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Printable Checklist · 2026

Spain Student Visa Document Checklist 2026

Every document the Spanish consulate requires for your student visa application — categorised, explained, and updated for 2026.

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Full Document List

Complete Spain Student Visa Document Checklist

This checklist covers every document category examined by Spanish consulates when processing a student visa (estancia por estudios) application. Use the legend below to understand the status of each item. Work through each category systematically before booking your consulate appointment — arriving with an incomplete document pack is one of the most common and costly errors applicants make.

Required — mandatory for all applications. Do not omit.
Recommended — strongly advised, even if not always formally requested.

Important: Requirements Vary by Consulate

This checklist reflects standard requirements across Spanish consulates worldwide in 2026. Individual consulates — for example the consulate in New York versus the consulate in London — may apply additional or slightly different requirements. Always verify the current document list with your specific consulate before your appointment.

Category 1 — Application Form

✓
EX-00 Form (Solicitud de autorización de estancia por estudios)
Completed entirely in Spanish — not English. An English-language form is a common rejection reason. Download free from extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es. One form per applicant. Complete all sections in full; leave nothing blank. Sign and date the form.
✓
Application Fee Receipt (Tasa 790-052)
Approximately €80 (subject to annual revision). Pay at a Spanish bank or online through the AEAT portal using model 790, code 052. Keep the original stamped or printed receipt — do not submit a screenshot or unvalidated printout.

Category 2 — Identity Documents

✓
Valid Passport (Original)
Must have at least 1 year of validity beyond your intended course end date. Must contain at least 2 completely blank pages. If your passport does not meet these requirements, renew it before applying — the visa cannot extend beyond passport validity.
✓
Passport Photocopy
Full copy of all pages including blank pages. Some consulates require only the biographical data page and any pages with current visas or entry stamps. When in doubt, copy all pages. Copies must be clear and legible.
✓
Passport Photographs (×2)
Two recent passport-format photographs with a plain white background. Must not be older than 6 months. Same style as the photograph in your passport. Do not wear sunglasses or hats. Some consulates require the photographs to be attached to the EX-00 form.

Category 3 — Proof of Enrolment

✓
Official Enrolment Letter from Your Institution (Original)
Must be on institution letterhead and signed by an authorised representative. The letter must state: your full legal name as it appears on your passport; the precise course or programme name; exact start and end dates; total weekly in-person contact hours (minimum 20 hours per week is a common consulate requirement); total course fee; and the institution's accreditation status. It must be an original — a photocopy or scanned printout is not sufficient.
★
Proof of Course Fee Payment
A receipt, bank transfer confirmation, or official statement confirming that tuition fees have been paid or are formally committed to. Not always required by every consulate, but strengthens the application and reduces the likelihood of follow-up questions about the genuineness of the enrolment.

Category 4 — Financial Proof (One of the following three options)

✓
Option A: Personal Bank Statements (3–6 months)
Official statements from your bank showing a consistent balance of at least €600 per month multiplied by the number of months of your course. Must show your full name and account number on every page. Must be original bank-issued statements — either printed and stamped by the bank or downloaded from your bank's official portal. Screenshots, informal printouts, or unverified PDF exports are rejected. Use our Financial Calculator to confirm the exact amount required.
✓
Option B: Sponsorship Letter + Sponsor's Supporting Documents
A formal financial sponsorship declaration signed and dated by the sponsor; copy of the sponsor's identity document (passport or national ID); proof of the relationship between you and the sponsor (birth certificate if parent/child, or other official document); and 3–6 months of the sponsor's official bank statements showing sufficient funds to cover your entire period of study. All documents not in Spanish must be accompanied by a sworn Spanish translation. Use our free Sponsorship Letter Template.
✓
Option C: Official Scholarship Award Letter
On official letterhead from a recognised awarding body (government body, university, or established scholarship foundation). Must state: your name, the scholarship amount, the payment period, and explicitly what costs are covered (tuition, living expenses, or both). If the scholarship does not cover all living costs, you must also provide evidence of personal or sponsored funds to cover the shortfall.
★
Sworn Spanish Translation of Financial Documents
Required if your bank statements or other financial documents are not already in Spanish. Must be by a certified sworn translator (traductor jurado) officially recognised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A bilingual friend's translation is not accepted. Our office provides sworn translations as part of the full application service.

Category 5 — Health Insurance

✓
Private Health Insurance Certificate
From an EU-authorised private insurer (not travel insurance — these are legally different products). The policy must cover: the full territorial coverage of Spain (not just certain regions); a minimum of €30,000 in medical coverage; no copayment (sin copago) and no deductible (sin franquicia) — the applicant must not be required to pay anything towards treatment; and the policy must be valid for the entire duration of your intended stay in Spain. Check your policy carefully against these requirements before purchasing.
✓
Policy Schedule or Certificate (in Spanish)
Must explicitly state the no-copay condition. A general marketing brochure or summary document is insufficient — the consulate requires the formal policy certificate or schedule issued by the insurer. If the certificate is not in Spanish, a sworn translation is required.
★
Sworn Spanish Translation of Insurance Documents
Required if your insurance documents are not already in Spanish. Some EU-market insurers that specialise in Spain student visa-compliant policies issue certificates in Spanish by default — check with your insurer.

