Quick Answer
Money 2026: €600 a month (100% of IPREM) for the months of stay; +€450 for the first family member, +€300 for each further one
Where: Consulate (6 to 2 months before the course, decided in 1 month) or from Spain for higher education (in the first month of your stay, decided in 2 months)
Work: automatic in higher education, up to 30 hours a week
Key documents: admission, insurance without co-payments, medical certificate, criminal records if the stay exceeds 6 months
On finishing: residence and work without a visa or minimum years, or up to 24 months to look for a job
Table of Contents
The student visa, which the regulation calls a "long-stay authorisation for studies", is the route to living in Spain for more than 90 days while you study. Since May 2025 it is governed by the new Immigration Regulation (Royal Decree 1155/2024, amended in April 2026 by Royal Decree 316/2026), which changed things the internet still explains wrongly: working hours, applying from inside Spain, and what happens when you finish.
This is the general guide, for any nationality. If you are coming from the United States, Colombia or Mexico, we have guides with your country's specifics, linked below. Every claim points to an official source at the end; where the regulation is silent, we say so.
Which studies it covers
- Full-time higher education at an institution recognised in Spain, leading to an official degree: bachelor's, master's. Full-time means enrolled in at least 90% of the credits. Minimum age: 17.
- Post-compulsory secondary education (bachillerato, vocational training). Minimum age: 18, except on student mobility programmes.
- Student mobility programmes and volunteering services.
- Training activities, including Spanish language courses or co-official language courses at official language schools or centres accredited by the Instituto Cervantes, with at least half the hours in person.
How much money you must prove in 2026
| For whom | Percentage of IPREM | Per month in 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| The student | 100% | €600 |
| First accompanying family member | 75% | + €450 |
| Each additional family member | 50% | + €300 |
Two ways to apply: consulate or from inside Spain
| Visa at the consulate | Authorisation from inside Spain | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Any student | Higher education only (article 52.1.a), adults, legally present in Spain |
| When | Between 6 and 2 months before the course starts | At least 2 months before the course and 2 months before your legal stay expires |
| Where | Spanish consulate in your country of residence | Immigration office of the province where you will study, in person or online (Mercurio platform, form EX-00) |
| Decision deadline | 1 month from the day after filing | 2 months; 15 days if the university files for you |
| If they do not answer | Deemed refused | Deemed refused |
Documents
- Signed national visa form and a photograph.
- Passport with at least one year of validity and two blank pages; passports issued more than 10 years ago are not accepted.
- Admission letter from the Spanish institution, in Spanish, plus proof of tuition payment (a partial payment is enough).
- Financial means per the table above, or a certificate from the institution that it covers room and board.
- Health insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain, with benefits equivalent to the public system's basic package and valid for the whole stay. The consulate specifies: no co-payments, no deductibles, no waiting periods and no coverage limit (or, if there is one, not below €30,000). Travel insurance is not accepted.
- Medical certificate stating that you do not suffer from diseases with serious public health implications under the 2005 International Health Regulations. The consulate asks everyone for it; the Ministry states it is not required when applying from Spain.
- Criminal record certificates, only if you are an adult and the stay exceeds six months: from every country you lived in during the last five years, apostilled and with a sworn translation. The consulate counts the total stay, not just the course.
- Visa fee: in local currency and different by nationality. In 2026 the consulate in Washington charges US citizens $160 and most other nationalities $106; check your consulate's table, which is revised quarterly.
How long it lasts and how to extend it
- Duration: the same as the studies, with a limit of one year, except for higher education, where it matches the official length of the programme. A four-year bachelor's can give a four-year authorisation.
- It starts one month before the course and ends 15 days after it finishes.
- The visa sticker in your passport is valid for at most one year even if the authorisation is longer; for stays over six months you obtain the TIE, which covers the rest.
- Each academic year, on authorisations longer than a year, you must submit the new year's enrolment; otherwise the authorisation lapses.
- Extension: requested in the two months before expiry, online, for at most one year at a time, and up to two extensions for higher education and secondary (one for volunteering and training activities). If there is no answer within a month, it is deemed refused.
Working on a student visa
- Higher education: the authorisation allows work as an employee or self-employed automatically, with no additional procedure, as long as it is compatible with the studies.
- Limit: 30 hours a week. Exceeding it is grounds for extinction of the authorisation.
- Geographic limit: the autonomous community where it was granted (plus adjacent localities).
