# Spain's student stay permit

> Page: https://www.usebooka.com/en/tramites/espana/estancia-por-estudios
> Last reviewed: 2026-09-14

The student stay authorisation for higher education (form EX-00, art. 52 of the Immigration Regulation) covers degrees, master's, doctorates, higher vocational training and higher artistic studies. Under the current regulation it is granted for the full duration of the studies — no more year-by-year renewals — and it strengthens the option of applying from within Spain while in a regular situation.

It also allows up to 30 hours of work a week, compatible with your studies (art. 57.2, RD 1155/2024), without your employer processing a separate authorisation. Exceeding that limit is grounds for the permit to be revoked.

- **Booka fee:** €440
- **Official fees:** 10,94 €. Fee 790-052, heading 1.1.1: €10.94 for the initial permit and €17.49 for an extension (Order PJC/617/2025, in force as of September 2026).
- **Where to apply:** Applied for from within Spain. Can be requested from within Spain while in a regular stay; we check this before opening the case.
- Granted for the full duration of your studies: no more year-by-year renewals.

## At a glance

| | |
| --- | --- |
| What it is | Long-stay authorisation for higher education (art. 52 of the Immigration Regulation). |
| Who can apply | Adults admitted to a degree, master's, doctorate, higher vocational training or higher artistic studies. (As a general rule; the institution must be authorised to deliver those studies.) |
| Where you apply | Can be requested from within Spain if you are in a regular stay situation. (If your route is the consular visa instead, we spot it in the initial review.) |
| Official form | EX-00, application for a stay authorisation and extensions. |
| Can you work? | Yes, up to 30 hours a week and compatible with your studies (art. 57.2, RD 1155/2024). (With no separate authorisation for your employer to process. Going over 30 hours revokes the permit.) |
| Length of the permit | For the full duration of the studies you are admitted to: no more year-by-year renewals. |
| The documents that decide | Admission letter from the institution, evidenced financial means and health insurance. |
| Government fee | The procedure's official fee, separate from professional fees. (Paid directly to the administration and detailed in your case file.) |

## Who it is for

**This is your procedure if:**

- You hold an admission letter from an institution authorised for higher education in Spain.
- You are in Spain in a regular stay situation and still within its validity.
- You can evidence financial means for the study period with a bank certificate.
- You have, or can take out, health insurance covering you in Spain for the whole stay.

**This is not your procedure if:**

- You still live in your country and have not travelled yet: your route is the consular student visa.
- Your regular stay in Spain has already expired, or expires before you could file.
- The student is a minor on a school exchange programme.
- You have finished your studies and hold a job offer: yours is the modification, not a new student stay.

See the consular student visa: https://www.usebooka.com/en/tramites/espana/visado-de-estudios

## Requirements

- **Admission to an authorised institution.** The admission letter is the piece the whole file is built on: it evidences what you will study, where and for how long, and the length granted follows from it. The institution must be authorised to deliver those studies, so it is worth confirming before you pay tuition rather than after.
- **Being in a regular stay situation when you apply.** The current regulation strengthens the option of applying without leaving Spain, but conditions it on your situation being regular and the deadlines being respected. It is not an open door for anyone who happens to be here: it is a window with conditions. We check it before opening the case, and if your real route is the consular visa we say so then.
- **Financial means for the study period.** Evidenced with a bank certificate and, in some cases, documentation on the origin of the funds. The reference is the current IPREM index, so the amount moves with it and we give it to you referenced to the current year. If the funds belong to someone else — family, scholarship, sponsor — that backing has to be evidenced too, and that is where cases get complicated.
- **Health insurance valid in Spain.** It must cover the entire stay applied for, not just the first year. Short-term travel policies do not qualify, and replacing one later means a correction request. We review the specific policy before filing, because what is examined is the detail of the cover, not the insurer's name.
- **Criminal record and medical certificate for stays over 6 months.** Both are required for long stays, with the legalisation or apostille the issuing country requires. They expire quickly, so they are requested once the rest of the file is on track: asking too early means asking twice.
- **A complete, valid passport.** Provided in full, not just the photo page, and valid for long enough to cover the stay applied for. A passport close to expiry does not prevent filing, but it caps the length granted and complicates the steps that follow.

## Documents

**Solicitante**

- Formulario EX-00
- Pasaporte completo
- Acreditación de entrada en España
- Seguro médico
- Certificado bancario
- Carta de admisión
- Documentación acreditativa del origen de los fondos (optional)
- Certificado de antecedentes penales (optional)
- Certificado médico (optional)
- Justificante del pago de la matrícula (optional)
- Plan de estudios (optional)

**Familiares (si procede)**

- Pasaporte completo (optional)
- Certificado de matrimonio o pareja de hecho (optional)
- Certificado de nacimiento (optional)
- Certificado de antecedentes penales (optional)

## Stages of the file

1. **Document collection.** You upload your documents to the portal. We tell you what is missing and what will not be accepted before any clock starts.
2. **Internal review.** The team reviews the complete file before filing. This is the step that prevents it from being returned.
3. **Official fees.** Government fees are paid directly to the administration, with the receipt stored in your case file.
4. **Filing.** Booka Legal, as your representative, files the application on the Mercurio platform of the Public Administrations e-office, with a digital certificate. You need no certificate or Cl@ve. You see the date and the receipt in your case file.
5. **Decision.** The Immigration Office decides and notifies through DEHú (also visible in Carpeta Ciudadana). The next steps towards the TIE card are explained in your case file.

