Applying for student residence from abroad or from inside Spain

If you are not an EU/EEA citizen, you normally apply for a student visa from abroad. Only some people who are already legally in Spain can apply from inside the country. Your current status decides which path you take.

Applying from abroad (the default)

Use the Spanish consulate or embassy that covers the place where you live. This is the route for stays of more than 90 days.

• Book an appointment on the consulate's website or through an outsourced visa centre, then file in person with the national visa application form, your admission letter, insurance and proof of funds. For stays over 6 months, add your criminal record certificate and medical certificate.
• The consulate sends your file for a decision. You collect the visa in person.
• Once you are in Spain with the visa, you get your foreigner identity card, the TIE. The police issue it, and you must apply for it within 1 month of arriving in Spain. The TIE is for stays over 6 months; a shorter stay uses the visa itself.

When to apply and how long it takes

Apply at least 2 months before your course starts. The consulate decides within 1 month; after approval you travel to Spain while the visa is valid. From inside Spain, file before your current stay ends; the Oficina de Extranjería decides within 3 months. If there is no answer by then, it counts as a silent refusal.

Applying from inside Spain

You can apply from inside Spain only while your legal stay or residence is still running, so file before it ends. If it has already ended or your status is irregular, you must apply from abroad, except under special routes.

You can apply from inside Spain if you are:

• already on a student stay (extend it or change course);
• holding a long-stay visa, a temporary or long-term residence authorisation (for example non-lucrative, work or family), or a short stay of up to 90 days that has not ended.

A short stay lasts at most 90 days, so a visa-free visitor whose 90 days have ended must leave and apply from abroad. You file form EX-00, the fee receipt and the same documents as for the visa (Who qualifies for student residence).

Where and how to file

The Oficina de Extranjería of your province handles the application. It is part of the Delegación or Subdelegación del Gobierno. You file in one of two ways:

• Online through the Mercurio platform, with a digital certificate or Cl@ve.
• In person, usually with an appointment (cita previa).

You use form EX-00 for student stays.

Fees

• Student visa at the consulate: 80 EUR, paid when you file.
• Student stay authorisation: 73.26 EUR under the 2026 tariff, paid with modelo 790 código 052 when you file in Spain.
• TIE (stays over 6 months): 16 EUR, paid with modelo 790 código 012 when you apply for the card, within 1 month of arriving in Spain.

If your application is refused

After an express refusal (a written decision), you can choose one of two appeals: reconsideration (recurso de reposición) within 1 month, or court (contencioso-administrativo) within 2 months, counted from the notice. After a silent refusal (no answer in the decision time), you can file reconsideration at any time, or go to court within 6 months. You can also file a new application with the missing documents. If your legal stay has ended, you must apply again from abroad.

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, or a Spanish citizen

• Spanish citizens and dual nationals: you need no student visa or student stay.
• UK citizens with Withdrawal Agreement rights: you follow the Withdrawal Agreement rules and hold a Withdrawal Agreement TIE, not the student route. Other UK citizens are treated as non-EU nationals and follow the student route.

If you travel with a spouse, partner, children or other family

If your stay is over 6 months, family members can apply together with you at the same place; who qualifies, the proof each must show and the funds are in Who qualifies for student residence.