Based on the Immigration Regulations in force (Royal Decree 1155/2024) and the information sheets of the Ministry of Inclusion. Sources at the end. The official texts are in Spanish.

In short: the student stay lets you live in Spain for more than 90 days to study full time at a recognised centre. You need admission with the tuition paid, funds (100% of the IPREM per month), health insurance and, for stays over six months, a criminal record certificate. You apply at the consulate or, for higher education, from Spain if you are here legally. With higher education you can work up to 30 hours a week without another permit, and when you finish you can move to residence and work without leaving Spain.

What it covers

  • Higher education: bachelor's and master's degrees, higher artistic education and higher vocational training, full time at a recognised centre.
  • Post-compulsory secondary: baccalaureate and intermediate vocational training.
  • Other cases with their own rules: exchange programmes, volunteering and some training activities, such as Spanish courses at an official language school.

Full time means enrolled in at least 90% of the credits or the programme. For non-university studies, at least half has to be in person: an online-only course does not qualify. It is a stay, not a residence, so it is worth planning the move to residence from the start.

Requirements

  • Admission to a recognised centre for a full-time programme, with tuition or enrolment fees paid.
  • Age: at least 17 for higher education and 18 for the rest. To apply from Spain, you must be an adult.
  • Funds: 100% of the IPREM for each month of stay (€600 a month by law), unless you prove accommodation is paid for the whole period. For family members, 75% for the first and 50% for each additional one. Tuition money does not count.
  • Health insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain, for the whole stay.
  • No criminal record, if you are an adult and the stay is over six months, in Spain and in the countries where you lived in the last five years.
  • A passport valid for at least one year.

Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalised and translated by a sworn translator: it is one of the most frequent causes of delay.

How to apply

From your country

Apply at the Spanish consulate where you live, at least two months before the course starts. The consulate has one month to decide. If your stay is over six months, apply for the residence card (TIE) within a month of arriving.

From Spain

Only for higher education, if you are an adult and in Spain legally, for example as a tourist. You must apply at least two months before your legal stay ends and two months before the course starts. With the 90 days of a tourist stay the margin is very short, so everything should be ready before you travel. The Immigration Office has two months; if it does not reply, the application is treated as refused. Talk to us before you book your flight.

Working while you study

  • Higher education: you can work as an employee or self-employed with no further procedure, as long as it is compatible with your studies.
  • Other studies: a work authorisation is needed.
  • Limit: 30 hours a week. Going over it can end the stay.
  • Curricular internships (part of your study plan) need no extra permit.

After your studies

This is the part most worth planning ahead. With your degree you can, without going back to your country:

  • Move to residence and work as an employee, with a job offer and without the national employment situation being checked.
  • Move to residence and work as self-employed, if you will start a business.
  • If you finished a bachelor's degree or higher, request a 24-month residence to look for a job or start a business.

It is requested within the two months before or the three months after your stay ends or you obtain the degree. One exception: it cannot be used if you studied on a development cooperation or humanitarian scholarship. Tell us your plans and we will map the route.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Enrolling in a course that does not qualify: part time, online only or at an unrecognised centre.
  • Applying late, above all from Spain with a tourist stay.
  • Criminal records not apostilled or translated, or a passport with less than a year of validity.
  • Working more than 30 hours.
  • Waiting for the stay to expire before thinking about the move to residence and work.

How we help

We check that your course, funds and insurance meet the requirements, prepare and file the application, follow it up and, later, handle the extension and the move to residence and work. We help you in English and Spanish, at our office in the centre of Bilbao (calle Colón de Larreátegui, 15), or by video call and phone from anywhere. Ask for a free first call.

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Sources