Studying in Spain: student visa, study stay and extension

The long stay authorisation for studies is the route that allows a person from outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland to remain in Spain for more than 90 days in order to take higher education (bachelor's degree, master's, doctorate without a contract, FP de grado superior or higher vocational training, higher artistic education) or post-compulsory secondary education (bachillerato, the upper secondary years, and FP de grado medio, intermediate vocational training). It is governed by RD 1155/2024, in force since 20 May 2025.

It is a stay, not a residence permit: it is tied to your enrolment and to the length of the course. It can be applied for by the student personally once of age (from 17 in higher education). The usual route is the national study visa at the consulate of your country of residence. In higher education it can also be filed from inside Spain if you are already here lawfully.

Managora prepares the application, gathers the paperwork and files it for you. You will see the up-to-date service price on the page for the procedure.

Basic requirements: a valid passport (with at least one year of validity), admission and enrolment at a recognised centre, health insurance, sufficient financial means and, when the stay runs beyond six months, a criminal record certificate from the countries you have lived in over the last five years. Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalised and, where applicable, translated.

Financial means: you must evidence 100% of the IPREM (the Spanish public income benchmark) per month for your own support, unless your accommodation is paid in advance, which counts towards that same 100%. For each family member coming with you, 75% of the IPREM is required for the first and 50% for each of the following. Grants, financial aid, a contract or job offer where the authorisation allows work, or a declaration by the centre taking you on financially all count.

Health insurance: it must be public or private cover arranged with an insurer authorised in Spain, with cover equivalent to that of the national health system, with no co-payments and no waiting periods. A basic travel policy is not usually enough.

If the course continues, the stay is extended. The extension (prórroga) can be applied for from two months before it expires and up to three months after it has expired, evidencing that the studies continue and that you are making academic progress (having passed a reasonable part of the syllabus).

The extension runs for the length of the new academic year, with a limit of one year. In higher education and in post-compulsory secondary education up to two extensions per authorisation are allowed. The decision is issued within one month of filing.

In higher education the initial authorisation is usually granted for the full length of the studies, so many students do not need to renew year by year. Managora also files the extension for you where it applies.

The research residence permit under Ley 14/2013 (the Spanish Entrepreneurs Act) is a different residence and work authorisation, designed for researchers hosted by a university or centre through a hosting agreement or an offer of a contract. It is applied for by the organisation, not by the person concerned, before the Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE-CE, the unit for large companies and strategic groups), with a decision in 20 working days and positive administrative silence.

PhD students sit on the border between the two routes. If the doctorate is taken as a student, without a contract or a hosting agreement, the natural route is the study stay. If the PhD student has a research contract or a hosting agreement, it fits the research residence permit under Ley 14/2013, which offers more advantages: residence for up to three years, full work rights in the activity and family reunification from the start.

Managora reviews your case and handles the route that suits you best, whether that is the study stay or the research residence permit.

Yes. Under the new Reglamento de Extranjería (the Immigration Regulation), a student on a study stay can work up to 30 hours a week without having to apply for a separate work authorisation, provided the activity is compatible with the studies and does not harm them (article 57 of RD 1155/2024).

Other changes: the higher education authorisation is granted for the full length of the studies rather than year by year, the procedures for stays, mobility, traineeships and volunteering are unified, and the option of filing a higher education stay from inside Spain while lawfully present is strengthened.

If your stay runs beyond six months, once you enter Spain you must apply for the Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE, the foreigner identity card) within one month of arrival. Managora coordinates the appointment and the TIE paperwork.

Usual documents: passport, admission letter and proof of enrolment, evidence of financial means, health insurance policy, criminal record certificate from the countries you have lived in over the last five years (if the stay runs beyond six months), proof of payment of the tasa (official fee) and, for applications filed from Spain, official form EX-00. For research (Ley 14/2013) you provide the hosting agreement or the contract signed by both parties.

Deadlines: the consulate decides the visa within one month (silence means refused) and you have two months to collect it; an application filed from Spain is decided within a maximum of two months. It is best to start the procedure at least two months before the course begins.

Managora gathers and checks every document, works out the financial means required, files the application and follows it up until the decision. The service price is shown on the page for each procedure.