Living in Spain and studying Spanish

If you enrol in an intensive Spanish course with Guadalmina Idiomas, you can obtain a student visa to have a legal residence in Spain while you study Spanish. This option has many advantages since the student visa allows you to bring your close relatives to Spain to live with you, you may travel around Europe (countries that are part of the Schengen territory) and you can work in Spain, while studying, for 30 hours a week.

The student visa can be applied from the Spanish consulate in the student’s country of origin or from Spain (if the student can enter Spanish territory with a tourist visa), in both cases Guadalmina Idiomas can help you throughout the complete process until you obtain the Spanish residency card.

There are two different types of student visas depending on the duration of your course or studies:

• For students with a course of 6 months or less we will apply for a short-term study visa, it has less requirements and it is not necessary to apply for a Foreigner’s Identity Card (Spanish Residency Card – TIE).
• For students who register for a course longer than 6 months, we will apply for a long-term student visa and it will be necessary to obtain a residence card in Spain (TIE).

Requirements for obtaining a Student Visa

1. Certificate of enrolment in our intensive courses (enrolment form attached)
2. If you apply for authorisation from Spain, you must be in Spanish territory on a legal situation and submit the application at least one month before the expiry date of your legal stay. (on tourist visas within the first two months of entry into Spain).
3. Valid passport for the duration of the visa.
4. Have sufficient financial means to cover the costs of stay and return to their country and, where appropriate, those of their family members (100% of the IPREM-approximately €7,500 per year). The easiest way to prove this requirement is a bank certificate.
5. Have public or private health insurance arranged with an insurance company authorised to operate in Spain. It is advisable to apply for insurance in Spain.
6. For students above 18 years, Criminal record certificate from your home country that must be less than 3 months old, legalized with the Hague Apostille, and officially translated into Spanish. This requirement is not required for minors under the age of 18 (although parental authorization is required). A criminal record certificate is also not required for stays/courses under six months.
7. Not suffer from any of the diseases that may have serious public health impacts in accordance with the provisions of the International Health Regulations 2005. This is evidenced by a medical certificate that must be less than three months old. This requirement is not necessary for stays of less than six months.

You may also obtain a special student work permit if you want to work part-time during your studies in Spain. The student visa in itself will not allow you to work in Spain, but students can apply for a special work authorization. If you find employment with your student visa and obtain your authorisation to work, you will need to register with the Spanish social security system and give your social security number to your new employer.

If you have any questions regarding the process to obtain a student visa, do not hesitate to contact Guadalmina Idiomas, we will be happy to assist you.

Write to us at info@guadalminaidiomas.es