Applying for a visa to Spain

Specificity of filing

To apply for a tourist visa to Spain, you need to apply to the visa center, and if you need a long-term student Spanish visa, you should contact the embassy in your country.

Those foreigners who are not EU citizens and plan to stay in the country for more than 90 days in a half-year must apply for a D-category visa: it entitles them to stay in the country for more than 3 months, to study in accredited educational institutions, where they need to complete an educational program Day, supposed to issue a certificate or diploma at the end of training. A D type visa for study in Spain D is a necessary document for all those who plan long-term studies in this country.

A long-term visa of D category, including a visa for study in Spain of type D, assumes a residence in the country up to 180 days. Its advantage is that students are relieved fromm necessity to additionally submit a certificate of no criminal record, as well as a medical certificate that much simplifies the processing of documents in the consulate.

If the student wants to have a residence permit, a long-term visa is also issued, but with permission to stay in the country for up to one year. The advantage of this issue is that it can be extended without leaving the country.

To apply for a short-term Schengen visa, you need to submit documents to the visa department of Spain:

1. Application form for a Schengen visa to Spain. (How to Fill-in the Schengen Visa Application Form)
2. Valid foreign passport, the period of which ends no earlier than 3 months after the return from Spain. If the applicant has 2 valid passports, then they should be provided together.
3. Copies of all pages of the passport.
4. Copies of all pages of the national passport.
5. All passports that have been canceled.
6. Color photos with a white background without ovals and angles measuring 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm (2 pcs.).
7. Certificate of employment on the company letterhead with seals and signatures, which will indicate the salary, position and contact details of the company (phone and address).
8. Certificate from the place of study for students and schoolchildren.
9. Means of subsistence - extract form a bank account.
10. A copy of the birth certificate (for underage applicants).
11. If a student is paid for a trip, then a sponsorship letter and a photocopy of the sponsor's passport.
12. Flight reservation.
13. Medical insurance, for all entire period of a tourist trip, and the amount of insurance must be at least 30 thousand EUR.

Additionally, if a child is under of age, then a notarized consent from the parent (s) and a photocopy of his/her birth certificate are required.

Important notes:

1. All documents submitted must be translated into Spanish and certified by this Consulate General (except passports).
2. All oroginal documents are submitted with of the 1 copy attached (copies are taken after certification of translations and / or legalization of documents). If you apply for a student Spanish visa, then you need to notarise:

• certificate of non-conviction;
• Medical certificate;
• Certificate of income.

3. At any stage of visa process, the Consulate General may request the personal appearance of the applicant and, if necessary, conduct a personal interview with him.

4. The Consulate General reserves the right to request any additional documents.

To apply for a long-term student Spanish visa you need to fulfill several conditions, namely:

1. The traveler must not be a citizen of Switzerland or another EU country, nor be a member of the family of citizens of these countries.

2. There should not be a ban on staying in the Schengen countries, and in Spain in particular.

3. The applicant must have sufficient funds to cover all the expenses that will be required for residing in the country and for his further return to his homeland. The amount is based on the cost of living.

4. You need to conclude a contract for the provision of health insurance with one of the Spanish insurance companies (private or public). You will not get a visa for study in Spain of type D without it.

5. In the event that the applicant is under of age and he/she will be in the country without parents, he/she must submit to the consular department an exit permit, certified by a notary. This document should indicate the name of the training organization that will be responsible for the education and residence of the underage student for the entire duration of the study (the student's Spanish visa will be issued for the same period).

6. The student must study only in accredited Spanish educational institutions on a full-time program, which issues a certificate or diploma.

7. If the stay in Spain exceeds 6 months, the applicant needs a certificate of no criminal record within the previous five years and the confirmation of absence of infectious diseases.

8. Parents of minor children need to know:

• Spain does not issue tutelary visastembers of the student, so you need to find a guardian for the child in advance.
• The minimum level of the student's income must make up 100% of the subsistence minimum (IPREM) per month, which is 550EUR. An exception can be the situation, if housing is paid for the entire period in advance.
• The minimum standard of living of the first member of the student's family should be 75% of the subsistence level (420 EUR) and 50% of the IPREM (280 EUR) for other family members. Exceptions are cases where accommodation is paid in advance for the duration of the stay.
• These funds do not include amounts used or planned for covering the cost of study, exchange programs or internships.

