Spain student visa: BLS, timing and requirements
The student visa is for stays of more than 90 days. Under three months you do not need it, though a national of a visa-required country still needs a Schengen visa.
The first practical point is where you lodge it: not at the consulate but with BLS Visa Service for Spain, like the Schengen. The consulates say so in one line of their catalog and plenty of people turn up at the wrong counter.
Which activities qualify
Higher education, university or otherwise, at a recognized center in Spain, including preparatory courses and compulsory placements. Post-compulsory secondary education at an authorized full-time center. Secondary school exchange programs. Volunteering with legally constituted organizations.
And training activities: language assistants, Spanish or co-official language courses at official language schools or centers accredited by the Instituto Cervantes, preparatory courses for specialized health training, and grade C professional certificates.
What you file
National visa form, photograph, passport valid a year with two blank pages, and proof of admission and paid enrollment, which is the document the whole file rests on.
Also enough money for the stay and the return trip, health insurance comparable to Spanish public cover, a medical certificate and proof of residence in the district.
A criminal record certificate is only required if the stay exceeds 180 days: the FBI one, apostilled, covering countries of residence over the last five years. For a semester you do not need it.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Threshold | over 90 days |
| Where to lodge | BLS Visa Service for Spain |
| Criminal record | only if over 180 days |
| Family | higher education only |
If family comes with you
Your spouse or registered partner and minor children, or adult children needing support due to disability, may come —but only if your visa is for higher education or specialized health training. Not on a language course.
After you arrive
If the stay runs beyond six months you must apply for the Foreigner Identity Card within one month of entry. The student visa allows limited work, worth checking before accepting anything: the conditions are set by immigration rules, not by the consulate.
Under 180 days no criminal record certificate is required.Details verified on 8 September 2026.
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