For many people traveling to another country to study is their first taste of independence.
However, if you are not traveling solo, you may be thinking, “Can I Bring my Family to Spain on a Student Visa?”
Different people make different choices in life.
- You may be married.
- You may be in a civil partnership.
- You may be studying later in life and have a family.
- You may be a single parent.
Whatever your life looks like, you still want the opportunity to be together abroad while you continue your studies.
And Spain’s not going to stop you.
If you want to bring your family to Spain while you study, the good news is, you can!
But there are some limitations, so let’s have a look at those in a little more detail.
What Do I Need To Do To Bring My Family to Spain on my Student Visa?
Let’s look at what a student visa offers very briefly. Student visas entitle people to come to Spain to study for 90 days or more.
Their studies must be full-time (20 hours minimum a week) at an accredited school, training center, or scientific institution.
They also cover people who are undertaking certain types of internships, voluntary services, teaching, and au pair programs.
So the first thing to check is your own eligibility before you start.
You don’t want to waste your time or money by applying for the wrong visa!
The next thing to bear in mind is that you may bring only your immediate family with you if you have a study visa.
Specifically, you can bring a wife or civil partner.
You may also bring children who are considered minors. In Spain, this means children under the age of 18 years.
If you have a son or daughter over the age of eighteen who has a disability that means they can’t live alone, they are also welcome.
Is there a family visa for Spain?
Not as such, no.
There’s no way of applying for a one-size-fits-all visa if you are traveling to Spain to study.
Sorry!
But once you’ve ticked the boxes that mean you’re qualified to study in Spain, you’re good to go.
You will need to make sure that you apply for a visa for each family member in order for them to accompany you.
And just to be clear, minors, too, are expected to have a personal visa.
How do I make sure my family’s visas for Spain are legal?
Have you provided all the required documentation?
This includes:
- An Official application form
- A Passport
- An additional passport photograph
- An authorized medical certificate
- Public or Private Health Insurance
- Proof of your acceptance onto your program of study
- A criminal record check certificate
- Proof of the financial means to support yourself and your family without the need to work
If the answer is “yes” and your visa has been granted, then you are legally allowed to stay in Spain for the duration of your studies.
Congratulations!
Your spouse and children won’t need all of these documents, but they’ll need quite a few of them.
It’s best to check your Visa office for up-to-the-minute particulars on what documents you and your family will need.
What other things do I need to know about my family’s visas for Spain?
This is just a brief look at whether it’s possible to bring your family to Spain with a student visa.
So you will have to check official channels for specific details depending on your nationality.
But there are a couple of key things to keep in mind to make your family’s time in Spain legal.
If your studies are longer than 6 months, you and your family will need to apply for a Foreigner’s Identification Card (TIE). And you’ll need to do this pretty swiftly.
You’ll need to make sure you apply for the TIE within 1 month of arriving in Spain.
This may sound fast but once it’s done, you can relax.
If you bring your Family to Spain on a student visa, remember that the visa covers you for the duration of your studies up to a year.
Are your studies going to be longer than a year?
You and your family must apply for visa extensions 60 days before your previous visas run out.
Bringing your family to Spain does require some paperwork.
But it is no more than you probably already have to hand as an ordinary citizen of your home country.
And by obtaining visas for Spain for your family while you study, you’re opening up a whole new set of horizons for them all.
If you’d like more information on studying in Spain before taking the plunge, we have a great article here.
And if you’re coming to Spain to study, you need some accommodation! Check out our article to get you started.