## Timelines

| | | |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Admission and enrolment | Set by the institution's calendar | It sets the real deadline of the case: no admission letter, no application. |
| Gathering the documents | 2 to 5 weeks | Set by the bank certificate, the insurance policy and, where they apply, criminal records from your country. |
| Review and case preparation | A few days | The file is not submitted until it is complete. |
| Filing | While your regular stay is still valid | This is the deadline that governs: filing late closes the route from within Spain. |
| Decision by the administration | Depends on the competent office | The decision rests solely with the administration; we publish no forecasts. |
| TIE card, for stays over 6 months | After a favourable decision | Fingerprint appointment and fee separately, with the authorisation already granted. |

The administration's timelines are nobody else's to promise, and pretending otherwise would be a lie. What is in our hands is everything before: filing while your stay is still valid and with a complete file, which is where most of the months are lost.

## Common mistakes

- **Letting your regular stay expire before filing** — The window to apply from within Spain depends on your situation staying regular. If it expires before you file, the route closes and the case has to be studied from the consulate instead.
- **Enrolling at an institution not authorised for higher education** — The admission does not work for this authorisation, and the tuition is already paid. This is checked before enrolling — the only moment when checking it changes anything.
- **Submitting travel insurance instead of full health cover** — Short-term travel cover does not meet the requirement and a correction request follows. Taking out the right policy from the start costs the same and does not stall the file.
- **Evidencing third-party funds without documenting the backing** — A balance that is not yours, with no evidence of who supports it and why, is assessed as means not evidenced. It is among the most common grounds for refusal in student cases.
- **Criminal record or medical certificate expired at filing** — They arrive with short validity. Requesting them at the start and filing months later means requesting them again, with the apostille all over and the course already starting.
- **Signing a contract for more than 30 hours a week** — Art. 57.2 of RD 1155/2024 sets that ceiling and makes breaching it grounds for the stay permit to be extinguished. It is not a minor irregularity: you lose the permit, not just the contract.

## Next

Once granted, the authorisation covers the full duration of your studies, so the next procedure does not arrive until you finish. With your degree and a job offer, the natural continuation is the student-to-work modification, also requested without leaving Spain.: https://www.usebooka.com/en/tramites/espana/modificacion-estudios-a-trabajo

## FAQ

**Can I apply for the student permit from inside Spain?**

The rules allow it if you are in a regular stay situation and within the deadlines. We check it before opening the case: if your route is the consular visa instead, we tell you.

**How many hours can I work as a student?**

Up to 30 hours a week, compatible with your studies and with no separate employer authorisation (art. 57.2, RD 1155/2024). Going over those 30 hours is grounds for the stay permit to be extinguished, so the contract is checked before it is signed.

**Can my family join me?**

The case file includes family members as an optional block (passports, marriage or birth certificates). Whether they fit depends on your specific case, confirmed in the initial review.

**What happens when I finish my studies?**

With your degree and a job offer, the natural next step is the student-to-work modification, also requested without leaving Spain. It is the continuation of this same path.

**How long is the permit granted for?**

For the full duration of the studies you are admitted to — one of the changes brought by the current regulation. Previously it was authorised course by course.

**Which studies qualify for this authorisation?**

Degrees, master's, doctorates, higher vocational training and higher artistic studies, always at an institution authorised to deliver them. A standalone language course or unaccredited training does not fit this route, and it is worth checking before paying tuition.

**How much money do I have to prove?**

The reference is the current IPREM index and the amount depends on how long your studies last, so the figure changes every year. When we review your case we give you the one that applies, referenced to the current year rather than carried over from an old one.

**Does my university's health insurance count?**

It depends on the policy's actual cover, not on who offers it. It must cover the whole stay applied for, and a short-term travel policy is not enough. We review the policy before filing, because replacing it later means a correction request.

**Do I need a TIE card?**

If the authorised stay exceeds 6 months, yes: it is requested in Spain, with a fingerprint appointment and a separate fee, once the authorisation is granted. For shorter stays it does not apply.

**What if my application is refused?**

The decision rests solely with the administration and nobody can guarantee it. If a refusal arrives, we explain the specific ground and what options exist — appeal or a fresh application — which are separate procedures with their own cost.

**Can I pay in two instalments?**

Yes, with no interest or surcharge: the total is identical either way. The first half opens your case and starts the document review; the second is paid when we file your application — if we have not filed, you do not pay it. You request it from your case file and someone from the team confirms it within 24 working hours.

**Are official government fees included?**

No: Booka's fee covers review, preparation, filing and follow-up. Government fees are paid directly to the administration, and we tell you which ones apply and when inside your case file.

**How do I know this is not a scam?**

Three things you can check: the price is published before you pay, payment is online with an invoice, and the second half is only charged once your application has been filed, with the official registry receipt visible in your case file. No informal intermediary gives you those three proofs.

## Official source

Official source: information sheet 1, Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, and articles 52 and 57 of RD 1155/2024.: https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2024-24099

## What the fee includes

Document review, case preparation, filing and follow-up until the decision.

## Notice

Booka's fees cover the professional handling of your application only and do not include official government fees, which are paid separately to the relevant authority. Approval of any permit rests solely with the competent administration and depends on the applicant meeting all legal requirements. The information on this page is for guidance only, may change as regulations evolve, and does not constitute individual legal advice.