Spain's student visa for €550, fully online.
For courses in Spain longer than 90 days: enrolment, proof of funds and insurance, prepared the way your consulate requires.
Spain's student visa for €550, fully online.
Spain's student visa: Spain's national visa for higher-education courses longer than 90 days. Adults admitted to an authorised institution. Booka's fee is €550. Applied for at the consulate in your country of residence.
Spain's national student visa lets adults take higher-education courses longer than 90 days. It is requested at the consulate in your country of residence, at least 2 months before the course starts, and under the current regulation the authorisation covers the full duration of the studies.
If the stay exceeds 6 months, you must request the TIE card within 1 month of arrival. Every consulate adds its own nuances: your file is prepared against the checklist of your specific consulate, not a generic one.
Updated on · Rule: RD 1155/2024 · Source: inclusion.gob.es
Spain's student visa: The facts that decide your case.
- What it is
- Spain's national visa for higher-education courses longer than 90 days.
- Who can apply
- Adults admitted to an authorised institution.If the student is a minor travelling within an exchange programme, the route is the student mobility visa.
- Where you apply
- At the Spanish consulate for the place where you live, and you must evidence residence in that consular district.
- Minimum lead time
- 2 months before the course starts, save justified cause.That is the rule. Appointment dates and processing are set by each consulate.
- Official form
- The national visa application form of your consulate.
- Length
- Under the current regulation the authorisation covers the full duration of the studies.
- Can you work?
- It allows up to 30 hours of work a week, compatible with your studies (art. 57.2, RD 1155/2024).
- Government fee
- Consular visa fee, which varies by country and reciprocity.Paid directly to the consulate; the amount is detailed in your case file, not published here.
Spain's student visa: Who it is for — and who it is not.
This is your procedure if…
- You are over 18 and hold an admission letter from an authorised institution in Spain.
- You currently live outside Spain and can evidence residence in that consular district.
- The course lasts longer than 90 days and starts at least 2 months from now.
- You can evidence funds for the period and take out health insurance valid in Spain.
This is not your procedure if…
- You are already in Spain on a regular stay: the in-country student stay authorisation is requested from here, without returning home.
- You are in Spain without a permit: this visa is applied for at the consulate in your country of residence and does not resolve your situation here.
- The course lasts 90 days or less: that is not a national student visa.
- The student is a minor joining an exchange programme: that route is the student mobility visa.
Is this really your procedure?
If you are torn between routes, answer them before hiring anything. Twelve questions, three minutes, and we tell you which ones fit your case, what you are missing for each, and what puts it at risk. It comes off the price if you then hire the full service.
Spain's student visa if you come from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Argentina or Cuba
The student visa is applied for at the Consulate General of Spain for your district, with the admission letter and academic transcript apostilled by the body in the table. If the course lasts more than 6 months, add your country's criminal record certificate, apostilled or legalised at MINREX if you are Cuban, and request it last because it expires quickly.
| Country | Apostille or legalisation | Consulate of Spain | Criminal record certificate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colombia | Colombia apostilles online at the Cancillería (Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Colombian degrees are first legalised, free and online, at the Ministry of National Education. | Consulate General of Spain in Bogotá | Colombia's certificate of judicial records (antecedentes judiciales) is issued by the National Police and apostilled online by the Cancillería as a digital document. |
| Venezuela | Venezuela apostilles at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MPPRE), by appointment, with an electronic apostille for many documents. Venezuelan degrees first go through the Ministry of University Education. | Consulate General of Spain in Caracas | Venezuela's criminal record certificate is issued online by the Ministry of Interior, Justice and Peace, valid for 3 months, and apostilled by the MPPRE. |
| Argentina | Argentina apostilles at the Foreign Ministry (TAD platform, digitally signed documents) or at any Colegio de Escribanos (notaries). Argentine degrees are first legalised at the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Health. | Consulates General of Spain in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario and Bahía Blanca, depending on the province | Argentina's criminal record certificate is issued online by the Registro Nacional de Reincidencia, valid for 90 days, and apostilled via TAD or at a Colegio de Escribanos. |