Category 6 — Proof of Accommodation

✓
Proof of Accommodation in Spain
One of the following: a signed rental contract for accommodation in Spain (must include the address, rental period, rent amount, and signatures of both parties); a university student residence confirmation letter on official letterhead; a host family or private host acceptance letter (with copy of the host's ID document — see our Host Accommodation Letter Template); or a hotel or hostel booking confirmation for an initial period at the start of your stay. The accommodation proof must cover at least the initial phase of your authorised period.
★
Sworn Spanish Translation of Accommodation Documents
Required if your rental contract or accommodation confirmation is not in Spanish. University residences and many Spanish landlords will issue documents in Spanish by default. If your document is in English or another language, a sworn translation must accompany it.

Category 7 — Medical Certificate

✓
Medical Certificate (Original)
Signed by a licensed medical doctor (general practitioner or above). The certificate must state that the applicant does not suffer from any disease that could cause serious public health repercussions, or any infectious or contagious disease listed under the International Health Regulations 2005. An apostille is not required for the medical certificate. Must be an original signed document — photocopies are not accepted.
✓
Sworn Spanish Translation of Medical Certificate
Required if the certificate is not in Spanish. The sworn translation must be attached to and submitted alongside the original certificate — they travel as a pair. Do not submit the translation alone without the original.

Category 8 — Criminal Record Certificate

✓
Criminal Record Certificate — Country of Nationality
Issued by the national criminal record authority of your country of nationality. Examples: ACRO or DBS for UK nationals; the FBI Identity History Summary for US nationals; the AFP National Police Certificate for Australian nationals; the RCMP criminal record check for Canadian nationals. Must be recent — most consulates require it to be no older than 3 months at the time of your appointment. Note: FBI processing alone can take 2–4 months. Apply early.
✓
Criminal Record Certificate — Countries of Residence (if applicable)
Required if you have lived in any country other than your country of nationality for 2 or more years during the past 5 years. You must obtain a criminal record certificate from each such country. This is separate from your nationality certificate — it relates to where you have lived, not where you are from.
✓
Apostille of the Criminal Record Certificate
All criminal record certificates must be apostilled by the competent authority in the issuing country before submission to the Spanish consulate. Examples: the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for UK certificates; the US Secretary of State (state-level) or US Department of State for FBI certificates. The apostille and the certificate are two separate requirements — both must be present.
✓
Sworn Spanish Translation of Criminal Record Certificates
Required for all criminal record certificates not issued in Spanish. The sworn translation must accompany the original apostilled certificate. Some consulates require the translation to also be apostilled — verify with your specific consulate.

Category 9 — Translations (Applying to All Non-Spanish Documents)

✓
Sworn Spanish Translations (Traducción Jurada)
Every document that is not already in Spanish must be accompanied by a sworn Spanish translation. The translation must be performed by a sworn translator (traductor jurado) certified by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación). A bilingual friend's translation, a standard certified translation, or a machine translation is not accepted under any circumstances. Each translated document must be submitted attached to the original — keep them together as a set.
★
Certified Copies of Originals
Some consulates require certified copies for certain documents rather than the originals themselves (to allow the consulate to retain a copy while returning originals). A certified copy is one that has been authenticated by a notary or the issuing authority — not simply a photocopy. Check with your specific consulate which categories require certified copies versus originals.

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Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions About the Document Checklist

Only documents that are not already in Spanish require a sworn translation. If your bank statements are from a UK bank issued in English, they need a sworn Spanish translation. If your Spanish institution's enrolment letter is already in Spanish, no translation is needed. The sworn translation (traducción jurada) must be performed by a translator certified by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs — a bilingual friend's translation is not accepted by any Spanish consulate.
Most Spanish consulates require the criminal record certificate to be no older than 3 months at the time of your consulate appointment — not at the time of your application. You need to factor in processing time when ordering. The FBI Identity History Summary for US nationals can take 2–4 months to be issued. The RCMP process for Canadian nationals can take several weeks. Order your certificate as early as possible in the application process, then get it apostilled before your appointment.
Original documents are generally required by Spanish consulates. Some consulates accept certified copies for certain document categories — a certified copy is one authenticated by a notary or the issuing body, not a standard photocopy. Never submit uncertified photocopies in place of originals; they will be rejected. Bring both the originals and complete photocopies to your consulate appointment — some consulates will take a photocopy and return the original.
You must renew your passport before applying for the student visa. The Spain student visa cannot be granted for a period longer than your passport's validity. Your passport must have at least one year of validity beyond your intended course end date to satisfy most consulates' requirements. Submitting with a passport that expires before or during your course is one of the easiest avoidable grounds for rejection.
No — travel insurance and private health insurance are entirely different products and Spanish consulates are clear on this distinction. Travel insurance is designed for short trips and typically includes trip cancellation, lost luggage, and limited emergency medical cover. The Spain student visa requires a private health insurance policy from an EU-authorised insurer that: covers the full territory of Spain; provides at minimum €30,000 in medical coverage; has absolutely no copayment and no deductible (sin franquicia / sin copago); and is valid for your entire period of stay. Submitting travel insurance in place of qualifying health insurance is a common and easily avoidable cause of rejection.
The EX-00 form — full title: Solicitud de autorización de estancia por estudios, movilidad internacional de alumnos, prácticas no laborales e investigación — is the official Spanish government application form for the student visa. Download it from the official extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es portal. It is available in both Spanish and English versions on the portal, but it must be completed in Spanish. This is a firm consulate requirement, not a suggestion — submitting the English-language version is one of the most frequently cited reasons for forms being rejected at the desk.

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