The Spain Student Visa is what allows you to study or work part-time during your stay abroad. The Spain Student Visa allows you to work up to a maximum of 20 hours per week, and your work mustn’t interfere with your studies.
To get a job or study, the first step is to obtain a work permit from the Foreign Office. Take into account that the length of your contract mustn’t extend longer than the end date of your course. If you’re taking part in an internship as part of your course, a student visa isn’t necessary.
When obtaining your student visa for Spain, you must contact your local Spanish consulate and verify instructions. Each consulate requires different materials for the visa application process.
You can download all this information from our Visa Handbook.
Academic Year students will need to take additional steps:
Students studying in Spain for the Academic Year (programs over 180 days long) must get a head start on their visa applications. All Spanish consulates now require a medical certificate and a background check with Spanish translations and Apostille authentication for students staying in Spain longer than 6 months. Police Criminal Record clearance must be verified by fingerprints. It cannot be older than 3 months from the application date. You must get a police record from the countries you have lived during the past 5 years.
A U.S. Criminal Record must be either from:
a) The Department of Justice of the State where you have lived in the past 5 years. It must be legalized with the “Apostille of the Hague Convention” from your corresponding Secretary of the State. Please visit your state’s website to find instructions on how to request both a background check and the Apostille authentication from your Secretary of State.
b) The FBI Records for International purposes, issued by the U.S. Department of Justice. It must be legalized with the “Apostille of the Hague Convention” from the U.S. Department of State. Learn how to obtain the FBI background check here. The FBI background check can take over 12 weeks to be processed, so please apply early! To reduce the processing time, it is highly recommended to submit your request for an FBI background check either electronically or through an FBI-Approved Channeler. See the link above for instructions on these options. For information on how to obtain the Apostille authentication for your FBI background check, please go here.
For documents issued by a state authority (option A), the Apostille authentication must be done by the Secretary of State of your state. If the document has been issued by a federal authority (option B), the Apostille must be from the U.S. Department of State.
Once accepted into your SSA program, you should contact the consulate in your jurisdiction immediately to research the student visa application procedure specific to your consulate. Spanish consulates impose tight time restrictions on the student visa process, so plan ahead!
The mission of SSA is to promote our students’ in-depth understanding of Spanish-speaking countries through specifically designed and academically rigorous university-level and cultural travel programs.
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INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS Manager
Beth is your go-to contact for navigating the complex process of study abroad.
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