Spain student visa guides
Free, plain-English answers to every step of the Spanish student visa, for students applying from the UK and the USA. Written from the official consulate checklists.
Applying from United Kingdom
How do I get an ACRO certificate for a Spain student visa?
For a Spanish student visa longer than 6 months, you order an ACRO police certificate from acro.police.uk, choosing the POSTAL certificate (roughly £65-£70 standard or £115-£125 premium). Order it early: the standard service takes up to 20 working days, and the certificate then needs an FCDO apostille and a sworn Spanish translation before your visa appointment.
How do I apostille documents for a Spanish student visa?
An apostille is the official stamp from the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) that makes a UK document legally valid in Spain. The official service costs about £45 per document and takes around 10 working days by post; fast-track agencies such as 1Apostille turn it around in 1-2 days for roughly £82-£95 per document. For a student visa you typically apostille the ACRO police certificate and, for some consulates, the medical certificate.
Which documents need a sworn translation for a Spanish student visa?
Spanish consulates only accept translations done by a 'traductor jurado', a sworn translator authorised by Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAEC). For a student visa you typically translate the ACRO police certificate, the medical certificate, and their apostilles, at roughly £30-£80 per document. A normal translation agency or a fluent friend does not count, no matter how accurate the translation.
What medical certificate do I need for a Spanish student visa?
You need a certificate from a registered doctor, issued within the last 3 months, stating in the consulate's required wording that you do not suffer from diseases with serious public health repercussions under the International Health Regulations of 2005. It must be translated into Spanish by a sworn translator, and some consulates also require an apostille. A private GP letter typically costs £30-£120; NHS GPs are often not accepted for the apostille step, so most students use a private clinic.
How much money do I need to show for a Spanish student visa?
Spain requires you to prove funds equal to 100% of IPREM for every month of your stay, which in 2026 is about €600 per month, so roughly €5,400 for a 9-month academic year. You can prove it with 6 months of bank statements (originals, stamped by the bank), a UK student loan certificate, a scholarship award, a university letter covering accommodation and meals, or a sponsoring parent or guardian with notarised paperwork.
Is a GHIC enough for a Spanish student visa?
For student visas through the London consulate, the free UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) is accepted as your medical cover, so most UK students don't need to buy insurance at all. Apply for the GHIC free on the official NHS website (students apply by post with a university letter). Only if your consulate doesn't accept the GHIC would you need a private policy with full cover and no co-payments, typically £100-£600 for the year.
How does the BLS appointment for a Spanish student visa work?
All Spanish student visa applications from the UK are submitted in person through BLS International, the consulate's official visa centre; walk-ins are not accepted. Book the appointment early because slots run out weeks ahead, apply at least 2 months before your course starts, and bring every document plus photocopies. You pay at the appointment: the consular fee for UK citizens is about £345 for the long-term visa plus a BLS service fee of around £15, non-refundable even if refused.
How much does a Spanish student visa really cost?
Budget roughly £280 to £1,000 or more for the whole process. The consular fee for UK citizens is about £345 plus a £15 BLS fee, and the documents around it add up: ACRO certificate £65-£125, apostilles £45-£170, sworn translations £30-£80, medical certificate £30-£120, plus small costs like photos and the TIE card fee in Spain. The wide range comes down to whether you use standard or fast services and whether your consulate requires the optional extras.
How long does a Spanish student visa take from the UK?
From BLS appointment to decision is legally up to 1 month for a complete application, but commonly runs 4-8 weeks. The part people underestimate is before the appointment: the ACRO certificate, apostille and sworn translation chain takes another 4-8 weeks on standard services. Realistically, start the process 3 to 4 months before your course begins, and remember applications open at most a few months before the start date while requiring at least 2 months' lead.
What is the TIE and when do I need it after arriving in Spain?
The TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is your physical residence card in Spain, and you must APPLY for it within 30 days of entering the country. The sequence after landing: register your address at the town hall (empadronamiento), book a 'cita previa' at the Foreigners' Office or police station, pay the roughly €16-€25 card fee via form modelo 790 at a bank, then attend the appointment with your documents for fingerprints. The card itself arrives a few weeks later.
What documents do I need for a Spanish student visa?
