When your 17- or 18-year-old wants to stay behind

Terms used

• Homologación — Homologación is official recognition of foreign school studies as equivalent to a Spanish title.
• UNEDasiss — UNEDasiss is the UNED platform where foreign students get their school credentials accredited for Spanish university entry.
• PAU — The PAU is Spain's university entrance exam.
• Bachillerato — Bachillerato is Spain's two-year upper secondary course that leads to university.
• Acreditación — The acreditación is the credential accreditation UNED issues, with a grade used for university admission.
• Preinscripción — Preinscripción is the regional pre-enrolment application to Spanish universities.

Key rules

• Residence deadline: Your teen keeps the dependent-minor route only if you apply before their 18th birthday.
• School enrolment: Your teen can start Spanish school without homologación while the application is pending.
• Written plan: Name an adult guardian, set targets and contact, and fix a review date.
• University entry: Foreign school-leavers apply through UNEDasiss, and systems without an agreement must sit the PAU.

Treat it as a plan, not a one-off decision

A near-adult staying behind works best as a conditional plan: written terms, a named adult and a date when you all review it. Nothing is locked in. You can change course after a term or a year.

The decision tool below helps you choose between moving together, staying behind or following later. This page covers what to put in the plan and what to check in both countries.

Residence status comes first

A child can get residence as a dependent minor only while under 18, so apply for them before they turn 18. If your teen turns 18 before applying, that route closes. They would then need their own permit, such as a study permit, or a family permit where one applies to your situation.

Once adult, a child can usually be reunified only if a disability means they cannot support themselves. If you are an EU or Spanish national, the rules are wider: adult children under 21 count as dependants, and older ones if they depend on you financially.

Teens who are already resident dependants generally keep their status until renewal, when separate criteria may apply. Talk to an immigration adviser before your teen's 18th birthday, because the answer depends on your own permit type.

What to agree if your teen stays behind

Put these in writing:

• A named adult. A relative or guardian with signed authority to act. If your teen is still a minor, have it notarised.
• School targets. Attendance and grades, and what happens if either slips, or if your teen's wellbeing does.
• Contact. For example weekly calls and planned visits.
• Money. Rent, allowance, travel and health insurance.
• A review point. After one term or one year, you decide together whether your teen joins you.

A school counsellor can help you set realistic targets.

How to weigh the choice

Look at four things:

• Legal. Your teen's age, whether the dependent route is still open, and who holds guardianship.
• Education. How close your teen is to exam years (GCSEs, A-levels, IB, Bachillerato or PAU), how big the language gap is, and whether the current curriculum can continue.
• Wellbeing. Maturity, friends, mental health, the quality of the home they would stay in, and how your teen feels about the move.
• Cost. International school or boarding, flights and a second home, against Spanish public school, which is free.

As a general pattern, moving suits younger teens. Staying behind or boarding often suits teens in their final one or two exam years. Keep a review point either way.

If your teen studies in Spain

School. Your teen does not need homologación (official recognition of foreign studies as a Spanish title) to enrol. The school inspection or regional education authority decides placement from age and studies completed, and your teen can start while any application is pending. Homologation is needed for some purposes. It takes several months and needs a legalised or apostilled certificate, an official translation if it is not in Spanish, ID and a fee.

University. For entry, students with EU, IB, European Baccalaureate or many other national systems apply through UNEDasiss. They register, upload credentials with certified translations and request the acreditación, which comes with a grade for admission. If the grade needs to be higher, they can sit PAU subject exams, usually in June or July. Systems without an agreement must sit the PAU. Applications are normally due in spring. After that comes preinscripción, the regional university application, usually in June to July.

Fees. Public university fees are set by each region, per credit. EU citizens and legal residents in Spain generally pay the same as Spaniards. Bachelor's fees at public universities are typically a few thousand euros a year at most for first enrolment, and rise for repeated credits. Some regions charge non-EU non-residents more, mainly for master's degrees. Private universities cost far more. Check each university's price schedule.

