Spain’s Student Visa has often been touted as one of the easiest visas to get to live in Spain, but after the recent law change in May, is this still the case?
There are several ways to get residency in Spain as a non-EU national. One is via the Digital Nomad Visa (DNV) if you have a remote job or are self-employed and earn over a certain threshold, while another is the Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV), where you aren’t allowed to work but must prove you have enough in savings and passive income.
The third most popular option is the Student Visa, which has often been said to be easiest visa to gain residency in Spain.
With the recent changes to the Student Visa which came into force in May 2025, however, is this still the easiest visa to get?
READ ALSO: The key changes to Spain’s Student Visa in 2025
Firstly, there is no simple answer to this question. It entirely depends on what type of course you plan on taking. The rules are now very different if you want to take say a language course or if you want to take a higher education course.
Previously, you could sign up to a language course and then exchange your visa later on to a different one whilst you were still living here, but now you can only stay a maximum of two years.
This could be an excellent option if that’s all you want to stay for. As long as you’re accepted onto the course and can afford it, getting the visa should be relatively easy for this type of course.
Year-long language courses in Spain can range anywhere from €3,000 to €7,000 depending on what it includes and where it’s located. This is significantly cheaper than the €2,762 per month needed for the Digital Nomad Visa, as well as a lot less paperwork.
It’s also a lot less than the €28,800 per year needed for the Non-lucrative visa and less hassle than proving where all your passive income comes from.
READ ALSO: How to apply for Spain’s Student Visa
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One point to keep in mind is that at end of your first year, you can only renew your Student Visa for a second year if you pass a language proficiency test first. So, you’ll have to make sure you’ve actually been studying. It’s no longer just a way to get residency.
This is still a great and easy option if you only want to stay for two years, but if you want to stay longer, then you’ll have to sign up to a higher education course. It could mean a significant amount of study time, not to mention quite a bit more in fees.
According to Study in Spain, for a Bachelor’s Degree at a private university in Spain, you can expect to pay from €2,400 to €30,000.
Keep in mind that public universities are generally cheaper but it’s likely the course will be taught in Spanish or other local languages such as Catalan in Catalonia.
If you go to a public university, Master’s courses can start anywhere from €800 for the year, but if you go a private university, it can range from €7,000 upwards.
This could work out cheaper than the DNV or the NLV, but it could work out more expensive too, depending on what type of course you do and where you study.
Doing a Bachelor’s or a Master’s is also a big commitment, so you have to be prepared for it, it’s not just simply an easy way to get to live in Spain either.
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For some courses you may also need to prove previous experience or qualifications. This could be tricky depending on what country you’re from and if Spain recognises your previous qualifications. Going through the recognition process to get them recognised here can be very difficult and time consuming.
If you don’t have to prove previous qualifications it will be a lot easier for you.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you eventually want to move back to your home country or another country, you’ll have to make sure that your qualification from the Spanish university is valid and you can use it elsewhere.
If you are applying for the long-term Student Visa for a course that lasts more than six months, you will also need to provide proof of financial resources to support yourself and have private medical insurance.
Both of these can again make the Student Visa slightly more complicated.
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According to Studying in Spain, it can take between 1-3 months to apply for the Student Visa, which is similar to the length of time needed for the DNV or NLV.
Another point to be aware of is that you can only apply for a Student Visa outside of Spain. This is similar to the NLV, however for the DNV you can apply for it once you’re already in Spain. This makes the DNV slightly easier in that respect.
All in all, the Student Visa is still one of the easiest visas to get to live in Spain provided you’re accepted onto a course and can pay for it, it’s just a lot harder to apply for than it was before.
