Spain Student Visa: Requirements, Documents & Steps (2026/27 Guide)

To study in Spain for more than 90 days as a non-EU student, you need a national study visa (visado de estudios). You apply in person at the Spanish embassy or consulate covering the place where you legally live, at least two months before classes start, with proof of admission and paid enrolment, funds of 100% of IPREM per month, health insurance and a few certificates.

This guide follows the current official checklist of the Spanish embassies and the Ministry of Inclusion. Requirements can vary slightly between consulates, so always read the study-visa page of the mission that covers your residence.

Which visa do you need?

The study visa covers stays over 90 days for higher education (official university degrees, university-specific degrees, higher artistic or vocational studies) and some other training. Studies of up to 90 days do not need a study visa. Doctoral candidates are treated as researchers and must apply for the national researcher visa instead. Your spouse or partner and children can apply for accompanying family visas.

Spain student visa document checklist

The Embassy of Spain in Islamabad lists the following documents (original and copy). Other missions use very similar lists:

1. 1.Completed and signed national visa application form.
2. 2.A recent colour passport photo with a light background.
3. 3.Passport valid for at least 1 year, with 2 blank pages, issued within the last 10 years, plus a copy of the biodata page.
4. 4.Proof of admission to a full-time program and of payment of tuition or enrolment fees.
5. 5.Proof of sufficient financial means (see below).
6. 6.Health insurance certificate valid for the whole stay.
7. 7.Criminal record certificate from every country you lived in during the last 5 years (if the stay is over 180 days).
8. 8.Medical certificate showing no diseases with serious public health implications under the International Health Regulations 2005.
9. 9.Proof of residence in the consular district.
10. 10.Payment of the visa fee.

Proof of funds: how much money do you need?

You must show enough money for your stay and your return. The official rule is a percentage of IPREM, Spain's public income indicator:

The amount is reduced if your accommodation is fully prepaid for the whole stay. Money you use to pay for your studies does not count. The embassy pages give the rule as a percentage, not a euro figure, so check the current IPREM value for the year you apply. Scholarships, grants and family funds can be used as proof.

Health insurance

You need a public or private health insurance policy from an insurer authorised to operate in Spain. It must give benefits similar to the Spanish National Health System's common basic services and be valid for your whole planned stay. Travel insurance sold for short Schengen visas is a different product and is not enough.

Step by step: how to apply

1. 1

   Get admitted and pay enrolment

   Ask your university for an admission and payment letter with your program details.

2. 2

   Collect and legalize documents

   Criminal record certificates, medical certificate, proof of funds and insurance, with legalization or apostille and sworn translation.

3. 3

   Find your competent mission

   Each mission's consular services page has a section naming its visa centre and booking site. You can only apply where you legally reside.

4. 4

   Book and submit in person

   Apply in person (or through an accredited representative) at least two months before classes start. You receive a submission receipt.

5. 5

   Answer requests and interviews

   The consulate may ask for missing documents or call you for an interview. Track your file at Su trámite consular.

6. 6

   Collect your visa

   Once the study authorization is favourable, the visa is decided within one month. Collect it in person within two months of notification or it is treated as abandoned.

7. 7

   Get your TIE in Spain

   If your stay is over 180 days, apply in person for the Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero within one month of entry, at the police station of the province where the authorization was processed.

If the consulate does not reply within one month, the application can be considered rejected (administrative silence). Your visa application also counts as the application for the long-stay study authorization.

Visa fees

Visa fees depend on the country where you apply and are often charged in local currency. At the Spain Visa Application Centre in Islamabad, the national study visa fee is listed as PKR 29,578 plus a PKR 5,519 service fee, paid in cash, non-refundable and subject to exchange-rate changes (the page does not state the year). Also budget for translations, legalizations, the medical certificate, police certificates and insurance.

Applying from Afghanistan

The Spanish Embassy in Kabul has closed to the public and moved temporarily to Doha. Its website says visa processing was transferred to the Embassy of Spain in Pakistan (Islamabad). Consular email for visa questions: [email protected].

• Legal residence is required. The Embassy only accepts study-visa applications from residents of its consular district. The visa-centre checklist says non-Pakistani applicants need a residence permit in their current passport. An appointment does not replace this.
• Where to submit in Pakistan. The Embassy lists the Spain Visa Application Centre at 2nd Floor, Plot No. 3-A, G-7 Markaz, Islamabad, run by Intiana. The visa-centre FAQ says national visas can be submitted as walk-ins at its Islamabad, Lahore or Karachi centres. Check which rule applies when you book.
• Living in Iran? Afghans legally resident in Iran apply at the Spanish Embassy in Tehran through its BLS International visa centre, again with proof of residence in that consular district.
• Documents. Afghan documents cannot be apostilled and need full diplomatic legalization. A Pakistani police certificate can be apostilled by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

After you arrive: TIE and yearly renewal

Your study authorization covers the length of your course, from one month before to fifteen days after your studies. Each year you can renew it (prórroga) online with the Oficina de Extranjería of the province that granted it, during the two months before or the three months after it expires. You show continued enrolment, funds, insurance and the fee payment, then request a new TIE within one month of notification.

Higher-education students may also work up to 30 hours a week; see work and stay in Spain after graduation.

Mistakes that delay or sink applications

• Booking too late. Appointments and walk-in capacity vary by centre and season. Plan to submit as soon as you have your admission and payment letter, and never later than two months before classes.
• Forgetting one country's police certificate. You need a criminal record certificate from every country you lived in during the last 5 years, not only your current one.
• Buying the wrong insurance. A short-stay travel policy does not meet the requirement. The insurer must be authorised to operate in Spain and cover the whole stay.
• Counting tuition as living money. Funds used to pay your studies do not count towards the IPREM requirement.
• Unlegalized or untranslated documents. Foreign documents need legalization or apostille and a sworn Spanish translation, and only originals with handwritten signatures can be legalized.
• Applying outside your country of residence. You must apply where you legally reside, and prove it.

If your visa is refused

A refusal is always notified in writing with the reasons. You can file a recurso de reposición with the same consular office within one month from the day after notification, or a contentious-administrative appeal before the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid within two months. Missing documents and late applications (less than two months before classes, without justification) are common problems.

Plan your timeline backwards from the visa: track deadlines for free on FindUniPath so you get your admission letter early enough. For costs, read the cost of studying in Spain, and for the full journey see our Spain hub.