Visa Requirements
This page was designed to provide students interested in pursuing studies in Madrid with basic information about their visa requirements. Please check with the appropriate consulate and with your program counselor before submitting your visa application. Do not rely solely on the information below, as visa requirements can change without advance notice.
Navigate this Page
- Do I need a visa to study in Spain?
- Where do I apply for my visa?
- What are the requirements?
- What is adequate proof of health insurance?
- What happens if I want to stay in Madrid for a second semester?
- Do I have to apply in person?
- Can SU Abroad process my visa?
- How long does it take for the visa to be ready?
- When can I visit the Consulate?
- What is a Schengen Visa?
- Additional Visa Requirements for Non-US citizens
Do I need a visa to study in Spain?
It depends on your country of citizenship and the duration of your study abroad program.
Semester / Academic Year Students: A student visa is required to ALL US CITIZENS and many non-US citizens studying in Spain for more than 90 days. This includes the SU Madrid semester program.
Summer Students: No student visa is required for US passport-holders, as well as for some other nationalities, if the summer program is less than 90 days.
Where do I apply for my visa?
Visa applications must be submitted to the Spanish consulate with jurisdiction over your permanent residence. However, the following consulates also accept applications from students attending universities located in their jurisdiction: Boston, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.
You must apply for your student visa before you leave your country of residency. Do not attempt to enter Spain without a visa if you need one, as this would be a violation of Spanish immigration laws.
What are the requirements?
A visa is a stamp that is placed inside your passport The first step to apply for a visa is to have a valid passport. If you do not have one, or if your current passport expires within six months after the end of the program, visit the U.S. State Department's Travel Website to renew or request a passport.
If you are requesting a passport less than four months before your departure, we strongly recommend that you use the expedited passport service.
Each Spanish consulate has different application requirements and procedures. Upon admission to the SU Madrid program, your counselor will provide you with information that will help you prepare your visa application. It is the student’s responsibility to read this information and follow the instructions carefully. Students are asked to obtain the list of requirements directly from the appropriate consulate’s website because visa requirements can change at any time.
Click Here for the list of Spanish consulate locations and jurisdiction information
All Spanish consulates require an official Letter of Acceptance as a full-time student from a US program (indicating: name, address and registration number of the school with Spain's Department of Education, full payment of tuition, duration of the program, etcetera). SU Abroad will mail these letters to your campus address after admission in the Madrid program. Please make sure you have the original copy of these letters as they are an essential part of your application!
See how to fill out your Schengen Application Form (Spring 2008)
What is adequate proof of health insurance?
Comprehensive overseas health insurance and medical evacuation/repatriation coverage is REQUIRED for all SU Abroad programs. To participate in any of our programs, you should provide SU Abroad with evidence of adequate insurance by submitting Form #8: Health & Accident Insurance
In addition, Madrid students need to provide the Spanish Consulate with proof of health insurance in order to receive a student visa. We recommend that you review the following issues with your parents and with your parents’ insurance provider to decide whether your existing health coverage is sufficient or you need to purchase additional coverage.
To apply for your student visa, you will have to present a letter from your insurance provider confirming that you have “international insurance coverage for health and accident with a minimum coverage equal to 30,000 euros (or its equivalent in dollars) during the planning period of your stay in Spain” (minimum coverage amount as of 10/01/2007). Please note that a photocopy of your insurance card will not be sufficient proof. Your letter, also known as Confirmation of Coverage, should indicate your name, policy number, type of insurance coverage received overseas (i.e. accident, sickness, evacuation and repatriation) the dollar amount of your insurance coverage, and the effective and termination dates of your insurance policy. A sample letter that meets the requirements of both SU Abroad and the Consulate of Spain can be found here.
If you can obtain a letter meeting the above requirements, you will not need additional coverage. If, on the other hand, you are applying to a Spanish consulate that requires a letter and you are not able to obtain one from your insurance company with your current coverage, you will need additional coverage. We recommend that you contact a company that specializes in study abroad insurance such as Haylor, Freyer, & Coon. You can obtain information on the web at: www.haylor.com/student or by phone at 1-800-289-1501. Before enrolling in any plan, make sure you will be able to obtain a letter that meets the requirements stated above.
We recommend that you and your parents read our Study Abroad Handbook for more important information on health and security.
What happens if I want to stay in Madrid for a second semester?
If your stay in Spain is for a period longer than 180 days, you will be required to submit additional documents with your visa application. Within one month of your arrival in Spain, you will have to request an authorization for the completion of your studies as well as the proper student ID card from the Police Department in Spain ("Policía Nacional").
