Congratulations! You’re officially moving to Spain! You’re booking the flight, searching for an apartment, but when it comes to the legal stuff, you can start to feel overwhelmed. Hopefully, this guide to getting your Spanish student visa can help make things a little more clear.

*Important disclosure: I’m not a lawyer, so please understand that the information shared in this blog post is from my personal experience and isn’t a substitute for legal advice. If you have concerns about your unique situation, consult with a lawyer or the embassy about it.

*Another note: This is for US citizens going to Spain and, while most steps will be the same, it may vary from country to country

Step 1: Do you need a visa?

If you’re staying longer than 90 days, probably yes. If you’re staying less than 90 days for tourism, studies, or an unpaid internship, you don’t need a visa. Yay for you! Everyone else: Bear with me and keep reading.

Step 2: Find your consulate

First, you need to find the consulate that is closest to you. Sometimes this can be a bit annoying and confusing because there is one consulate for several states. For example, in Texas, all the consulates are located in Houston. If you’re from El Paso, that means you’re driving 11 hours for your appointment. Additionally, the Houston consulate serves Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.

While many documents are the same, each consulate may have different requirements. This is why you should always check the consulate’s website.

You can use this website to check which consulate you need.

Step 3. Make an appointment

This is a little bit more complicated at the moment because of the virus but still possible!

Once you have your consulate, you’ll have to make an appointment, and you’re probably not going to find one for next week. Expect to wait awhile.

Step 4: Gather documents and go to your appointment

The documents you will need: 

Application form – You can fill it out here

Passport – must be valid for another year and have 2 blank pages

ID or driver’s license (depending on consulate)

Acceptance letter – Letter from your institution proving that you are taking classes there, the dates of the program, etc.

Two recent, passport-size photos 

Proof of funds – either a letter from your parents (notarized) and their bank accounts, proof of scholarship, proof that school is paying for it, or documentation that you can pay for yourself

Proof of international medical insurance

*If you are staying longer than 180 days you will also need: FBI Background check stamped by Apostille and a medical certificate. The medical certificate must contain exactly the sentence:

“the interested does not suffer from any of the diseases that may have serious public health repercussions in accordance with the provisions of the 2005 International Health Regulations.”

I got both of these documents while I was already in Spain so the process was a little bit different. Here’s a great article for getting the FBI Background Check

Step 5: Pick up your visa

You went to the appointment and now you wait. Either they send your passport to you by mail or you pick it up in person. Either way, you now have your visa and can legally be in Spain! Next step is getting the empadronamiento and your NIE