Study in Valencia
Student Visa and Study Stay in Valencia
A student visa for Valencia is a long-stay authorisation for studies, volunteering or training lasting over 90 days (RD 1155/2024, art. 52). It is usually requested at a consulate two months before the course; adults admitted to higher education can file from Spain, and the office has two months to decide (art. 54.3). We check your category, build the file and follow it to the TIE.
Step by step with us
- Choose consulate or in-Spain filing
- Check means, insurance and enrolment
- File, then book the TIE and extensions
Paperwork checklist
- Your passport and letter of admission
- Proof of means and health insurance
- Your course start date
The basics
Non-EU nationals who come to Valencia for more than 90 days to study do not hold a residence permit: they hold a long-stay authorisation for studies, student mobility, volunteering or training activities. Royal Decree 1155/2024 sets out five situations in article 52.1: full-time higher education at a recognised centre, full-time post-compulsory secondary studies, school pupil mobility programmes, volunteering with a registered non-profit body, and a closed list of training activities, such as language assistants in schools or Spanish courses at an Escuela Oficial de Idiomas or a centre accredited by the Instituto Cervantes. Full-time means enrolment in at least 90 % of the credits or of the programme (art. 52.2). For higher education the authorisation lasts for the official length of the studies; for the other categories it matches the activity, with a one-year ceiling (art. 55.1).
Most people apply through the Spanish consulate for their country, at least two months before the course starts (arts. 34 to 36). Adults admitted to higher education may instead apply from Spain if they are here lawfully, again two months before the start date and two months before their current legal stay runs out (art. 54.1 and 54.3). The consulate file asks for a passport valid for one year, enrolment and fees paid, means equal to 100 % of the IPREM per month unless housing is prepaid, private health cover, a medical certificate and, for stays over six months, criminal records (art. 35).
In Valencia, applications filed from Spain go to the Oficina de Extranjería, whose student desk is at C/ Joaquín Ballester 39, or online through Mercurio. For stays longer than six months you then need a TIE card, requested in person within one month of entry or of the grant (arts. 34.3 and 54.9); in Valencia city fingerprints are taken at the Comisaría de Patraix, C/ Els Gremis 6. Extensions for the next academic year are filed online (art. 55.4).
Who it is for
- Non-EU students admitted to a degree, master's or doctorate in Valencia.
- Students on full-time vocational or post-compulsory secondary courses.
- Language assistants placed in Spanish schools.
- Volunteers joining a registered non-profit programme.
- Current students who need the extension for next year.
Paperwork checklist
- Passport valid for at least one year, with a copy of every page.
- Letter of admission and proof that enrolment or tuition fees are paid.
- Proof of means: bank statements, a scholarship letter or a sponsor's commitment.
- Private health insurance from a company authorised in Spain, with no gaps.
- Criminal record certificates for the last five years, legalised and translated, if the stay exceeds six months.
- Medical certificate, for applications through the consulate.
- Proof of the 790 fee payment.
Volunteers, pupils on exchange and language assistants add the agreement or programme papers that article 53 requires, and minors staying with someone other than their parents need the consent of both parents (art. 35). We tell you which foreign documents need an apostille and a sworn translation.
Step by step with us
- Route check. We confirm which of the article 52 categories fits your course and whether you can file from Spain or must go through a consulate.
- File building. We list every document, check your means and insurance against the regulation, and order apostilles and sworn translations early so they do not hold up the filing.
- Filing. We file in Spain through Mercurio, or prepare a consulate-ready file, and answer any request for more documents.
- After approval. We book the TIE fingerprints, register you on the padrón if needed and note the date your extension window opens, so the next year is filed on time.
Waiting times in Valencia
Through a consulate, the foreigners’ office has seven days to decide on the authorisation once asked, and silence means refusal; the consulate then has up to one month to issue the visa (art. 36.3 and 36.4). Filed from Spain, the office has two months to decide, again with silence meaning refusal, and your current legal stay is extended while it decides (art. 54.3). When a registered university files for you, the period is 15 days (art. 54.6).
