Visa
Below you can find useful information about who needs a visa to go to Spain and how this done. Although there are some documents that need to be filled out and presented at the Spanish consulate getting a student visa is a relatively easy process – especially for citizens that normally do not need a visa for short term stays.
Who Needs a Visa?
The following nationalities can stay for up to 90 days in Spain without a Visa:
USA, Australia, Canada, Japan, Andorra, Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Korea (Rep. of), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela.
Citizens from EU countries do never need a visa no matter the lenght of stay. For other nationalities or if you are planning to stay longer than 90 days a student visa is necessary.
How to Get a Visa
The standard process of getting a visa is described below but as each Spanish consulate (even within the same country) have slightly different rules (or interpret the official regulations differently) the first thing you will have to do when you have signed up for your course and if you need a student visa is to contact the nearest Spanish consulate for full information about what is needed (see links below).
Getting a student visa can take from one week to several months so we can always recommend starting the application process as early as possible or at least get a confirmation from the consulate about approximately how long time the process will take.
Documentation needed
All documentation required for the student visa to Spain has to be presented in person at the nearest Spanish consulate.
Normally the consulate will ask for a confirmation letter from the Spanish university stating which course you are signed up for, how many hours and for how long. Frequently the consulate will also request an accommodation confirmation letter stating where you will be living and who is responsible for your accommodation. At Go Study Spain we will make sure that you receive the above documents.
You will also have to fill out a number of forms and bring at least 3 photos (passport size).
Apart from these documents the consulate will require that you have a valid passport for the full period and you will also normally need show a internationally medical insurance valid in Spain for the full distance (in our package is included medical insurance, which we will sign you up for as soon as the full program fee has been paid).
The consulate might also ask for documentation that can proof that you can maintain yourself during your stay in Spain (for this a bank statement from you or your parents is normally enough – as the accommodation is already included in our package they will only require that you can proof that you have about 5-10Eur per day in Spain). In some rare cases the consulate might even ask for a medical certificate and crime record but this is not very common.
Spanish Consulates Abroad
Below you can find a list of some of Spanish consulate around the world.
- Spanish Consulates in the USA
- Spanish Consulates in Canada
- Spanish Consulates in Australia
- Spanish Consulates in Russia
- Spanish Consulates in Japan
Other countries please see www.mae.es.
