🎓 Student Visa & Study Stay

Foreign students enrolled at a Spanish university, language school or exchange programme need this appointment to register their stay — we book it for the full academic year or for term-by-term renewals.

Studying in Spain: the route in the order it happens

The confusion at the start is between two different things: the visa, applied for at the Spanish consulate in your country, and the study stay or its card, dealt with in Spain. Which one applies to you depends on how long the course lasts.

Short course or long course

• Up to 90 days: a short-stay visa, or none at all if your nationality is exempt. No card and no fingerprint appointment.
• More than 90 days: a long-stay student visa. Once in Spain you request the card, which does require the fingerprint appointment.

What the consulate asks for

• Acceptance from a recognised institution, stating the hours and duration of the course.
• Proof of sufficient means for the whole stay, calculated on the IPREM.
• Health insurance with cover in Spain, without co-payments in most consulates.
• Criminal record certificate from your country, apostilled or legalised and translated, for courses over 180 days.
• Medical certificate, for courses over 180 days.
• Proof of accommodation, and the paid visa fee.

After you arrive

• Register at the town hall (empadronamiento) for your address.
• Request the card if your course exceeds six months: the fingerprint appointment with form EX-17 and fee 790 code 012 paid beforehand.
• Collect the card at a separate appointment, usually 30 to 45 days later.
• If your visa was for 90 to 180 days, no card is issued: the visa itself covers the stay.

Working while you study

This changed with the current regulation (Real Decreto 1155/2024, in force since 20 May 2025). If you hold a higher-education study authorisation you may work up to 30 hours a week automatically — the right is built into the stay itself and no separate work authorisation is needed. Before May 2025 a specific permit was required, usually capped at a 20-hour part-time contract.

Three conditions still bind you: the work must be compatible with your studies, study has to remain the main activity, and the 30-hour ceiling is real — exceeding it can extinguish the study authorisation. For training other than higher education (vocational and similar routes) the separate work authorisation may still apply, so check the route named on your own resolution.

Extending, and what comes next

• The extension is requested before the current authorisation expires, proving academic progress and continued means.
• After finishing your studies there are routes into a work or research authorisation, each with its own requirements.
• Time on a student authorisation counts differently towards long-term residence: check how it is computed before assuming five years is five years.

What goes wrong most often

• Insurance with co-payments or exclusions, rejected at the consulate.
• Acceptance letters that do not state the hours per week.
• Waiting past the deadline to request the card after arrival.
• Exceeding the 30-hour weekly ceiling, or letting work displace study as the main activity — both put the authorisation at risk.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours can I work on a student visa?

Up to 30 hours a week if you are in higher education: under Real Decreto 1155/2024 the right is built into the study stay and no separate work authorisation is needed. The work must be compatible with your studies, study must remain the main activity, and exceeding the limit can extinguish the authorisation. Other training routes may still require the separate authorisation.

Do I need the card if my course is short?

If your visa covers 90 to 180 days no card is issued — the visa itself covers the stay. For courses over six months you request the card, which means a fingerprint appointment and, later, a collection appointment.

What does the consulate ask for?

Acceptance from a recognised institution stating hours and duration, proof of sufficient means calculated on the IPREM, health insurance with cover in Spain, and — for courses over 180 days — a criminal record certificate, apostilled or legalised and translated, plus a medical certificate.

When do I apply for the extension?

Before the current authorisation expires, proving academic progress and continued means. Leaving it until after expiry complicates the file.

Can I move from studies to a work authorisation?

Yes. After completing your studies there are routes into a work or research authorisation, each with its own requirements. Note that time on a student authorisation counts differently towards long-term residence.

Does Citapre handle the student visa?

No. The visa is applied for at the Spanish consulate in your country. We obtain the appointments in Spain: the fingerprint appointment for the card and, later, the collection appointment.