For a long-term (over 6 months) Spanish student visa you need: your acceptance letter, a valid passport, an apostilled and translated ACRO police certificate, a medical certificate with the consulate's wording, proof of funds (100% of IPREM per month, about €600/month), health cover (the free GHIC is accepted in London), a passport photo, and the signed national visa application form, all submitted in person at a BLS appointment at least 2 months before your course.
Applying from United States
What is the TIE and when do I need it after arriving in Spain?
The TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) is your physical residence card in Spain, and you must APPLY for it within 30 days of entering the country. The sequence after landing: register your address at the town hall (empadronamiento), book a 'cita previa' at the Foreigners' Office or police station, pay the roughly €16-€25 card fee via form modelo 790 at a bank, then attend the appointment with your documents for fingerprints. The card itself arrives a few weeks later.
How do I get an FBI background check for a Spain student visa?
For a Spanish student visa longer than 180 days you need a fingerprint-based FBI Identity History Summary, and state or local police certificates are not accepted in its place. Applying direct to the FBI costs about $18; an FBI-approved Channeler costs more but commonly returns results in 1-3 business days instead of weeks. The check then needs an apostille from the US Department of State and a sworn Spanish translation, and it must be less than 6 months old when you apply.
Who apostilles my documents for a Spain visa in the US?
It depends entirely on who issued the document. Federal documents, above all the FBI background check, are apostilled by the US Department of State in Washington DC for a fee of about $20 per document. Documents issued by a state, such as a birth certificate or a notarised letter, go to the Secretary of State of that state, at a fee that varies state by state. Sending a document to the wrong office gets it returned unprocessed, which is the single most common way US applicants lose weeks.
What health insurance do I need for a Spanish student visa?
US students have to buy private health insurance for a Spanish student visa. The policy needs to cover everything Spain's public health system covers, with a minimum of around EUR30,000 of cover, no co-payments, no deductibles and no waiting periods, plus repatriation. Travel insurance and insurance cards are not accepted, and the insurer must be authorised to operate in Spain. Cover typically has to run from a month before your course starts until 15 days after it ends, or a full year for longer courses.
What documents do I need for a Spain student visa from the US?
From the US you need: the national visa application form, a passport photo, a passport issued within the last 10 years with two blank pages, your acceptance letter with proof you paid enrolment fees, proof of financial means at 100% of IPREM per month (about EUR600, roughly $700), private health insurance meeting the consulate's rules, a medical certificate under 3 months old, and proof you live in that consulate's area. Courses over 180 days also need an apostilled and translated FBI background check. You apply in person through BLS at least two months before your course starts.
How much does a Spanish student visa cost from the US?
Budget roughly $700 to $1,600 all in. The consular fee for US citizens is about $160 plus a $20 BLS service fee, and the documents around it add up: the FBI check from about $18, a federal apostille around $20, sworn translation roughly $40-$120, a medical certificate around $50-$200, and private health insurance, which for US students is mandatory and typically the largest single line at several hundred dollars.
How long does a Spain student visa take from the US?
Consulates commonly quote 5 to 8 weeks from appointment to decision, with a legal decision period of one month from submission. What people underestimate is everything before the appointment: the FBI check, its federal apostille and the sworn translation run one after another, adding several more weeks. Start 3 to 4 months before your course begins, and note that applications must be submitted at least two months in advance.
Which Spanish consulate do I apply to in the US?
You apply at the consulate whose jurisdiction covers the state you live in, not the one nearest your university in Spain and not simply the closest city. Eight Spanish consulates serve US student visa applicants through BLS International: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC. Check the jurisdiction list on your consulate's own page before booking, because applying to the wrong one means starting over.
Does my study abroad provider handle my Spain visa?
No provider can apply for you. Programmes like CIEE, IES Abroad and API supply the acceptance letter, often bundle housing and insurance, and give you a checklist, but the visa application itself is yours: your fingerprints for the FBI check, your apostilles, your appointment, your money order. The most valuable thing to check early is whether the insurance they include actually satisfies your consulate's rules, because that determines whether you need to buy your own.
What needs translating for a Spain student visa from the US?
Usually less than people expect. The FBI background check and its apostille must be translated into Spanish by an official sworn translator, at roughly $40-$120. Beyond that, many consulates provide a bilingual medical certificate template that needs no translation at all, and several accept bank statements in English. So a typical US applicant needs one translation job, not a stack of them.
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