- Other studies (secondary, mobility, volunteering, language courses): working requires the employer or the student to apply for a work authorisation.
- Curricular internships: nothing more is needed.
- If you work and are registered with social security, that registration satisfies the health insurance requirement.
Family
- Spouse, registered partner or stable partner with at least one year of proven cohabitation, unless you have children together.
- Unmarried minor children, and adult children with support needs due to disability or illness.
On arrival
- TIE: for stays over six months, apply in person at the police station within one month of entry (or of the grant, if you applied from Spain). It needs an appointment, and appointments are the bottleneck. How to get an appointment and TIE guide.
- Empadronamiento with your town hall: many provinces ask for it for the TIE, and almost everything else requires it. Guide.
- Bank account: many banks open one with a passport and NIE; some require the TIE. Guide.
- Digital certificate or Cl@ve: you will need it for extensions and almost any procedure. Guide.
What happens when you finish
Guides by country
- Moving to Spain from Latin America: visas, apostille and nationality for the whole region
Conclusion
The 2026 student visa asks for €600 a month in means, insurance without co-payments and, for long stays, five years of criminal records. In return it gives more than it used to: automatic work of 30 hours a week, family for higher education students, and on finishing a switch to residence and work with no visa and no waiting years, or two years to look for a job. Applying from Spain exists but has a narrow calendar: the first month of your stay.
If your case has something this guide does not cover, tell us below. We answer by email, and the questions that keep coming up end up here.
Related guides
Official Sources
The figures and requirements in this guide have been verified against the following official sources. Rules change often — always check the original source before acting.
- BOE — Royal Decree 1155/2024, Immigration Regulation (articles 34-36, 52-58, 176, 190)
- BOE — Royal Decree 316/2026, amending the Regulation (articles 126 and 190)
- Ministry of Inclusion — Information sheet: student stay
- Spanish Consulate in Washington — Study visa (2026 requirements and fees)
- BOE — Law 31/2022 (2023 budget), additional provision 90 (IPREM amount)
- BOE — Royal Decree-Law 3/2004, which created the IPREM
- Congress of Deputies — Government answer on the budget prorogation in 2026
- BOE — Law 14/2013, additional provision 17 (job-search stay for graduates)
- BOE — Royal Decree 126/2026, minimum wage 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money do I have to show?
100% of the IPREM per month, €600 in 2026, multiplied by the months of stay; €450 more for the first family member and €300 for each additional one. Money earmarked for tuition does not count. If your accommodation is prepaid, the Regulation waives the requirement.
Can I work on a student visa?
If you are in higher education, yes: automatically, employed or self-employed, up to 30 hours a week and within the autonomous community where it was granted. Exceeding 30 hours extinguishes the authorisation. For other studies you need to apply for a work authorisation.
Can I apply while in Spain as a tourist?
Yes, for higher education, if you are an adult legally present in Spain. But you must file at least two months before your stay expires and two months before the course starts: with 90 tourist days, that means the first month in practice. Filing extends your stay until the decision.
How long does it take?
At the consulate, one month from the day after filing. From Spain, two months, or 15 days if the university files for you. In both cases silence means refusal.
Which insurance is accepted?
One from an insurer authorised in Spain, with benefits equivalent to the public system and valid for the whole stay. The consulate requires no co-payments, no deductibles, no waiting periods and no coverage limit (or not below €30,000). Travel insurance does not count.
Do I need criminal records for a six-month course?
Only if the stay exceeds six months and you are an adult. The consulate counts the total stay you request, not the course length. Certificates from every country you lived in during the last five years, apostilled and translated.
Can I bring my partner and children?
Only if you are in higher education and your authorisation has at least 90 days left. A partner with a year of proven cohabitation (or children together) and minor children. They have your status and duration, and may not work.
What happens when I finish?
You can switch to a residence and work authorisation without a visa or minimum years, applying between two months before and three months after finishing; or, with a bachelor's degree or higher, stay up to 24 months looking for work. Student time counts at 50% toward long-term residence.
Do student years count toward nationality?
Nationality by residence requires legal residence, and a student stay is a different status from residence. We neither claim nor deny it: confirm with the Civil Registry or a lawyer before counting on those years.
I am starting a PhD: is this the visa?
According to the Spanish consulate in Washington, from August 2026 doctoral candidates apply for the researcher visa, not the student visa. Confirm with your consulate before preparing documents.
Does your case have complications?
Tell us which country you are from, what you will study and where you want to apply from. We answer by email.
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