Student residence routeArticle 3 of 6 · 2 min read
Working while you study in Spain and the 30-hour limit
Explains what work a non-EU student on a Spanish student stay can do without extra permission, the weekly hour cap, and which kinds of work or stays fall outside that automatic right. For students planning a part-time job or internship.
Key rules
- No separate permit: Within the cap and conditions, your student stay already allows work.
Can you work on a student stay?
Yes. Your student stay authorisation itself lets you work, so you do not need a separate work permit. You can be employed or self-employed, up to 30 hours a week, as long as the work does not get in the way of your studies. Since the 2025 reform the cap is 30 hours; it used to be 20.
What needs separate authorisation
The automatic right covers work that fits the conditions for the work right. Three kinds of work fall outside it:
- Work above the weekly cap.
- Work that is not compatible with your studies.
- Any work on an exchange, unpaid practice or volunteering stay.
To work more than 30 hours a week you need a separate work authorisation, which your employer applies for; during school holiday periods the weekly cap does not apply.
Conditions to meet
- Compatible with your studies. The job must not stop you attending classes or progressing. Term-time work must fit around your timetable, and holiday work still counts towards the 30 hours a week.
- Pay and conditions. They must follow the applicable collective agreement and labour law.
- Social Security. Your employer registers you before you start, as for any worker.
- Academic requirements. You must keep meeting them. Work that clashes with your schedule or undermines the purpose of your studies can lead to your authorisation not being renewed, or being lost.
Internships
You can do internships during your studies. Your student stay covers them, with no separate work authorisation.
- A curricular internship is part of your study plan.
- An extracurricular internship is voluntary.
- Both run under a training agreement between your school and the host company, so ask your school for one before you start.
- Unpaid internships are not treated as employment.
- Paid internship hours count towards your weekly limit.
These rules apply when your stay is for a degree or course. A stay granted only for exchange, unpaid practice or volunteering carries no work right.
If you travel with a spouse or children
Your work right does not extend to your family:
- Spouse and children: no automatic work right.
- Registered partner: no automatic work right.
- Unregistered partner: no automatic work right.
- Other dependants: no family route (family rules).
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