Student visa from Spain
There are 2 types of student visa: up to 180 days and from 180 days to a year. The maximum duration of a study visa is 1 year. But you can extend it more than once without leaving Spain. And after 1 year of study it is possible to apply for a modification of your student visa to a work residency.
But let’s begin with the main thing!
You can apply for a student visa directly in Spain, being in the country as a tourist. What you need to do:
You must have a tourist visa for more than a 30 day stay in the Schengen area. That is, if you are issued a visa for 25 days with a duration of 2 months, such a visa is not valid. A visa for 90 days in half a year, on the other hand, is ideal. If you are in Spain as a tourist that doesn’t require a visa, you can follow the same guidelines, you must stay in Spain for more than 30 days as a tourist in order to complete the application.
If you don’t have a tourist visa yet, we recommend you complete your application package with a short-term Spanish course of 8 to 12 weeks. This will give you a much better chance of obtaining a visa for 30 days or more, with the option of using it to apply for a student visa!
The Schengen visa can only be applied for in the country of citizenship/temporary or permanent residence permit.
Arrival in Spain
Your passport must bear a stamp of the Spanish border crossing in order to prove your arrival in Spain. If the first country of the Schengen Area is not Spain, after crossing the border (preferably by plane) with your passport and boarding pass, the arrival has to be declared within the first 72 hours (declaración en el territorio español). This must be done with the National Police at El Prat Airport.
At least 30 days out of a possible 45/60/90 days should be left before applying for a student visa.
Criminal Record Certificate
It is desirable to have a certificate of your criminal record with an apostille. These documents should be officially translated by a certified translator. If you don’t have it when you arrive in Spain you can request it from here, providing your fingerprints at any National Police station. But remember that it takes longer this way.
The basic documents for a student visa application from Barcelona are:
– A scan of all pages of the passport with the entry stamp to Spain and with the tourist visa, if the visa and the stamp are in different passports or one ends but there is a new one, the pages of both passports.
– EX00 form.
– All boarding and qr codes on entry to Spain, in case there is no Spanish entry stamp.
– Non-conviction certificate + apostille + certified translation.
– The medical certificate on the official form. Available from Spanish clinics at a cost of €30-35.
– Registration and payment for an Intensive Spanish course of 20 hours a week (4 hours a day from Monday to Friday). It is compulsory for the school to be accredited by Instituto Cervantes, and FreeDa is accredited.
Enrol by completing the following application form and attaching the front page of your passport:
https://freedaspace.com/anketa/. If you already have a language level, you can join the group any Monday of the month.
If you need a visa with an extension option and would like to apply for a student card (TIE), we recommend taking the one-year course.
– Spanish bank statement. Proof of financial reliability cover all expenses while the applicant is in Spain and expenses to return to their country and, when is applicable, those expenses of their families, according to the following amounts: The sufficient sum is calculated from a minimum of 600,00€ per month. So the sum on bank account should be calculated following the period of stay. For the support of your dependent family members: for the first family member, 75% of the IPREM (Indicador Público de Renta de Efectos Múltiples), which this year (2023) amounts to €450.00 per month. For each of the other persons, 50% of the IPREM (Indicador Público de Renta de Efectos Múltiples), which this year (2023) amounts to €300.00.
– Spanish health insurance with full coverage (sin copagos y sin carencia).
It is recommended that you take out ASSSA. Annual health insurance will cost between 500 and 650 euros.
If you wish to apply independently or by electronic means with the help of an immigration lawyer. The fee for your lawyer is €350.
Important! Only adult applicants and prospective students may change their status from a tourist to a student from Spain.
Minors can obtain a residency permit on the basis of enrolment in a public school, or they can be legalised from their country of origin or have a temporary/permanent residence.
Watch the video on our channel about applying for a student visa from Barcelona.