When should I apply for a Spanish student visa, and how long does it take?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Apply at the Spanish consulate at least two months before your studies start, unless you can justify a later date. Spain's immigration regulation gives the immigration office seven days to decide the student authorisation, with silence meaning refusal, and the consulate then up to one month to issue the visa. Consulates advise allowing four to five weeks.

Key facts

What	The source says	Source
Latest time to apply	At least two months before the studies start, unless justified causes prevent it	RD 1155/2024, arts. 36.1 and 54.2
Earliest time to apply	Six months before the programme starts	Washington guidance
One application	The visa application also covers the student authorisation	RD 1155/2024, art. 36.1
Authorisation decision	Seven days from receipt of the consulate’s request; silence means refusal	RD 1155/2024, art. 36.3
How days are counted	Working days, unless a law says otherwise	Ley 39/2015, art. 30.2
Visa issued	Within one month of a favourable authorisation	RD 1155/2024, art. 36.4
Practical time to allow	At least five weeks (Washington); at least four weeks (Los Angeles)	Washington and Los Angeles guidance
Visa validity	From one month before your studies to 15 days after they end; visa up to one year	RD 1155/2024, arts. 34.2 and 55.2

When to apply

Spain’s immigration regulation (Real Decreto 1155/2024) says you must apply for the student visa at the competent Spanish consulate, in person or through a representative, at least two months before your studies or activity start. A later application is possible if you prove justified causes, or if the school’s enrolment procedure requires a shorter time (arts. 36.1 and 54.2). The visa application automatically includes the application for the initial long-stay student authorisation (art. 36.1).

The Washington consular section says you can apply from six months to two months before the programme starts. The Los Angeles consulate says between six months and at least two months before.

How long the decision takes

The decision has two steps (art. 36):

Authorisation. The consulate asks the immigration office electronically for a decision. The office must decide within seven days of receiving the request. If it doesn’t answer, the decision counts as unfavourable (art. 36.3). Under Ley 39/2015, days in administrative deadlines are working days unless a law says otherwise (art. 30.2).
Visa. If the authorisation is favourable, the consulate decides and issues the visa within one month at most (art. 36.4).

The Washington consular section says the seven days run from when the central services in Spain receive the file, not from when you submit at the visa centre, that the time can be extended and can’t be expedited, and asks you to allow at least five weeks between submitting a complete application and collecting the visa. Los Angeles asks you to allow at least four weeks, and says the legal period of one month from the day after submission can be extended if an interview or extra documents are requested.

How long the visa lasts

As a rule, the authorisation starts one month before your studies begin and runs until 15 days after they end (art. 55.2). The visa is issued for the length of the activity, up to one year if the authorisation is longer (art. 34.2). For stays over six months you must apply for the foreigner identity card (TIE) in person within one month of entering Spain (art. 34.3).

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.