The extension is filed in the two months before expiry and is decided within one month; no answer by then is a refusal (art. 55.3 and 55.4). Each extension covers the next course, up to one year, and higher education allows up to two extensions per authorisation (art. 55.5). If you are planning trips during that wait, read about the return authorisation. When you graduate, you can switch to a residence and work permit without returning home for a visa, filing in the two months before or the three months after your stay ends or your degree is awarded; filing in that window keeps your current status alive until the decision (art. 190.6). Our work permit service picks up from there.
Living outside Valencia city? We handle this for the whole region: see our local pages for Gandia, Alicante and Castellón, or the Valencian Community overview.
Fee for our help
Ask for a quote. We confirm a fixed fee in writing before we start, based on your route, your nationality and any family members. State fees, consulate fees, apostilles and translations are paid separately.
Once you are in Valencia, the State fee for the first TIE is 16.08 € and for the card after an extension 19.30 € (form 790, code 012, as shown by the police fee form on 14 November 2026).
A typical case
Picture a Brazilian graduate admitted to a one-year master’s at a university in Valencia, staying with friends in Benimaclet as a visitor. Because the course is higher education and they are here lawfully, they can apply from Spain, but only if the file goes in two months before classes start and two months before their visitor stay ends. We fix those dates on the first call, check the bank statements against the IPREM rule, arrange the health policy and file online. Once approved, we register them on the padrón and book the TIE fingerprints at Patraix.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a student authorisation take in Valencia?
Filed from Spain, the foreigners' office has two months to answer (RD 1155/2024, art. 54.3). Through a consulate, the authorisation is decided within seven days and the visa within a month (art. 36). Gathering apostilled records and translations usually takes longer than that, so we start those first.
Can I work while studying in Valencia?
If you hold the authorisation for higher education, yes: it allows employed and self-employed work automatically, as long as it fits around your studies, with a general cap of 30 hours a week (art. 57.1 and 57.2). Work is limited to the Comunitat Valenciana and bordering towns (art. 57.3). Other categories need a separate work authorisation, which we can file.
Can I apply from Spain if I came as a tourist?
Only for higher education and a few special cases, if you are an adult and here lawfully (art. 54.1). The file must go in two months before the course starts and two months before your visitor stay ends (art. 54.3), so a 90-day visitor has a short window. We work out your dates on the first call.
Can my partner and children come with me?
For higher education, yes: spouse or partner and children can apply for the same type of stay if at least 90 days of your authorisation remain (art. 56.1). You need extra means of 75 % of the IPREM for the first relative and 50 % for each other one (art. 35). Family members cannot work on this permit (art. 56.6).
How do I extend my stay for next year?
You file online in the two months before expiry, with new enrolment, means, insurance and the course passed where required (art. 55.3 and 55.4). Filing up to three months late is still admitted, but a fine procedure may follow. We note your window and file as soon as it opens.
Are internships allowed?
Internships that are part of your study plan, under an agreement between the company and your university, are covered by your student authorisation without extra paperwork (art. 57.1). A separate internship after graduation needs its own residence permit, requested by the host entity (Law 14/2013, additional provision 18). We tell you which applies.
What if my application is refused?
The decision must explain the reasons and list the appeals available and their deadlines (art. 54.5). Typical reasons are insufficient means, inadequate insurance or a centre that is not recognised (art. 54.8). We read the decision with you, explain what can still be fixed and either appeal within the deadline or file again with stronger evidence.
Source: Royal Decree 1155/2024, articles 34-36 and 52-57 (BOE), Law 14/2013, additional provision 18 (BOE). Last checked against the BOE on 14 November 2026. Laws and fees change, so we confirm the current ones for your case before you pay.
You get a written quote with a closed fee before you pay anything. Official fees are listed separately.
Write on a working day and we reply within one business day, with a plan for your case.
WhatsApp, phone or email in English (or Spanish). No guessing what a form or an official letter means.
Expat Valencia is a service of Gestoría Beltrán Cifre SL, a gestoría registered in Spain.
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Planning your move to Valencia?
Tell us where your passport is from, what you need and which Valencian town you are heading to. A message that reaches us on a working day gets a reply by the next one, with the steps and a fixed fee in writing.
- Emailcontact@expatvalencia.com
- WhereOnline service for Valencia city and province. No walk-in office
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