How to Renew Your Student Visa in Spain

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how to renew student visa in Spain

Your studies are coming to an end but you would like to stay in Spain and continue studying for longer?

Then this article is for you. Here you will find everything you need to know to renew your student visa in Spain.

By the end of this post, you will fully understand what the extension for study purposes is all about and which are its conditions, all the documents and requirements to be met, the step-by-step legal application procedure, and how to get a work permit once your studies are finally finished.

The extension of your student visa is the process that you must follow in order to continue studying in Spain every time your stay authorization expires.

That is to say, what is the situation that many foreign students experience?

In most cases, they come to Spain to study for more than 1 year (either because they are taking a degree that lasts 4 years, because after getting their diploma they access a master’s degree or another type of course, etc.).

The stay for study purposes (that is not the same as residency), the authorization that allows you to stay legally in the country while studying, is just granted for a maximum of 2 years.

Therefore, if your studies last longer than 24 months, you will have to extend this initial authorization, and this will be the student visa renewal process (called “prórroga de la estancia por estudios” in Spanish).

Thus, this procedure has the following purposes:

    • To extend your stay in order to continue studying in Spain
    • To carry out internships
    • To continue with your research
    • To participate in a student exchange program or volunteer service

If you have formalized a joint application and you are in Spain with your relatives, the renewal of your student visa will also extend the duration of the stay of your family members.

What is the duration of this renewal?

The duration of this renewal is equivalent to the duration of your studies (i.e. the academic year), but always until a maximum of one year.

For example, if you take a course that lasts 6 months, your visa will be valid only for those 6 months.

On the contrary, if the course lasts 3 years, the first stay will be valid for 2 years, and once you reach the end of this period you will have to renew to keep studying legally in the Spanish territory.

But we must take into account a very important fact.

In the case of not renewing and your studies ending, you will be automatically in an irregular situation; so you will have to return immediately to your country of origin.

That is why we recommend you to do all the paperwork well in advance, especially if you want to stay in Spain for the long run (in this article you will also find out how to change to a regular residence permit). 

If you do not renew your student visa and want to continue studying, you will then have to start the application process from 0 in your country of origin.

Do you have any doubts up to this point? Then don’t hesitate to ask our immigration  lawyers:

Requirements to renew your student visa

Here you can find a complete list including all the main requirements you will have to meet in order to successfully renew your student visa:

1. Having no criminal records

2. The center or institution where you are going to study for the next year must be public or private, but always official and authorized.

3. You must demonstrate that you have completed the studies for which you obtained your initial authorization, and that is something that you can achieve through the accrediting diploma and the grades obtained in each subject taken.

4. In case you don’t have your diploma , you can also provide a certificate from the academic institution where you have completed your studies demonstrating the course completion.

5. It will be essential to provide the enrollment document (with a confirmed spot) regarding the new studies you are requesting the extension from.

6. The next course you are taking must be at the same or higher level than the one you have just completed. If it is a university degree, simply registering for the second, third or fourth year will be sufficient. But if you have completed your degree, just a master’s, postgraduate, or another degree would be valid.

7. These studies must always be within the same area of knowledge, related and associated with the previous ones for which you initially came to study to Spain. If, for example, you have studied economics, then studying nutrition would not be a valid option.

8. You must have sufficient financial means, equivalent to 100% of the IPREM for the total time that your studies will last (which is about 560€ per month). These means must be sufficient to support yourself in Spain during your studies and to return to your country of origin if necessary.

9. Private medical insurance with the same coverage as the Spanish Social Security (i.e. no co-payments or deductibles).

Documents to be submitted

What documents must be provided during your application?

    • Application form (EX-00), duly completed. You can download it here.
    • Citihall registration (“empadronamiento”).
    • Copy of your complete passport (including blank pages).
    • If you have paid part or all of the registration fee for the following year, you must attach the receipt.
    • Bank certificate showing the amount you have available today (which must be higher than 100% of the monthly IPREM), as well as bank movements from the past months.
    • Copy of your previous residence card (if you had one).
    • Proof that you have paid the corresponding fee: form 790 code 052.

How to renew your student visa step by step

Let’s now understand how the application process for this extension of your student visa actually works.

The first thing you should know (and it is of utmost importance) has to do with the deadlines.

The extension must be requested 60 days before or 90 days after the expiration of your stay status (your card).

While it is true that the immigration office has 3 months after receiving all the documentation to issue a response, our recommendation is that you start as soon as possible within the stipulated timeframe.

If no response is received within 90 days, the application will be considered to have been denied due to administrative silence.

Where should you submit all your documents?

In the Public Registry and addressed to the Immigration Office of the province where you are going to carry out your studies, internships, or research.

Here you can find the office that corresponds to you according to your autonomous community.

Finally, if the authorization is for more than 6 months you will have to apply for a TIE (physical residence card); while if the studies or course last less than 6 months, in that case, you will not have to apply for a TIE.

And what happens if I have already finished my studies?

So far we have analyzed the case where the foreigner has finished an academic year our course, but intends to continue studying during the next one.

But what happens if he/she no longer wants to continue studying, is there any option to stay in Spain?

The answer is yes, although the path to follow will depend on each particular case.

However, the most common is that the time studied is less than 3 years, so in that case we must move to a different alternative.

After 1 year of studying in Spain, the foreign student can:

You can find a complete guide on how to move from student visa to work visa here.

In any case, our recommendation is that you contact our team of immigration lawyers so that we can analyze your particular situation and together find the best way to achieve your goals.

We are at your complete disposal!

Get in touch with our lawyers and let us guide you step by step:

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how to renew student visa in Spain

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