Information about student visas

To remain in Spain legally, you need to obtain a student residence card (NIE). This document authorises you to remain in Spain for the duration of your studies and to travel within the European Union and countries that have signed agreements with Spain or the EU for the free movement of persons.

Who must apply for the visa?

Anyone who wishes to study in Spain who is not from a European Union country or who wishes to stay for six months or longer.

How can I obtain the visa?

Before arriving in Spain, you should apply for a student visa at the Spanish consulate in your home country or your country of legal residence. You should submit the documents that show that you have been admitted to a study programme.

You must apply for a student visa (Type D). Any other kind of visa does not allow you to apply for a student card. Once in Spain, you should visit the police station within 30 days of arrival to apply for your student residence card.

If the period of your studies in Barcelona is of 6 months or less, the Spanish Embassy or Consulate might process a Student Visa with the comment «TOTAL STUDIES 180 DAYS». This type of visa can be extended and you don't have to go back to your country to obtain a new visa.

Hispanic Studies offers a complete programme of Spanish language and culture courses that can be combined by study periods or number of hours so that you can request a visa for longer than six months, for 20 hours per week, full-time study.

The following courses may be combined::

- For stays of over six months:

Spanish Language
Year-long course of 220 h from September to April/May
Spring course of 110 h from September to December or January to April/May

Language courses have a teaching load of 8 hours per week.
 

Spanish Culture
The Spanish Culture programme is organized into 11 year-long subjects of 90 hours and 16 four-month long of 45 hours (11 in Spanish and 5 in English), distributed in two semesters in the autumn and spring.

Each of culture subject has a teaching load of 3 hours per week.
 

Spanish language and culture courses can be combined with intensive courses in autumn, spring and summer

Examples of combinations of courses that add up to a teaching load of 20 hours per week

Full year, from September to April/may:
Year-long language course of 220 hours + 4 culture subjects of 90 hours = 20 hours per week

Second semester, from January to July:
Four-month language course of 110 hours + 4 culture subjects of 45 hours + intensive courses of May, June and July = 20 hours per week

PLEASE NOTE: Please, before enrolling, consult with the Consulate of Spain in your country the number of study hours per week.
 

- For stays of six months or less:

Spanish culture subjects can be combined in the same way with the autumn language course or the spring language course. The weekly teaching hours are the same.

Once you have planned your course you can register on the website. When you have reserved the courses, we will send out an acceptance letter so that you can pay the enrolment fee. Once you have paid for the course, we will send you an official certificate confirming the number of hours of study per week and the programmes so that you can process the visa in the Embassy or Consulate.

You will find the cancelation of enrollment conditions in the section “General Information” in this website.

Please send us your questions and queries to the following email address: eh.informacion@ub.edu