Study Stay Authorization

1 – What is the Study Stay Authorization?

It is an authorization that allows you to stay in Spain for a period exceeding ninety days to pursue or extend studies at an authorized educational institution in Spain, in a full-time program leading to the attainment of a degree or certificate of studies.

You can come to study in Spain for higher education, undergraduate, postgraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs, as well as language courses at the Instituto Cervantes or other official centers. Other studies such as Medium or Higher Vocational Training Cycles and even other trainings leading to the attainment of a certificate of professionalism or technical aptitude certification or professional qualification necessary for the exercise of a specific occupation are also included, as long as these studies are conducted at OFFICIAL CENTERS recognized by the Ministry of Education or the Regional Departments of Education.

2 – Where to apply for the Visa or Study Stay Authorization?

Here, we must consider our country of origin. We have two cases:

1. If you are from a country that requires a visa to travel to Spain: in this case, the application for the study stay visa must be submitted at the Spanish Consulate corresponding to your residence. You must schedule an appointment at the Consulate for a National Visa and submit the documentation that I will explain below for the application.
2. If you are from a country that does not require a visa to enter Spain: in this case, I advise you to have all the documents prepared before traveling to Spain, and once inside the country, then submit the application for the Study Stay Authorization at the Immigration Office of the city where you will be studying, within the first 60 days from your entry into Spain.

3 – What are the General Requirements to obtain the Study Stay Authorization?

1. First, we must secure enrollment in an Official Center according to the studies we want to pursue in Spain; it can be university studies, vocational training cycles, language school, etc., but it must always be an Official Center and the course must be registered.
2. Then, we must demonstrate sufficient financial means to support ourselves in Spain: this amounts to €600 for each month of study in Spain. For example, if we come to Spain to take a 6-month Spanish course at the Instituto Cervantes, we must prove €3,600 in personal funds deposited in a bank account or present a Bank Guarantee from a direct family member ensuring that sufficient funds are available to support us in Spain.
3. We must also obtain comprehensive Private Health Insurance without copayments that covers us for the entire period we will be studying in Spain. At our Expatriate Law Experts firm, we work with DKV Seguros to help our clients meet this requirement with robust and comprehensive Health Insurance, so if you have any health issues, you can visit any private clinic for care.
4. A Medical Certificate stating that you do not suffer from contagious diseases according to the 2005 International Health Regulations must be obtained. This Certificate is very easy to obtain in Spain from any private family doctor, and if you need to obtain it in your country of origin, I advise you to ask the Spanish Consulate about the accredited medical centers to issue this Certificate.
5. Regarding accommodation, it is very advisable to have a reservation for the time you will be studying in Spain, whether it is a rental housing reservation, a student residence, or you may stay at a family member’s or friend’s home.
6. Finally, you must submit your criminal record from your country of origin if your stay for studies exceeds 6 months.

4 – Can you work with a Study Stay Authorization in Spain?

The study stay authorization will allow you to work either as an employee or self-employed, as long as it is compatible with the pursuit of your studies.

The studies that allow work compatibility are:

1. Higher education.
2. Regulated training for employment or aimed at obtaining a certificate of professionalism.
3. Training leading to the certification of technical aptitude or professional qualification necessary for the exercise of a specific occupation.

The work activity must not exceed 30 hours per week, which is 75% of the normal workweek in Spain.

The authorization to work will not have geographic limitations unless the lucrative activity coincides with the periods during which studies, research, unpaid internships, or volunteer service are being conducted.

However, this geographic limitation will not apply in the following cases:

1. When it is proven that the organization of the work activity allows compatibility without requiring continuous travel.
2. When the location of the workplace or the place where self-employment activities are conducted does not involve continuous travel that would break the compatibility requirement with the main purpose for which the stay was granted.

The validity of the work authorization will coincide with the duration of the study stay authorization.

The work authorization will be extended if the circumstances that led to the previous grant continue, provided that the study stay authorization has been renewed.

5 – Will I receive a physical Foreigner Identity Card once I have my Study Stay Authorization in Spain?

The answer is YES, provided that the studies you are going to pursue in Spain exceed 6 months, and the answer is NO if the studies you have come to pursue in Spain are less than 6 months.

6 – Can my family come to Spain while I am studying?

Here are all the details regarding the possibility of bringing your family members to Spain if you obtain your Study Stay Authorization:

1. Your spouse, registered partner, children under eighteen years of age, or those who are disabled and are not objectively capable of providing for their own needs due to their health condition can obtain authorization to enter and legally stay in Spain with the student for the duration of their studies.
2. Authorized party to submit the visa application: the student’s family member personally or through a representative.
3. Place of application: The Spanish diplomatic mission or consular office in the jurisdiction where the student’s family member resides.
4. Time to apply for the family member’s visa: It can be applied for simultaneously with the student’s study visa or at any later time within the validity period of the study stay authorization.
5. To obtain the visa, it must be proven that the foreigner has sufficient financial means to support the family unit, the family or kinship relationship, and, in the case of children over eighteen years old, documentation proving that they are not objectively capable.
6. The family members’ authorization will be linked to that of the student, and they may stay in Spanish territory for the same period and under the same conditions as the student.
7. If the family members’ stay exceeds six months, they must obtain a foreigner identity card.
8. The student’s family members will not be able to obtain authorization to carry out lucrative activities under any circumstances.

Would you like to apply for a Study Stay Authorization or Visa in Spain?, do not hesitate to contact our firm.

Best regards,
Ricardo Cardenas
Lawyer No. 10,756 of the Illustrious Bar Association of Málaga
Expert in Immigration and Nationality Law