9. For underage students:

• A birth certificate, translated into Spanish, certified by the Consulate General of Spain or made by a sworn translator in Spain.
• Permission of parents or guardians to move the child to Spain ( ndicating the data of the person in charge of the child in Spain, the address of the child's residense while living in Spain, the name and address of the training center, the authority responsible for its activities and the dates of the student's planned stay there) notarized with the Hague Apostille and translated into Spanish, certified by the Consulate General of Spain or made by a sworn translator in Spain.
• An application from a Spanish notary for a person responsible for a minor in Spain, confirming that the person is responsible for the child during the whole period of his/her stay in Spain, the address where the child will reside in Spain, and the identity document of the person in charge. Submitted with an unapproved copy.

The application for a visa for study in Spain of type D can be submitted only to the consulate of Spain.

To obtain a long-term student Spanish visa category D, you need the following documents (originals and copies):

1. An application for the granting of a national visa, signed and completed (2 copies) in the Spanish language , and in case of an applicant's minority - signed by his representatives.

2. Passport, which is valid longer than the period of stay in the country, copies of all its pages. An national passport, copies of all its pages.

3. Financial guarantees that will confirm the sufficient availability of funds for training, residence in Spain and return:

- sponsorship letter;

- certificate of emploment;

- an extract from the bank account.

4. Consent from parents, guardians or organizations who are responsible for sending the student to study if he/she is under 18 years of age. Such consent must be certified by a notary.

5. A document confirming the availability of residence for the student throughout the entire period of study.

• The contract of rent of habitation for all term of a training course;
• Confirmation of housing payment;
• Nota Simple.

In case of submission of a lease agreement or an invitation from an individual, a copy of NOTA SIMPLE issued at least 3 months before the filing of the documents and a lease agreement should be enclosed if the inviting private person is not the owner. It is not superfluous to attach a letter - a confirmation from a person/ individual (be it your relative, friend, boyfriend / girl, etc.), which says:

I, the full name, residing at _______ invite my relative / friend / fiancé to Spain (city) for the entire period of study (date). A relative / friend / fiancé will study at ______ + passport data of the student. He / she will live in my apartment at (necessarily !!!) ______ at no cost. You can add more about the cultural part of the program: I want to introduce it to the city and culture ....

6. Medical insurance. In the list of documents, it said: "A public or private health insurance policy issued by an insurance company accredited in Spain. The policy must cover the entire period of stay in Spain, medical expenses and repatriation costs in the event of an accident or sudden illness. Serve with an unapproved photocopy and transfer. "

7. The certificate of enrolment in an educational institution, in which it should be indicated:

- the name of the student;

- name of the university / school;

- name of the course;

- period of study;

- The total number of hours per week spent on training.

Documents in accordance with the purposes of stay:

Implementation or continuation of studies. Documents confirming admission to a school accredited in Spain for a full-time program, followed by a diploma or certificate of education.

Scientific research or educational program. Documents confirming admission to an educational or scientific center accredited in Spain for the purpose of conducting research or on an educational program. In the case of scientific research, this could be a university, an institution of the Higher Council for Scientific Research or another public or private agency for the development of science from the I + D system.

Participation in the student exchange program. Supporting documents:

• Certificate of an institution of secondary education and / or baccalaureate, or an officially accredited research center.
• Confirmation of participation in the student exchange program in an officially accredited organization for this purpose.
• Confirmation that the student exchange organization assumes responsibility for the student at the time of his/her stay, in particular, paying for the costs of studying, staying and returning to the country of origin.
• Confirmation of admission to a family or an institution for residence, specially selected on contract terms by the party organizing the student exchange.

8. If the period of stay is more than 6 months in the country, the student will need:

- medical certificate;

Now it is not necessary to seek exactly form - recently the consulate accepts any medical certificates bearing a note or a similar wording: "This is to certify that Mr. / Mrs.____ does not suffer from diseases that could damage the health of people, as stipulated in the International Sanitation Regulations of 2005 "

A medical certificate for long-term (resident) visas must contain:

• Seal of medical institution;
• A signature with a transcript and a doctor's seal;
• Date of the document.

The validity of the certificate for presentatio is 3 months.

- Certificate of no convictions with Apostille, issued by official bodies, during the last 5 years (for adults).

These documents must necessarily be translated into Spanish and officially certified by the consulate of Spain.