If there is any chance at all that you may stay a second semester then you should apply for the academic year. Otherwise, you will have to return to the US to apply for a second student visa.
Do I have to apply in person?
Spanish consulates do not accept applications by mail. Some Spanish consulates, however, may allow one of your parents or a legal guardian to apply on your behalf do not forget to check with the consulate first. They will have to present a notarized letter of authorization and a valid photo ID to be allowed to apply for you. The authorization must indicate the name and passport number of the applicant and the name and document number (e.g. driver’s license number or passport number) of the person dropping off the application (see sample).
Can SU Abroad process my visa?
A representative from SU Abroad may receive authorization from some Spanish consulates to submit a group application — this option may vary from one semester to another.
For Spring 2008, SU will submit a group application to:
- Consulate of Spain in New York City: Students whose permanent residence or university is located in New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey should submit all the required paperwork by:
October 19th: First Group Submission (NYC)
November 2nd: Second Group Submission (NYC) - Consulate of Spain in Chicago: Students whose permanent residence is in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin should submit all the required documents by October 26th.
Upon admission, the Madrid Counselor will email you a checklist listing all documents that you need to collect and submit to SU ABROAD. Please make sure you send all required documents since the consulate does not accept incomplete applications.
If you are planning to travel outside the USA before our group flight, we recommend that you apply for your visa in person as soon as possible. The consulate will keep your passport until they can issue your visa and this takes several weeks from the date of application.
If you decide to apply in person, you will be required to present an official Letter of Acceptance to our program. Please contact your program counselor as soon as possible to arrange for these letters to be mailed to you.
How long does it take for the visa to be ready?
Generally, you should apply for your visa about 8-12 weeks before the date of your arrival in Spain. First, you must have a passport valid for at least six months after the date that your program ends, so be sure to allow adequate time to obtain or renew your passport and get the visa application processed. Don’t leave this to the last minute or you may not be able to go on the program.
Please note that the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for issuing your visa and that SU ABROAD has no means to expedite this process.
When can I visit the consulate?
Please be aware that some consular offices require appointments to submit applications (for example, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, and others) and that it may take several weeks to schedule an appointment. You should consult with your consulate (via website or by phone) for instructions on how to make an appointment with them. If the consulate receives applicants on a first-come-first-served basis, it is recommended that you arrive at the consulate an hour before the opening time as they only allow a limited number of applications per day.
Please note that the consulate of Spain is usually closed during Spanish and US holidays. Always double-check the date with the consulate before making your travel plans.
| Holidays 2007 |
|---|
| January 1st - New Year´s Observance |
| January 15th - Martin Luther King Jr |
| February 19th - President's Day |
| April 6th - Good Friday |
| May 1st - May Day |
| May 28th - Memorial Day |
| July 4th - Independence Day |
| September 3rd - Labor Day |
| October 8th - Columbus Day |
| October 12th - National Day of Spain |
| November 22nd - Thanksgiving Weekend |
| November 23rd - Thanksgiving Weekend |
| December 6th - Constitution of Spain |
| December 25th - Christmas Day |
What is a Schengen Visa?
Perhaps you already noticed that the Spanish consulate grants a Schengen Visa. The name “Schengen” refers to the city where seven EU countries signed a treaty to end internal border controls. Spain is a signatory to this agreement, which enables free circulation of residents within countries in the Schengen Area. In addition to Spain, the other parties to the Schengen Agreement are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.
When filling out your Schengen Application form, make sure you request a multiple-entries visa to be able to visit other countries and re-enter Spain during the semester.
See how to fill out your Schengen Application Form (Spring 2008)
Additional Requirements for Non-US citizens
Non-US citizens admitted to the Eurovision Seminar may need to apply for a Swiss visa in order to visit Geneva. For more information visit the Swiss Embassy’s website.
If you are an international student attending an American university, make an appointment with an International Student Advisor at your school prior to applying for a visa to ensure that your immigration papers are in order (e.g. a valid I-20, I-94, etcetera) and that you will be able to re-enter the United States at the end of your study abroad program.
Be sure to check what additional restrictions or visa requirements pertain specifically to you. Non-US citizens may require a visa to travel to other European or non-European countries—including countries within the Schengen Area. Always inquire about this information before setting out on your travels!
If you are planning to enroll in classes that include a field-study trip or visit other countries during the weekends, please contact the appropriate Consulate or Embassy for that country before leaving the United States.
For Additional Information
Please send any visa-related questions to visaQs@syr.edu.