Studying in Spain? The Facts on the Student Visa Process

No matter how long you are studying in Spain, you’re sure to experience some life-changing moments. If you will be in Spain for over 90 days, you do need a student visa. But don’t panic: ISA is here to give you all the information you could ever need on the ins-and-outs of applying for a student visa!

The Tea on Spanish Visas

All the info is on your ISA Student Portal.

After you are accepted into your program, you can find many resources in the Visa Section of your Student Portal > Forms and Documents tab, such as:

  • Specific consulate and program length
  • A full outline of the visa process from start to finish, including links
  • A general Spain visa FAQ which gives broad info for all consulates
  • The National Visa Application form and line by line instructions for it  
  • An 11 min video to provide a bird’s eye overview of the Spanish student visa process (which you can also watch here: Spanish Visa Process)

Additionally, ISA hosts 3 Zoom webinars where you can have your questions answered about the visa process by our Spanish visa connoisseurs!

Easy, Peasy, Lemon Squeezy

If this sounds completely overwhelming, no worries! ISA offers an optional visa service that streamlines the entire process. It was created to save students and their families time, money, and stress. ISA has been running our Visa Services for over a decade to give our students some extra support.

This service does have an additional cost; however, we recommend checking your consulate requirements as some require an in-person visit to the consulate. Many students must travel to the consulates twice—so 2 round trip visits?! Ugh, no thanks! Instead, the ISA Visa Service costs $440 and includes the $160 consulate processing fee + $250 ISA visa service charge + $30 USPS priority mail return shipping. All you have to do is mail your visa materials to the ISA office, and we go to the consulate on your behalf. Now you’re saving time, money, and the hassle! Low-key, very easy.

When your passport and visa are ready, ISA mails back all of your materials prior to your program start date. We can’t give an exact date or timeline for this process, since it depends on how long the consulates take to process the visas—bureaucracy, IYKYK. So be sure to send in your visa materials ASAP!

Important Side Note: ISA does not run a Visa Service for every consulate, so be sure to check in your student portal and reach out to your program manager for additional information if needed.

Want to sign up for the ISA Visa Service? Just fill out the visa contract in your Student Portal.

Author: International Studies Abroad (ISA)

Since 1987, International Studies Abroad (ISA) has provided college students in the United States and Canada the opportunity to explore the world. ISA offers a wide variety of study abroad programs at accredited schools and universities in 73 program locations throughout the world.

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