What is a student visa?
A student visa is a personal and non-transferable authorization for its holder to stay in a foreign country for more than 90 days for the purpose of studies, training, internships, or volunteer work. Enrolling in a full-time Spanish language course at an official language school in Spain is one of the ways to obtain a student visa for Spain.
Advantages of a student visa (visa D)
- you will obtain a residence permit (TIE) and get the legal resident status in Spain for the duration of your studies (TIE be your main identification document and will be required for most of the legal procedures in Spain);
- option to renew/extend your residency for another long-term period without leaving Spain;
- access to the Spanish public health system and other social benefits in Spain (resident discounts, customer rights protection etc.);
- it gives you easier access to public services (opening a local bank account, renting an apartment, getting a mobile phone contract etc.);
- a long-term visa, especially if renewed over time, may allow you to transition to other residency categories in Spain (such as work visas) after your studies;
- at the end of the course, you will fluently speak Spanish which will bring new opportunities into your life: to study in a Spanish university, build your professional career, or live in Spain;
- you can visit other countries of the Schengen Area, travel to your home country and re-enter Spain with flexibility during the holiday period comprised within your visa;
How do you know if you need a visa for Spain and how to obtain it?
Whether you need a visa or not depends on your citizenship and the period of time you want to spend in Spain. In the below section, please choose your citizenship (nationality) and intended duration of your stay in Spain to find out if you need a visa and what are the steps to obtain it.
Please note that visas are granted only for full-time programs, consisting of 20 lessons a week as a minimum. Student visa can be short-term (from 91 to 180 days) or long-term (more than 180 days and up to 1 year). Short-term visa does not give you the right to get the TIE card and become the resident, and it will not be possible to prolong this visa from within Spain.
