Spain student visa from Colombia: requirements, funds, timelines and work

You need it if you will study in Spain for more than 90 days. A study stay of up to 90 days does not require a student visa ¹.

The visa covers higher education at a recognised school in Spain (bachelor's, master's, university's own degrees, vocational training master's), post-compulsory secondary school and intermediate vocational training, student mobility programmes, volunteering and training activities such as Spanish courses at schools accredited by the Instituto Cervantes or language assistants ¹. University studies can be in person or hybrid; other higher education must be at least 50% in person ³.

If you will do a doctorate, the consulate treats you as a researcher and you must apply for the research visa ¹.

Since 20 May 2025 these rules are in the new Immigration Regulation, Royal Decree 1155/2024 ^{3 5}.

The minimum is 100% of the IPREM for each month of stay: 600 € a month in 2026 ^{1 4}. If your family comes with you, add 75% of the IPREM (450 €) for the first family member and 50% (300 €) for each additional one ^{1 3}. If you show that accommodation is already paid for the whole stay, the amount is reduced ¹. Tuition does not count toward this minimum ³.

Duration	You alone	You and one family member
6 months	3,600 €	6,300 €
10 months	6,000 €	10,500 €
12 months	7,200 €	12,600 €

The consulate in Bogotá accepts three ways of proving it ¹:

• Own funds: the last six bank statements with the bank's original stamp or letterhead, the income tax return filed with the DIAN for the last two years and, depending on your case, the last six payslips or six months of health and pension contributions.
• Funds of a relative: apostilled civil registry documents proving the relationship, a notarised statement in which the relative commits to covering 100% of the IPREM for the whole study period, and their statements and tax returns.
• Scholarship or education loan: the scholarship certificate with the amount and period, or the loan certificate (ICETEX, COLFUTURO). A pre-selection or pre-approval does not count.

Bank certifications without the statements that support them are not accepted ¹.

Health insurance. It must be comprehensive health care insurance with a company authorised in Spain, covering 100% of costs, with no waiting periods, deductibles or copayment ¹. Travel, bank or reimbursement insurance does not count, nor do policies with automatic renewal, and you must submit the insurer's certificate with a digital signature and verification code ¹. The policy must cover from one month before your studies start until 15 days after they end; for studies of more than a year, covering the first year is enough ¹.

Criminal record. If your stay exceeds 180 days, you submit the criminal record certificate from the countries where you lived in the last 5 years ¹. The Colombian one must be the certificate for immigration purposes and be apostilled ¹. The Colombian National Police is the body that issues it ².

Medical certificate. A family medicine or internal medicine doctor accredited by the Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection certifies that you do not suffer from diseases with serious public health repercussions under the International Health Regulations of 2005 ¹. The consulate publishes a template and has no recommended doctors or centres ¹.

All public documents, such as civil registry documents and criminal records, must be apostilled ¹.

File the application at least two months before your studies start, unless the enrolment date makes that impossible; in periods of high demand the consulate applies this flexibly depending on available appointments ¹. Filing long after the start date on your admission letter can be a reason for refusal ¹.

The application includes the stay authorisation, which is decided by the immigration office of the province where you will study. The consulate warns that this phase can take up to two months and that, if it is favourable, it has one more month to issue the visa: up to three months in total ¹. You track it online with the BLS receipt, and the consulate does not answer individual enquiries about the status ¹. Do not buy your ticket before you have the visa: the ticket is not a requirement ¹.

The authorisation starts one month before your studies begin and ends 15 days after they finish ³. For higher education it lasts as long as the official length of the programme; the visa is valid for up to a year and, if your stay exceeds 180 days, you apply for the TIE at the police station in the month after you arrive ^{3 1}.

Under the 2025 regulation, the higher education authorisation lets you work, self-employed or employed, automatically and with no other procedure, as long as the work is compatible with your studies ³. The limit is 30 hours a week ^{3 5}, and exceeding it is a ground for ending your authorisation ³. The work is limited to the autonomous community where you were granted the authorisation, except for neighbouring localities ³. If you work and register with Social Security, that registration meets the health insurance requirement ³.

Your spouse or partner and your children who are minors or need support because of disability or illness can accompany you, only if you take higher education ¹. Their applications can be submitted together with yours, but the consulate only processes them when the favourable decision on yours arrives, so they take longer ¹. Your family members cannot work with this visa ³.