Au pair, volunteering and traineeship stays in Spain

Do these stays exist in Spain?

Yes. Au pair, volunteering and traineeship stays all exist. Spain groups them with stays for study, student exchange, unpaid training or voluntary service, so you apply for each as a stay for studies. If you are an EU citizen, you can enter and stay freely and need no visa or permit for any of them; if you stay longer than three months, you register in person within three months of arrival (what EU citizens must do).

Who applies, where and for which stay

If you are a non-EU national, you apply yourself for a long-stay visa for a stay for studies or exchange, at the Spanish consulate in the country where you live, before you travel. The host family or organisation does not file for you; it gives you the signed agreement you attach. If you are already in Spain and entered legally, you apply for the stay authorisation at the Oficina de Extranjería of your province. If you did not enter legally, you apply from your home country.

Au pair

Spain has no dedicated au pair visa; an au pair stay is handled as a stay for study or exchange. You are 18 to 30 and the stay lasts 3 to 12 months. You live with a host family, help with childcare and light household tasks, study the language and receive pocket money of at least €70 a week. Work for fixed pay and fixed hours is an employment contract, not an au pair stay.

Volunteering

Volunteering is not paid work. It is done through a recognised programme, such as the European Solidarity Corps (ages 18 to 30), with a host organisation and an agreement. The stay lasts as long as the programme, up to 12 months.

Traineeship or internship

Spain has a stay category for unpaid training and internships, for the length of the placement. A 2022 reform also added rules for paid internships and work-based training for non-EU nationals. A paid placement can lead to work authorisation.

Applying and arriving

You apply before you travel for any stay over 90 days. The national visa fee is 80 EUR, paid at the consulate. A stay of more than 6 months also needs a TIE, applied for within 30 days of arrival (fee 16 EUR). A written refusal can be met with reconsideration within 1 month or a court case within 2 months, as alternatives; if no answer comes, reconsideration has no deadline and the court deadline is 6 months.

UK citizens with Withdrawal Agreement rights follow their own rules; other UK citizens follow the non-EU rules above. Your family cannot travel on your visa and applies in its own right; family rules by relationship.

Documents you need

• Written agreement with your host family, for an au pair stay

• Proof of enrolment in language study, for an au pair stay

• Agreement with the host organisation, for volunteering

• Agreement with the host company or institution, for a traineeship

• Training plan naming your tutor, for a traineeship

• Health insurance covering your stay

• Proof of sufficient means of support

• Criminal record certificate, for stays over 6 months

• Medical certificate, for stays over 6 months