How to spot a bad Spanish school before you pay

Terms used

• Hoja de reclamaciones — The hoja de reclamaciones is the official complaint form that any business serving consumers must give you on request.
• CIF — The CIF is a company's tax number in Spain, which should appear on its contract and website.
• OMIC — The OMIC is your town's municipal consumer information office, which can mediate complaints against businesses.
• DELE — DELE diplomas are official Spanish-level certificates issued by the Instituto Cervantes that do not expire.
• SIELE — SIELE is a Spanish-level test certificate run by the Instituto Cervantes and partner universities, valid for five years.

Key rules

• No state licence: A Spanish language school needs no state licence, so you must check its identity and accreditation yourself.
• Accreditation: Instituto Cervantes accreditation is a voluntary quality check, not a guarantee of exam results or visa rights.
• Attendance papers: A school attendance certificate is not an official proof of Spanish level.
• Residency: A language course does not give you residency, so distrust any school that promises it.
• Payment: Pay by card, not cash or transfer, so you can ask your bank for a chargeback.

The short version

Do not pay anything up front until you know who the school is, what it has promised in writing, and how you get your money back. No state licence exists for Spanish schools, so the checking is on you.

Check who the school is

A private academy teaching Spanish to foreigners needs no state licence and no approved curriculum. It must still be a registered business and follow consumer rules. So a "licensed by the state" claim tells you little.

Look for a company name, CIF tax number and registered address on the website and the contract. If any of these is missing, walk away.

Some regions keep registers of this kind of school. Rules differ by region, so ask the regional education authority if you want to check one.

Check the accreditation

Instituto Cervantes accreditation is the one official quality mark for schools. It is voluntary. The Instituto Cervantes inspects the teachers, curriculum, facilities, student information and complaint handling. Ask the school for proof, then check it with the Instituto Cervantes itself.

Know what it does not do. It does not guarantee you will pass an exam, make the school an exam centre, or give you any visa rights. Accreditation also expires and is re-inspected.

Other marks are weaker:

• FEDELE membership means the school meets an association's standards. Check it with the association.
• ISO 9001 covers the school's processes, not how well it teaches.
• "Official", "certified" and "recommended school" are labels anyone can print. So are review-site badges and star ratings.
• Being a DELE exam centre shows the school runs exams, not that its courses are good.

Read the contract and the refund terms

Get the terms in writing before you pay. Typical patterns are a non-refundable registration fee, a refund if you cancel before a stated deadline (often 7 to 30 days before the start), and little or nothing back once the course begins. Visa refusal usually brings a refund minus an admin fee, if you show the refusal letter. If the school cancels the course, it should refund you in full or offer a transfer. Clauses that are abusive to consumers are void.

Compare what you are asked to pay with what you can get back. Be wary of paying a long programme in full months ahead with no refund. A registration fee plus a deposit, or monthly payments, is more usual. A trial lesson or a short first booking is a safe way to start.

Your right to withdraw depends on how you bought. If you buy online, by phone or away from the school's premises, you have 14 days to withdraw without giving a reason. If you sign at the school itself, you only get what the school's own terms give you.

Pay in a way you can undo

Pay a school by card rather than cash or bank transfer, because a card lets you ask your bank for a chargeback if the service is not delivered. Transfers, cash and crypto sent to an unknown school are very hard to recover. Chargeback windows are limited, often around 120 days, so act quickly. Keep the contract, invoice, emails and proof of payment.

Distrust certificate and residency claims

A school attendance certificate only shows you enrolled or attended. It has no official status and does not prove your level. For official proof of your Spanish, you need a DELE diploma or a SIELE certificate. Some schools' level tests are only internal.

A language course does not give you residency. Non-EU students need a student visa, which requires a full-time course (generally at least 20 hours a week for language courses) at an authorised institution. Immigration rules were reformed in 2025, so check current conditions with the Spanish consulate. Be wary of any school or agent that promises residency or a guaranteed visa.

Other red flags

• Guaranteed fluency.
• Pressure to pay the full fee at once, with no receipt or invoice.
• No written terms, or terms that rule out any refund.
• Vague hours, class size, level or teacher qualifications.
• Prices far below the market.
• Reviews that look fake.
• Accommodation you cannot verify.
• A refusal to give you the hoja de reclamaciones. Every business serving consumers must have it, so a refusal is itself a red flag.

If something goes wrong

Complain to the school first and keep written proof. Then fill in the hoja de reclamaciones and keep your copy. If the school does not resolve it, take the form to the municipal consumer office (OMIC) or your region's consumer body. If the school belongs to the consumer arbitration board, you can ask for free, binding arbitration. For card payments, ask your bank for a chargeback in parallel. Court is the last step, and you normally have to try an out-of-court settlement first.

The checklist, warning, documents list and timeline below cover the questions to ask, the papers to keep and the deadlines.

Timeline and deadlines

• Read the school's refund and cancellation terms and compare them with the amount you are asked to pay: before you pay anything

• Withdraw from a course bought online, by phone or away from the school's premises, without giving a reason: within 14 days of signing the contract

• Expect the school to refund you after you tell it you are withdrawing: within 14 days of being notified

• Withdraw later if the school never told you about your right to withdraw: up to 12 months

• Ask your bank for a chargeback if a card-paid course is not delivered or differs from what was sold: as soon as the problem appears, often within around 120 days

Documents you need

• A written contract or terms from the school, showing its company name, CIF tax number and registered address, and its refund and cancellation terms.

