Spain student visa: requirements and steps for 2026

Is it for you?

This route is for you if you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen and have a full-time place at a recognised Spanish institution. Since 20 May 2025 it falls under Spain's new immigration regulation, Real Decreto 1155/2024. Legally it is an estancia por estudios (student stay), not residence.

Only these courses now qualify, and never online-only ones:

• Higher education: bachelor's and master's degrees (official or the university's own títulos propios), higher vocational training (FP de grado superior) and higher arts or sports education. In person or hybrid; non-university courses must be at least 50% in person.
• Upper-secondary education: Bachillerato or intermediate vocational training (FP de grado medio), among others, at least 50% in person.
• Spanish courses: in person, at an official language school (Escuela Oficial de Idiomas), an Instituto Cervantes-accredited centre or a recognised university. Only if Spanish is neither your mother tongue nor your country's official language.

If your course lasts 90 days or less, you do not need a student visa: a visitor stay is enough.

Not coming to study? If you work remotely, see the digital nomad visa; if you will live on savings, the non-lucrative residence.

Requirements

• A full-time place at an authorised institution, with fees paid (instalments are fine).
• Minimum age: 17 for higher education, 18 for other courses. From Spain, you must be 18.
• Funds: 100% of IPREM (Spain's public income benchmark) per month, unless your accommodation is prepaid for the whole stay. Tuition does not count.
• Health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain, with cover similar to the public system.
• No criminal record in the countries you lived in over the last five years, if you will stay more than six months.
• No disease posing a serious public-health risk, and you must not be in Spain irregularly.

Official guidance says requirements must cover the whole period you apply for. Some consulates, such as Buenos Aires, count 12 months at most. Check with yours.

Family. Only in higher education can your partner and your minor or dependent children join you. They can apply with you or later, if your authorisation has at least 90 days left. They get the same duration as you but cannot work.

Documents

• National visa application form (from Spain, form EX-00) and a recent photo.
• Passport valid for at least one year.
• Acceptance letter and proof of fee payment, with course dates and format.
• Proof of funds: bank statements, a scholarship or a parental support letter.
• Health insurance policy. Many consulates require no co-payments or waiting periods and reject travel insurance.
• Criminal record certificate, if your stay exceeds six months.
• Medical certificate at the consulate. Some only ask for it for stays over 180 days; it is not required from Spain.
• Proof of fee payment and, if you are 17, your parents' authorisation.

Foreign documents must be legalised or apostilled and translated into Spanish. Check your consulate's own list before booking.

Step by step

From your home country

1. Get your acceptance letter and pay your fees.
2. Book an appointment at the Spanish consulate for where you live.
3. Apply at least two months before your course starts.
4. The decision takes one month, or longer if they ask for documents or an interview. No answer means refusal.
5. Collect your visa within two months. Do not buy flights before then.
6. If you are staying more than six months, apply for your TIE (foreigner ID card) within a month of arriving.

From inside Spain

If you are in Spain legally, even as a tourist, you can apply here for higher education. File at least two months before your legal stay ends and two months before your course starts. Apply at the Oficina de Extranjería (immigration office) in the province where you will study, or online via the Mercurio portal. The decision takes two months; no answer means refusal.

For example, if you enter visa-free with a 90-day stay, you would need to apply in your first month. For Bachillerato or intermediate vocational training, you need to already hold residence with two months left.

Costs and fees

Some nationalities pay a different visa fee based on reciprocity. US citizens, for example, pay $160 in Los Angeles and Miami. The Bogotá consulate charges Colombians nothing. The visa fee is not refunded if you are refused.

Add insurance, translations and apostilles. With us, the first call is free and a personalised advice session costs €50.

Amounts from Orden PJC/617/2025 (BOE), checked in October 2026.

Common mistakes

• Paying for an online course or an unrecognised school.
• Choosing a Spanish course when you come from a Spanish-speaking country.
• Applying with less than two months to spare.
• Buying travel insurance or a policy with co-payments.
• Working more than 30 hours a week: it is grounds for losing your authorisation.
• Not showing your enrolment at the start of each year.
• Missing the one-month window for your TIE.

Extensions and what to do when you finish

In higher education, the authorisation covers your whole degree, plus one month before and 15 days after. Each year you show your enrolment. For other courses it lasts up to one year.

To stay longer, apply for an extension between two months before and three months after it expires. Each one matches your course, up to a year, and you can have two (one for language courses). The decision takes a month; no answer means refusal.

When you graduate

• Job search or starting a business: if you finish a bachelor's degree or higher in Spain, you can get 24 months' residence, with no extension. Apply in the 60 days before your stay expires, or up to 90 days after with a possible fine. You need funds and insurance; the fee is €10.94. No answer within 20 days means approval. You cannot work during this time.
• Employment: with your degree and a contract. For part-time jobs, annual pay must reach the full-time SMI (minimum wage): €17,094 in 2026. The first permit lasts one year.
• Self-employment: with your degree, the licences for your business and enough investment.

Since April 2026, you apply to switch to work from two months before to three months after your stay ends or you get your degree. If you apply on time, your authorisation stays valid until the decision. You cannot switch if you studied on a development-cooperation scholarship.

Fees: €10.94, plus a work fee of €203.84 (€407.71 if you earn twice the SMI or more), paid by the employer for jobs. If the job is highly skilled, also look at the highly qualified professional route.

Time as a student counts at 50% towards EU long-term residence, if you hold residence status when you apply.

How we help

• We check that your course and institution fit the new rules before you pay.
• We work out the funds you need for you and your family, and review your bank statements.
• We tell you whether to apply from your consulate or from Spain, with every deadline marked.
• We prepare and review your file: insurance, criminal records, apostilles and translations.
• We support you with your TIE, extensions and the switch to job search or work.

Start with a free call to look at your case. If you need more, a personalised advice session costs €50.