| Mexico | Mexico has a dual apostille system: federal documents are apostilled by the Secretaría de Gobernación (SEGOB) and state documents by each state's Secretaría General de Gobierno. Mexican consulates do not apostille. | Consulates General of Spain in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, depending on the state | Mexico issues the federal criminal record certificate (SSPC, online, with SEGOB electronic apostille) and the state certificate of no criminal record; check with the Spanish consulate which one it requires. |
| Peru | Peru apostilles at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, online or in person in Lima. Peruvian degrees must be registered with SUNEDU before the apostille. | Consulate General of Spain in Lima | Peru's criminal record certificate is issued electronically by the Judiciary (Poder Judicial), valid for 90 days, and apostilled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. |
| Cuba | Cuba is not party to the Hague Convention, so there is no Cuban apostille: Cuban documents are legalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) and, when the Spanish authority requires it, at the Consulate General of Spain in Havana. | Consulate General of Spain in Havana | Cuba's criminal record certification is issued by the Ministry of Justice and legalised by MINREX; it is the slowest document in a Cuban file, so it is requested first. |
| Ecuador | Ecuador apostilles online at the Cancillería, with no appointment, and the apostille arrives by email. An Ecuadorian degree must be registered with SENESCYT before it is apostilled. | Consulates General of Spain in Quito and Guayaquil | Ecuador's criminal record certificate is issued online and free by the Ministry of the Interior, valid for 90 days, and apostilled online by the Cancillería. |
| Chile | Chile's apostille is decentralised: the Civil Registry apostilles its certificates online, higher-education degrees are legalised and apostilled at Ayuda Mineduc and all other documents at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. | Consulate General of Spain in Santiago de Chile | Chile's certificate of criminal record for private purposes is issued by the Civil Registry with ClaveÚnica and apostilled online in the same request. |
Common to all eight countries
- Nationals of Ibero-American countries can apply for Spanish citizenship after 2 years of legal residence (article 22 of the Spanish Civil Code), instead of the general 10 years.
- Criminal record and civil certificates are usually required to be less than 3 months old when filed, and every document not in Spanish needs a sworn translation (traducción jurada) in addition to the apostille or legalisation.
Consular pages at exteriores.gob.es and the Hague Conference status table, checked 4 October 2026.
Spain's student visa: What you have to prove.
Admission letter from an authorised institution
This is the piece the whole file is built on: no admission, no visa to request. It must come from an institution authorised to deliver those studies and state the programme and its dates, because those dates drive both the lead time for filing and the length requested.
Requirement 1 of 6Filing at least 2 months in advance
The rule requires the visa to be filed at least 2 months before the course starts, save justified cause. It is the figure worth checking on day one: consular appointments are not always available when you want them, and a course starting in six weeks leaves very little room.
Requirement 2 of 6Funds for the period
You evidence sufficient means referenced to Spain's public income index, and the amount depends on the length of the course and on whether family travels with you. Evidence means verifiable documents — bank certificates, scholarships, the income of whoever supports you — not an unbacked letter of support.
Requirement 3 of 6Health insurance valid in Spain
Cover for the whole stay, on the terms your consulate requires. An ordinary travel policy with low limits or co-payments is frequently rejected, so it is reviewed before you buy it, not after.
Requirement 4 of 6Criminal record and medical certificate for stays over 6 months
Stays longer than 6 months usually require criminal record certificates from the countries where you have lived plus a medical certificate. Both expire quickly and need translation and legalisation, so they are requested once the rest of the file is assembled.
Requirement 5 of 6Residence in the consular district
The visa is handled by the Spanish consulate covering where you live, and that is evidenced by document. Filing at the wrong consulate is not a formality: the application is simply not accepted.
Requirement 6 of 6Does your case fit?
Tick what applies to you. Nothing is sent and we ask for no personal data: the result is only for you.
This is guidance, not a decision: approval depends on the administration and on the complete file.
Spain's student visa: the documents you need.
This is the checklist. If one is missing, the file is not submitted — and that is precisely what keeps it from being returned.
Solicitante· 10
Familiares (si procede)· 4
Official source: the Spanish consulate's national visa page (exteriores.gob.es) and information sheet 1, Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. inclusion.gob.es
Spain's student visa: Who prepares and who files your case.
Two teams, one file. Booka prepares and checks your documents; Booka Legal (our in-house legal team, supported by external lawyers) reviews the case and files it as your representative.
- Booka prepares
- We ask for your documents, tell you what is missing or will not be accepted, and build the file in your online case file. 100 % online.
