What are the requirements for a Spanish student visa?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Spain's immigration regulation requires admission to a full-time recognised course, paid enrolment fees, a passport valid for at least a year, enough money, health insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain, a medical certificate and, for adults staying over six months, a clean criminal record for five years. Stays of 90 days or less need no study visa.

Key facts

What	The source says	Source
Which studies	Full-time higher education leading to a recognised degree; full-time post-compulsory secondary education; student mobility; volunteering; training activities	RD 1155/2024, arts. 34.1 and 52.1
Full-time	Enrolled in at least 90% of the credits or of the programme	RD 1155/2024, art. 52.2
Minimum age	Over 17 for higher education; over 18 for secondary education and training activities	RD 1155/2024, art. 35.f
Admission and fees	Admitted by a recognised institution, enrolment fees paid	RD 1155/2024, art. 53.1.a
Passport	Valid for at least one year	RD 1155/2024, art. 35.b
Money	100% of the IPREM a month, plus funds for family members	RD 1155/2024, art. 35.h
Health insurance	With an insurer authorised in Spain, covering the whole stay	RD 1155/2024, art. 35.i
Criminal record	Adults staying over six months: none in countries lived in during the last five years	RD 1155/2024, art. 35.j
Medical certificate	No disease with serious public health effects under the International Health Regulations 2005	RD 1155/2024, art. 35.l
Stays of 90 days or less	No study visa needed	Washington guidance

Which courses qualify

Spain’s immigration regulation (Real Decreto 1155/2024, in force since 20 May 2025) issues the long-stay study visa for stays of more than 90 days to (arts. 34.1 and 52.1):

follow full-time higher education at a recognised institution leading to a recognised higher education degree (university degrees, master’s, higher vocational training and similar);
follow full-time post-compulsory secondary education at an authorised school;
take part in a student mobility programme in secondary education;
do volunteering in a non-profit programme;
do training activities, a closed list that includes language assistants in schools, Spanish or co-official language courses at official language schools or Instituto Cervantes–accredited centres, and preparation courses for specialised health training exams.

Full-time means you’re enrolled in at least 90% of the credits for university studies, or 90% of the programme otherwise (art. 52.2). University studies can be in person or hybrid; other higher education and secondary or training courses must be at least 50% in person (art. 52.1).

What the law requires

To get the visa you must (art. 35):

submit the official application form, signed;
hold a passport valid for at least one year;
hold the initial long-stay student authorisation (decided as part of the visa application);
pay the visa fee;
not be in Spain irregularly;
be over 17 for higher education, or over 18 for secondary education and training activities; a minor in the care of someone without parental authority or guardianship needs authorisation from both parents or the sole guardian;
have enough money (100% of the IPREM a month, plus 75% and 50% of it for family members);
have health insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain, with cover similar to the public health system’s, for the whole stay;
if you are an adult staying more than six months, have no criminal record for offences under Spanish law in the countries you lived in during the last five years;
not be listed as someone to be refused entry in countries with which Spain has an agreement on this;
provide a medical certificate showing you don’t have a disease that could have serious public health consequences under the International Health Regulations 2005.

For higher education you must also have been admitted by a recognised institution and have paid the enrolment fees or equivalent (art. 53.1.a), and you must not be a threat to public order, security or health (art. 53.2).

What the consulates add

The Washington consular section says:

stays of 90 days or less for study don’t need a study visa; depending on your nationality, you may need a short-stay Schengen visa;
doctoral students are no longer treated as students for the visa: they are researchers under art. 72 of Ley 14/2013 and need a national research residence permit first;
the admission letter must be in Spanish, issued in Spain, and confirm full-time enrolment; conditional admission letters are not accepted;
the medical certificate must be issued within the 3 months before you apply;
the criminal record check is required for applicants aged 18 or over staying more than 180 days, must be issued within the 6 months before you apply, carry the Hague Apostille and come with an official Spanish translation.

How much money you need, with the 2026 amounts, and what health insurance you need are covered on separate pages.

Sources

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2026-10-25: Page created

This is general information, not legal advice, and Lumen is not a law firm. Rules change and offices differ: check the official sources above before you act. Found something wrong or out of date? Write to support@lumen.observer.