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Student visa for Spain
Money to show for the visa: €600 a month: €7,200 for a year. Work while you study: Up to 30 hours a week, with no separate work permit. Checked against the official pages on 24 September 2026.
The numbers
- Money you must show
- €600 a month: €7,200 for a year
- Work while you study
- Up to 30 hours a week, with no separate work permit
- Stay after you graduate
- 24 months to look for work, but you may NOT work during it
100% of IPREM, frozen since 2023. Halves to €300/month if accommodation is prepaid. Tuition is separate.
Ministry of Inclusion, Hoja 1, updated November 2025, checked 2026-09-24
Raised from 20 by the 2025 reform. Exceeding it extinguishes your study authorisation.
Ministry of Inclusion, Hoja 4 bis, May 2025, checked 2026-09-24
Ministry of Inclusion, Hoja 20, checked 2026-09-24
Worth knowing: Public fees depend on the region, with Madrid charging non-EU students six to eight times more, and the 24-month job search permit does not allow work.
The visa
The route is the long-duration study stay (estancia de larga duración por estudios). Note it remains a stay, not a residence permit, which is precisely why the Madrid fee surcharge bites.
What the 2025 reform changed, and it is a real improvement: for higher education the authorisation is now granted for the entire official length of your programme, valid from one month before studies start to fifteen days after they end. A four-year degree gets one four-year authorisation instead of four annual renewals. Non-higher-education courses remain capped at one year.
The money: €600 a month, 100% of the IPREM, which is frozen at its 2023 level because no new budget was passed. That is €7,200 for a twelve-month course. If accommodation is prepaid for the whole stay, the requirement halves to €300 a month. Accompanying family members need 75% of IPREM (€450) for the first and 50% (€300) for each additional person. Tuition is not counted inside these amounts, show fees separately on top.
Also required: private medical insurance with minimum €30,000 cover including repatriation, and a criminal record certificate if the stay exceeds 180 days.
Apply at the consulate at least two months before studies begin. The legal deadline for a decision is one month from submission; in practice appointment availability, not the decision, is the bottleneck. The fee is around €80, charged in local currency.
On arrival, if your stay exceeds six months you must apply in person for the TIE card within one month of entering Spain.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
No student visa is needed: citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland may live and study in Spain. For more than three months you normally register your residence after you arrive, and show that you are enrolled, insured and can support yourself.
Where to apply
At the embassy or consulate of Spain that covers your country, or through the visa application centre it names. Book early: in the busiest months appointments can be weeks away. Apply only through the official website; nobody can sell you a faster place in the queue.
Government scholarships to study in Spain
- MAEC-AECID Scholarships closed for this round
Which of these are open to your nationality
By nationality
From Algeria
From Armenia
From Azerbaijan
From Bangladesh
From Brazil
From Cameroon
From Canada
From China
From Colombia
From Egypt
From Ethiopia
From Georgia
From Ghana
From India
From Indonesia
From Iran
From Iraq
From Japan
From Jordan
From Kazakhstan
From Kenya
From Lebanon
From Malaysia
From Mexico
From Morocco
From Nepal
From Nigeria
From Pakistan
From Philippines
From Russia
From Saudi Arabia
From Senegal
From South Africa
From South Korea
From Sri Lanka
From Syria
From Tanzania
From Tunisia
From Türkiye
From Uganda
From Ukraine
From United Arab Emirates
From United States
From Uzbekistan
From Vietnam
From ZimbabweQuestions students ask
How much money do I need to show for a Spain student visa?
€600 a month: €7,200 for a year. 100% of IPREM, frozen since 2023. Halves to €300/month if accommodation is prepaid. Tuition is separate. (Ministry of Inclusion, Hoja 1, updated November 2025, checked 2026-09-24).
Can international students work in Spain?
Up to 30 hours a week, with no separate work permit.
Can I stay in Spain after I graduate?
24 months to look for work, but you may NOT work during it.
Do EU citizens need a student visa for Spain?
No. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens may live and study in Spain without a student visa. For a stay of more than three months they normally register their residence after arriving.
This page is general information from official sources, not immigration advice. For a decision about your own case, the official source or a regulated adviser is where that belongs.