• An invoice or receipt for every payment, and proof of payment such as a card statement.

• Your emails and messages with the school about the course, hours, level and what was promised.

• Your copy of the hoja de reclamaciones (official complaint form), which the school must give you if you ask. You need it only if there is a problem.

• The visa refusal letter, if you want a refund after a refused student visa.

• A medical certificate, if you ask for a refund of the unused part of a course because of illness.

• A DELE diploma or SIELE certificate if you need official proof of your Spanish level. A school attendance certificate only shows enrolment or hours attended.

Questions to ask a Spanish language academy before you enrol

Questions to ask before you enrol

• Ask which accreditation the school holds and check it with the body that issued it. Instituto Cervantes accreditation is the official Spanish one; a membership such as FEDELE (the association of Spanish-teaching schools) is worth confirming directly with the association.

• Treat labels like "official", "certified" or "recommended school", review-site badges and star ratings as marketing, not proof of quality.

• Ask how the school places you at a level. A good answer is a written test plus a short oral interview, with a re-check in the first days and the option to change group.

• Ask for both the maximum and the average class size. About 8 to 12 students is normal, and more than about 14 to 15 is high for a conversation-based class.

• Ask what qualifications the teachers hold. Look for a university degree, specific training in teaching Spanish as a foreign language and experience with adults.

• Ask for a trial lesson, a free level test or a short first booking before you pay for a large prepaid package.

• Ask for the refund and cancellation terms in writing. Check the registration fee, the deadline for a refund before the start, what happens after the course starts and what happens if the school cancels.

• Ask how missed classes, rescheduling, teacher or level changes and public holidays are handled, and how long a prepaid pack stays valid.

• Ask exactly what certificate you receive. A school attendance certificate only shows enrolment or hours attended; it does not prove a level. Official proof is the DELE or SIELE exam.

• Ask for the contract or terms before paying, check the school's company name, tax number and address, and keep a copy of everything.

Warning: schools that sell attendance papers or promise residency

Schemes that sell papers or promise residency

• Attendance papers are not an official level: A school attendance certificate only shows enrolment or hours attended. It has no official status and does not prove a CEFR level, and some school level tests are only internal. If a school offers to sell you a certificate or a level without a proper exam, walk away. For official proof, sit the DELE (does not expire) or SIELE (valid for five years). For Spanish nationality you need the A2 DELE as well as the CCSE test.

• A language course does not secure residency: A private language course or its certificate does not grant a residence permit or act as a shortcut to residency. A non-EU student needs a student visa, which requires enrolment on a full-time course (generally at least 20 hours a week), proof of funds and health insurance, and the stay is temporary. Be wary of any school or agent who promises residency or a guaranteed visa. Ask the Spanish consulate or Extranjería (the immigration office) before paying.

• Other signs of a bad school: Watch for no company name, tax number or address, no written contract, terms that rule out any refund, vague hours and teachers, prices far below market, unverifiable reviews, pressure to pay everything upfront in cash or by transfer without a receipt, and a refusal to hand over the hoja de reclamaciones (the official complaint form). Every business serving consumers must have it available. Ask for the contract and an invoice before paying, and pay by card so you can ask your bank for a chargeback.

• Where to complain: Complain to the school in writing first, then fill in the hoja de reclamaciones and keep your copy. If it is not resolved, take it to the OMIC (your town hall's consumer office) or your region's consumer body. If the school belongs to the consumer arbitration board (Junta Arbitral de Consumo), you can ask for free arbitration. Otherwise you can go to court; claims up to €6,000 need no lawyer, but you normally must try an out-of-court settlement first.

Frequently asked questions

Does a Spanish language school need a state licence?

No, a private Spanish academy needs no state licence or approved curriculum, because teaching Spanish to foreigners counts as non-regulated education. It must still register as a business, hold its municipal activity licence and follow consumer, health and labour rules. Instituto Cervantes accreditation is voluntary, so a school without it is not breaking any law.

Does Instituto Cervantes accreditation guarantee I will pass an exam or get a student visa?

No, Instituto Cervantes accreditation is a quality check on the centre and guarantees neither an exam pass nor student visa rights. It also does not fix the price or make the school an official exam centre. Accreditation is time-limited and re-inspected, so ask for the current one.

Can I cancel if I signed the contract at the school itself?

No, a contract signed in person at the school's premises has no legal withdrawal right, only the cancellation terms the school gives you. That is why the written refund terms matter before you sign. Online or phone purchases have the 14 days to withdraw.

How long do I have to ask my bank for a chargeback?

Chargeback windows are often around 120 days, but your bank and card set the exact limit. Act quickly if the course is not delivered or differs from what was sold.

What refund can I expect if my visa is refused or the school cancels the course?

If your visa is refused, schools usually refund what you paid minus an administration fee, and you must show the refusal letter. If the school cancels the course, it should refund in full or offer a transfer. Check that your contract says so.