- Booka Legal files
- Booka Legal reviews the complete file. The application is lodged at the Spanish consulate in your country of residence: where the consulate accepts a representative, Booka Legal lodges it; where it requires you in person, you take a file that is already checked to your appointment.
- If there is a request or a refusal
- Booka Legal can answer a request for more documents or appeal a refusal. The appeal is included in the price. No firm can guarantee the outcome: the administration decides.
- Price
- A fixed fee of €550, published on this page. Official government fees are paid separately to the administration.
- Follow-up
- You see the status and every step of the consulate's procedure in your case file.
€550, and you know it before you commit.
Document review, case preparation, filing and follow-up until the decision.
Consular visa fee: varies by country and is detailed in your case file. Paid directly to the consulate.
on signing, to open your case and start reviewing your documents.
when we file your application with the administration.
No interest, no surcharge: it is the same price, split. You request it from your case file and someone from the team confirms it within 24 working hours.
There is no paid consultation to find out the price, and no custom quote. This is the price, and it is published.
Almost nobody publishes the price.
Of the digital immigration firms we reviewed in September 2026, only one publishes a price and lets you hire online. The rest ask you to call, or to pay for a consultation before telling you what the procedure costs.
Fixed price, published before you commit. Official fees are separate in both cases.
Spain's student visa: Booka, a gestoría, a lawyer or on your own
The same application can go four ways. What changes is the price, whether you have to go in person and who checks the file before it reaches the administration.
Booka
- Price
- €550 in fees
- Online?
- Yes, end to end, without travelling to file
- Who reviews the file
- Booka's team, then Booka Legal, before filing
- Official fee included
- No, paid apart
Traditional gestoría
- Price
- Variable quote, depends on the firm
- Online?
- Depends on the firm; often requires an in-person appointment
- Who reviews the file
- The gestor handling the case
- Official fee included
- Depends on the quote
Immigration lawyer
- Price
- Variable quote, depends on the firm
- Online?
- Depends on the firm; often requires an in-person appointment
- Who reviews the file
- The lawyer
- Official fee included
- Depends on the quote
On your own
- Price
- Only the official fee
- Online?
- Depends on the procedure: online portal or in person
- Who reviews the file
- Nobody: you check it yourself
- Official fee included
- You pay it directly
Fully online, and you always know where it stands.
No office to visit, no phone calls and no waiting for someone to tell you where your case is: you can see it yourself, whenever you want.
From wherever you are
You prepare the whole file from your country, from your phone. We build and review every document online; the only in-person step is the one your consulate requires.
Stage by stage, nothing missed
You see which stage your case is in, which document is missing and which one is already reviewed. Every change is logged with its date, so you never depend on a callback to know how it is going.
Your questions, with the people handling your case
You ask from inside your own case file and the immigration team handling it answers — not a WhatsApp number that can stop replying. Every action is written down, with a name on it.
Nothing is filed half-done
The file is not submitted until it is complete: that is what keeps it from being returned, and what saves the most months. Once filed, the official receipt appears inside your account.
- Professionals on Booka
- 107,000+
- App rating
- 4.8 / 5
- Support
- 24/7
The authorisation covers the full duration of your studies, and the visa needs only 2 months' minimum lead time.
Spain's student visa: 5 stages, and you see which one you are in.
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.
Stage 1 of 5Internal review
The team reviews the complete file before filing. This is the step that prevents it from being returned.
Stage 2 of 5Official fees
Government fees are paid directly to the administration, with the receipt stored in your case file.
Stage 3 of 5Filing
The application is registered with the competent authority. You see the date and the receipt in your file.
Stage 4 of 5Decision
The authority decides and notifies, with the next steps explained inside your case file.
Stage 5 of 5Spain's student visa: How long it really takes.
| Step | How long |
|---|---|
| Admission and enrolment | Set by the institution's calendarWithout an admission letter the file cannot start. |
| Gathering documents at home | 2 to 6 weeksCriminal records, medical certificate, translations and legalisation depend on your country. |
| Review and file preparation | A few daysPrepared against your specific consulate's checklist, not a generic one. |
| Filing at the consulate | At least 2 months before the course startsThat is the legal lead time. Appointment availability is set by each consulate and is not ours to control. |
| Consular decision | Varies by consulateWe do not publish consular timelines because they are not uniform: the decision and its timing belong to the consulate. |
| TIE card after arrival | 1 month from entry if the stay exceeds 6 monthsA legal deadline. It sits as a stage of your case file, with its appointment and fee. |
There are two clocks here and only one is ours. The legal one — 2 months' minimum lead time, 1 month for the TIE — can be planned, and is. The consular one, both appointment and decision, varies by country and is outside anyone's control on this side, which is why we do not promise it.