Fundamental rules

• An application for a visa for study in Spain of category D should be submitted to the applicant personally, and in case of minority, by its official representatives, parents or guardians.
• An application for a Spanish student visa is filed with the Spanish consulate or with the diplomatic service in the applicant's country.
• At the time of application you need to pay a fee, the cost of which is 60 EUR. The amount is not returned to the applicant in case of visa refusal.
• An application for a long-term visa is considered within 30 days following the day of its submission. If the answer is not received from the consulate in a month, then it is considered that the decision was not made in favor of the applicant and the visa was denied.
• The applicant can be invited to the embassy for an interview.
• The applicant can be requesed to provide additional documents at any time.
• When the decision is made positive, within 2 months from the date of notification the applicant must obtain a student Spanish visa. If this is not done, it is considered that the student has refused the visa, and the documents are transferred to the archives of the consulate.
• The validity of the visa can not be more than one year and always coincides with the period of study.

When you receive a national visa, which is given for a period of only 3 months, it is necessary to apply for a student residence (tarjeta de estudiante) within a month after arriving in Spain - usually for the duration of your studies.

The police will need the following documents to submit:

- valid passport with a visa;

- written application of the EX-17 sample for issuing a plastic card;

- receipt for payment of the fee (10,20 EUR);

- color photos on a white background measuring 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm (3 pcs.).

• In cases where there is the opportunity to work and study at the same time, the student has the right to work as an IP or for hire (you need to get an official permit).
• Extension of the category D visa is possible without leaving Spain.

Visa holders for study in Spain in category D have the right, on an equal basis with residents of the country, to invite their relatives to Spain. To do this, you need a photocopy of the resident card and some document proving the relationship.

DOCUMENTS:

If necessary and in addition to the documents provided, the consular service shall have the right to demand the submission of information that it considers necessary (eg, the content of a curriculum or ongoing research; confirmation of the applicant's previous studies; confirmation of payment or booking of training course, indicating the payer in the case of a minor applicant; Copy of Nota Simple informativa from the register of the owners of real estate, in those cases when a lease is submitted or an invitation to live with a private person, etc.)

COPIES:

We remind you that each document is submitted with the application of one photocopy. Copies are removed after the translation is certified and / or the documents are legalized.

TRANSLATION:

The translation into Spanish of all documents presented in other languages is required.

INTERVIEW:

At any stage of registration of the case and a student's Spanish visa, the Consulate General may request personal appearance of the applicant in case he deems it necessary.

ATTENTION: This information does not replace or supersede existing rules that apply in all cases.

The student's residence can be issued on the basis of a visa (a national, Schengen or Spanish student visa is suitable), which confirms the legal residence in Spain and enables you to move freely around all the Schengen countries.

You need to travel to Spain not later than one month from the date of opening a long-term visa, and upon arrival do the following:

• In the municipality, register at the place of residence. If Barcelona is chosen for residence, information on all procedures can be found on the website www.barcelona.cat . To register in another city you need to look for official websites of these cities.
• To obtain a plastic card of the student residence, you should contact the police nearest to the place of residence. Appeal must be no later than 30 days after entry into the country and after receiving a certificate of registration. All police stations are open from Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 14:00.
• In the commissariat you need to provide:

- Passport and photocopy of pages with personal data, with photos and with a visa;

- color photos taken on a white background measuring 3 cm x 3.5 cm (3 pcs.);

- certificate of registration (certificado de empadronamiento);

- application form EX-15 (2 copies).

Policemen have the right to request confirmation of enrolment in an educational institution, so it is advisable to take its original and a copy.

In the police stations, you need to take a receipt and pay the fee (model 790, code 2). After receiving the documents, the police officer will notify the student about when to bring a confirmation of the payment of the fee.

When the first term of the student residence passes, you can extend it if there are documents confirming further education.

When applying for an extranjeria (foreigner registration body), it is possible to obtain a work permit for up to 20 hours per week for part-time work. If the student's status is more than 3 years, then there is the possibility to request a residence permit, which gives the right to work full-time.

Documents for such a visa must be submitted directly to the Consulate General of Spain, having previously registered for an appointment by phone or online.

Those wishing to apply for a national visa or a Spanish student visa must submit the documents in person or through a trustee (on the basis of a notarized power of attorney) directly to the Consulate General.

*Note: When applying at the Spanish embassy/consulate in home country, the guardian or parent should accompany their under-age children.