Changing schools, regions or country

It is for people who are considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. You will learn how transfers work, what carries over between regions and which records to collect when you leave.

Start with "Switching school in the middle of the year". It shows how to arrange a change and move your child's records, and the steps apply in most of the other situations too. Then read the page that matches your case: changing after the first year, moving regions, leaving an international school, or leaving Spain.

First enrolment, a change of teaching language at school and bullying are covered elsewhere.

Key rules

• Withdrawal timing: Keep your child enrolled at the current school until the new place is confirmed in writing, and only then ask for the baja and the transfer of records.
• Compulsory schooling: Schooling is compulsory from 6 to 16, so your child should not be left without a school place in the gap.
• New application: There is no automatic transfer to another publicly funded school: you apply through your region's admission process and compete for a vacancy, and being enrolled at the current school gives no points elsewhere.
• No automatic transfer: A new publicly funded school means a new application, and your child competes for a vacancy.
• Points: Linked-school and current-school priority do not carry over to another school.
• Vacancy: A mid-year place exists only if the school has a vacante in your child's exact level and year group.

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Your child's passport or NIE/ID — Switching from an international school to a Spanish school
• Certificate of enrolment or attendance — Leaving Spain: building a school record that travels

Payments and receipts

• Certificate of transfer from the old school — Switching school in the middle of the year

Translations and legal papers

• An official translation into Spanish by a sworn translator — Switching from an international school to a Spanish school
• An apostille — Switching from an international school to a Spanish school

Other documents

• Historial académico
• Informe personal por traslado — Switching school in the middle of the year, Moving to another region of Spain: what changes at school
• The family's registration certificate — Switching from an international school to a Spanish school
• Your child's vaccination record — Switching from an international school to a Spanish school
• Academic records from the international school — Switching from an international school to a Spanish school
• Written request for the baja — Leaving Spain: building a school record that travels
• Certificate of studies completed — Leaving Spain: building a school record that travels

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Changing schools, regions or country: questions that cross several articles

Do I lose my child's place if I ask for another school?

No, your child keeps the current place while you apply, but nothing transfers automatically to the new school. Read "Changing schools after the first year: when a new admission process starts" for how the new application works. Then read "Requesting a school transfer, step by step" before you ask the old school for the baja (withdrawal).

Which of my points stay when I apply to a different school?

Points tied to the current school are lost: being enrolled there gives nothing at another school, and a linked-school priority (adscripción) only counts for the school your child is linked to. Sibling points count only if a sibling is already in the school you request. Exact point values differ by region, so read "Changing schools after the first year: when a new admission process starts" and "Moving to another region of Spain: what changes at school".

Does the new school need a free place for a mid-year move?

Yes, a mid-year move only works if the new school has a vacancy in your child's level and year group. Vacancies are the authorised places minus pupils who continue, and class limits are usually 25 in primary and 30 in ESO. See "Switching school in the middle of the year" for how to ask.

Who decides on a mid-year transfer in my region?

It depends on your region: usually a local admissions commission or the provincial education office decides, and the school only enrols your child once a place is assigned. See Moving to another region of Spain: what changes at school.

What should I have in hand before I withdraw my child from the old school?

You should have written confirmation of the new place and the matrícula (enrolment) completed there before asking for the baja. The old school then sends the academic record, often through the regional system. Schooling is compulsory from 6 to 16, so your child should not be left without a place in the gap; see "Requesting a school transfer, step by step" and "Leaving Spain: building a school record that travels".