Spain's student visa: What gets files returned — and how we stop it.
Starting with less than 2 months to spare
What it costs you
The minimum lead time is a legal requirement, and on top of it sits each consulate's appointment and processing time. The course starts and the visa has not arrived.
Using a generic document checklist found online
What it costs you
Every consulate adds its own rules on format, legalisation and number of copies. Filing against a universal list is the most common road to a second appointment.
Health insurance that does not meet the required conditions
What it costs you
Travel policies with co-payments or capped cover are often rejected. Fixing it means buying again and filing again.
Evidencing funds with a one-off balance of unclear origin
What it costs you
A large recent deposit with no explanation raises more doubts than it settles. Funds are evidenced with documents showing origin and continuity.
Foreign documents without sworn translation or apostille
What it costs you
They count as not submitted. It is the most frequent correction request, and the most avoidable if planned from day one.
Forgetting the TIE card on arrival
What it costs you
If the stay exceeds 6 months you have 1 month from entry to request it. Letting it slip complicates your stay right when the course has just begun.
Spain's student visa: the questions we get most.
Where can I apply for a student visa for Spain?
Three routes: on your own, at the Spanish consulate in your country of residence; through an immigration lawyer or a gestoría, at a price quoted by each firm; or online with Booka for a €550 service fee, without travelling to file; Booka Legal, our legal team, reviews the case. Government fees are paid separately.
Do I apply from my country or from Spain?
This visa is requested at the consulate in your country of residence. If you are already in Spain on a regular stay, your route may be the in-country student stay authorisation instead, priced on its own page — we tell you which applies before opening anything.
How much money do I need to show?
Sufficient means referenced to Spain's public income index (IPREM). The exact figure depends on the course length and whether family travels with you: we give it to you referenced to the current year when reviewing your case.
Every consulate asks for different things. How do you handle that?
True — which is why your file is prepared against your specific consulate's checklist, not a generic one. That is the difference between filing once and filing twice.
What do I do on arrival in Spain?
If your stay exceeds 6 months, request the TIE card within 1 month of entry. It sits as a stage of your case file, with its appointment and fee, so it cannot slip.
How far in advance do I need to apply?
The rule requires filing at least 2 months before the course starts, save justified cause. On top of that sits your consulate's appointment availability, which varies by country — which is why the file starts the moment you have an admission letter, not when the date gets close.
Can I work while studying in Spain?
The student authorisation allows up to 30 hours of work a week, compatible with your studies (art. 57.2, RD 1155/2024), and exceeding that ceiling is grounds for the permit to be extinguished. It is not an ordinary work permit and does not replace one: if your real plan is full-time work, the route is a different one.
How long does the authorisation last?
Under the current regulation it is granted for the full duration of the studies rather than year by year. That means fewer renewals, but it makes accurate programme dates more important from the outset.
Can my family travel with me?
The file allows for documentation of family members travelling with you, and in that case the funds required increase. We review it when the case opens, because it changes the whole financial evidence, not just one document.
What if the consulate refuses the visa?
The decision rests with the consulate and nobody can guarantee it. If a refusal arrives, we explain the specific reason and the options — appeal or a new application — which are separate procedures with their own cost.
I am under 18. Is this my visa?
If you are a minor joining an exchange programme or educational project at a recognised centre, the route is the student mobility visa, filed by whoever holds parental authority or guardianship. We tell you which one applies before anything opens.
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.
Spain's student visa as a doctor or nurse: your degree too.
The permit is one thing; practising is another. A foreign doctor, nurse or dentist also needs the degree recognised (homologación) and professional registration. Bookahospi, Booka's healthcare vertical, handles the recognition before the Ministry and wrote a step-by-step guide to this procedure for healthcare professionals.
With the visa and after entering Spain, a stay over 6 months means requesting the TIE card within 1 month. When the studies end and you have a job offer, the student-to-work modification lets you stay without leaving the country, if you meet the requirements.
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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.