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Student visa

Study stay authorization in Spain. Allows working up to 30 hours per week alongside your studies.

Minimum income 100% of the IPREM per month, EXCEPT where you show accommodation is paid for in advance for the whole stay (art. 35). The funds must also cover the return trip, and grants, aid, a contract or a firm job offer count where the permit allows work. For family members — 75% of the IPREM for the first and 50% for each of the others
Initial duration The same as the studies, capped at one year — but for higher education the permit runs for the official duration of the studies, with no one-year cap (art. 55). It is not 'one year, renewable'
Decision time 1–2 months
Work allowed? ✓ Yes
Family allowed? ✓ Yes
Fee 2026 Form 790, code 052 (check the current amount on the e-office when you apply)

💡 Does not count as legal residence for the purposes of permanent residency or nationality, unless subsequently changed to a work and residence permit.

📋 In higher education the permit allows employed and self-employed work automatically, with no extra step; in the other cases a work authorisation must be applied for (art. 57). As a general rule the work may not exceed thirty hours a week —except for intensive vocational training— and exceeding that is a ground for TERMINATION of the permit. The authorisation is limited geographically to the autonomous community that granted the stay, but work may be carried out in localities of another autonomous community provided they border it, and the limit may be excepted where the workplace does not involve continuous travel breaking compatibility with the studies (art. 57)

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Step by step

The application is filed, in person or through a representative, with the Spanish consular office competent to process it —not necessarily the one in your country of residence— once you have your acceptance, and at least two months before the studies begin (art. 36).

1
Obtain acceptance from a Spanish institution
Apply for a place at a university, master's programme or authorised training centre. Obtain an official acceptance letter.
2
Gather required documents
Prepare all required documents. Apostille and translate any foreign documents. Provide proof of sufficient financial means.
3
Book an appointment at the consulate
Schedule an appointment at the Spanish consulate. Submit your application with all required documentation.
4
Decision
There are two decisions, not one. The immigration office assesses the requirements and the competent body decides on the AUTHORISATION within a maximum of seven days from being notified; if that period passes with no answer, the decision is deemed UNFAVOURABLE. If it is favourable, the consulate decides and issues the VISA within a maximum of one month (art. 36).
5
Collect your visa and travel to Spain
Collect your visa and enter Spain before the course start date.
6
Apply for your TIE (Foreigner Identity Card)
Only if the stay exceeds six months. Art. 34 then requires the foreigner identity card, applied for IN PERSON at the competent Police Station —not at the immigration office— within one month of entering Spain. Fee Form 790 code 012 — check the current amount when you apply.
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Mistakes that get applications refused

⚠️ Assuming that hybrid delivery does not qualify

Consecuencia: Ruling out a programme that does qualify, or changing your enrolment for nothing

Solución: It depends on your case, and none of them requires 100% in-person study. University studies may be taken in person or in hybrid mode under the relevant curricula; other higher education, in person or hybrid provided at least 50 per cent of the programme delivered is in person; and for post-compulsory secondary studies and professional-certificate training art. 52 speaks of in-person or BLENDED delivery. What does not fit is a fully online programme. Also check that the institution is recognised in Spain.

⚠️ Working more than 30 hours per week

Consecuencia: Art. 57 puts it bluntly — exceeding the limit is a ground for termination of the stay permit.

Solución: Respect the 30h/week limit and ensure that work hours are compatible with your study schedule.

⚠️ Assuming the student visa automatically leads to residency

Consecuencia: The right to remain in Spain is lost upon completion of studies.

Solución: Before finishing your studies, apply to change your status to a work and residence permit if you have a job offer. Procedure: change from study stay to work and residence authorisation (RD 1155/2024).

⚠️ Enrolling in an institution not officially recognised

Consecuencia: Visa refusal.

Solución: Verify that the institution is listed in the State Register of Non-University Educational Centres (Registro Estatal de Centros Docentes No Universitarios) or is an official university.

Renewal

Renewed for: The extension matches the duration of the course you are enrolled in, of the mobility programme, the voluntary service or the training activity, capped at one year (art. 55). Higher education and post-compulsory secondary studies allow up to TWO extensions per permit; voluntary service and training activities, only one.

When to apply: During the TWO MONTHS before expiry (art. 55). It is filed electronically, on the official form, with the immigration office of the province that granted your initial permit. Filing in time extends the validity of the previous permit until a decision is issued, and it is also extended if you file within the THREE MONTHS after expiry, without prejudice to penalty proceedings (art. 55). If no decision is notified within one month, it is deemed REFUSED by administrative silence.

Requirements:

  • Keeping the requirements that led to the grant, and the institution keeping its status as recognised, authorised or accredited in Spain (art. 55)
  • The requirements of art. 53 for your case, that of art. 53 and those of letters b), h) and i) of art. 35 (art. 55)

Careful, these are two different mechanisms. If your permit runs for MORE than a year —the case of higher education, which follows the official duration— you do not apply for an extension — you keep it valid by providing ANNUALLY, at the start of each academic year, the enrolment fees, registration or equivalent document showing you are still studying (art. 55). The extension is for permits capped at one year.

Silence on the extension is NEGATIVE — a month without an answer means refused, not granted.

Legal basis

LO 4/2000 (LOEX) arts. 25 bis and 33; RD 1155/2024 (Immigration Regulation), arts. 34-36 and 52-59.

Checked against the consolidated text on 2026-09-01.

Official sources

🔗 Ley Orgánica 4/2000 de derechos y libertades de los extranjeros → 🔗 Reglamento de Extranjería - RD 1155/2024 → 🔗 Ministerio de Universidades → 🔗 Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores - Visados → 🔗 Sede electrónica Policía Nacional - Cita TIE →

Última actualización: 2026-09-01

ℹ️ La información de esta web es orientativa y de carácter general. No constituye asesoramiento jurídico. Para tu caso concreto, consulta con un abogado especializado en extranjería o con la oficina oficial correspondiente. Emigra España nunca aconseja actuar fuera de la legalidad.