than you really need. Which is truly the mission of the company – to make relocation affordable, transparent and easy. Special thanks to Irina D. for helping with my case and questions! Looking forward to work with the Migrun team further. Many thanks!

Date of experience: August 02, 2023

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My immigration to Portugal wouldn't happen if not for Migrun. First, they have a LOT of free guides of how to collect documents for different visas and residency types + a great chat with a lot of immigrants sharing their experience. A year ago it was a very simple website and a chat of a couple thousands - now an extensive platform and a family of useful chats on Portugal the largest being 10K people. I have collected all documents for D7 visa with their help for free.Later I changed my mind and decided to apply for residency as highly-qualified professional from inside of Portugal and did so with a great help of Migrun. Today I have received my residency card.Business with emphatic approach - unlike many other immigration services who just try to rip you off using your lack of knowledge.All people in Migrun have always been friendly, honest and trying to do their best.

Date of experience: July 31, 2023

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Student visa in Spain

Summary Snapshot

Requirements

FAQ about visa

Verified by experts

Financial requirements for Spain study visa

How to apply?

Option #1: at the Spanish consulate

Option #2: from Spain

1/3

Are you planning to relocate to Spain temporarily or for permanent residency?

2/3

Are you ready to enroll in a University/Vocational program, or are you considering Language Courses?

3/3

We currently recommend applying for a student visa through the Consulate in your country of residence or citizenship. Is this an option for you?

🎉 Great! You perfectly fit the requirements for Spanish Startup Visa

🚨 Please note: There have been significant recent changes in immigration law that could impact your plans

😔 Currently, obtaining a student residency can be complex due to evolving requirements

Step-by-step guide

👉Documents checklist

Tips for apply from your country 🌏

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