If your teen comes later

Set the date or trigger now, such as after exams. Check the residence deadline above first, because waiting can cost your teen the dependent route. Use the documents list below to start gathering school certificates early, since legalisation and translation take time.

Should your older teenager move, stay behind or come later?

Should your 17- or 18-year-old move with you, stay behind, or follow later?

• Move with the family now: Choose this if your teen is under 18 and the dependent residence route is still open, they are not in a final exam year, they are willing to go, and free Spanish public schooling or an international school fits your budget.

• Stay behind with a relative or board at home: Choose this if your teen is in the final one or two exam years (GCSE, A-levels, IB), the curriculum cannot continue in Spain, and a trusted adult can act for them with signed authority (notarised if they are a minor). Set written terms: school targets, weekly calls, a budget for rent, allowance and travel, health insurance, and a review point after one term or year.

• Follow later, after exams or a set review point: Choose this if your teen should finish their current studies first, then join you for university or work. Decide the immigration plan first: if they turn 18 before applying, they lose the minor route and need their own permit, such as a study permit. For university, foreign school-leavers go through UNED's accreditation service (UNEDasiss) and may need the PAU entry exams, and then apply to universities in June to July.

Weigh four things. Legal: their age, whether the minor residence route is still open, and who holds guardianship. Education: how close they are to exams, the language gap, and whether their curriculum can continue. Wellbeing: maturity, friends, the quality of the relative's or boarding home, and how they feel about the move. Cost: school or boarding fees, flights and a second home, against free Spanish public schooling. Moving usually suits younger teens; staying or boarding suits those in their last one or two exam years. Whatever you choose, agree what happens if grades or wellbeing slip, and set a review date.

Documents you need

• Certificate of your teen's completed studies, legalised or apostilled in the country where it was issued, for the homologation application.

• Official translation of that certificate into Spanish, if it is not already in Spanish.

• Your teen's ID, needed for the homologation application along with the fee.

• School credentials and certified translations, uploaded to the UNEDasiss platform to request the accreditation (acreditación) used for university entry.

Checklist

• Ask an immigration adviser what your teen's status will be, and apply for residence before they turn 18 if they will follow you.

• Name an adult guardian or relative, and give them signed authority to act, notarised if your teen is still a minor.

• Agree attendance and grade targets in writing, with a plan for what happens if grades or wellbeing slip.

• Set a contact schedule, such as weekly calls and planned visits.

• Write a budget covering rent, allowance, travel and health insurance.

• Check the fees for your teen's degree in the price schedule of each Spanish public university you are considering.

• Set a review date, such as after one term or one year, to decide whether your teen joins you.

Confirm the family conditions and legal steps with an immigration adviser and your teen's school counsellor before acting.

Frequently asked questions

Does my teenager need homologation to start school in Spain?

No, homologation is not needed to enrol in a school in Spain. The school inspection or regional education authority places your teen by age and studies completed, and your teen can start while any homologation application is still pending. Homologation takes several months.

How does my teenager use foreign school exams to apply to a Spanish university?

Most students with EU or agreement credentials, such as the IB or European Baccalaureate, apply through UNEDasiss, run by UNED.

Will my child pay higher fees at a Spanish public university?

For a bachelor's degree, fees are usually the same as for Spaniards for EU citizens and legal residents, and in most regions for non-EU students on a study visa too. Some regions, such as Madrid and Catalonia, charge non-EU non-residents more for master's degrees or some courses. Private universities charge far more, so check each university's price schedule.

What happens to my child's residence status if they turn 18 before joining me?

Your child loses the dependent minor route and usually needs their own permit, such as a study permit, or a family permit where it applies. Adult children over 18 can be reunified by non-EU parents only if disability stops them supporting themselves. For EU and Spanish families, adult children under 21 still count as dependants, so get legal advice before the birthday.