Visa for Spain: Spanish Student Visa, Retirement Visa, and Holiday Visas in Spain

Visas for Spain:
General Requirements for Spain Visas
Retirement Visa for Spain
Student Visa for Spain
Investors and Self-employment Visa for Spain
Non-lucrative Visa for Spain
Work-exempt Visa for Spain
Family Reunification Visa for Spain

If you’re an EU citizen, you don’t need a visa; you already have the right to residency . You’ll probably find it useful, though, to apply for an NIE.

If you’re a non-EU citizen, and you want to stay in Spain for more than 30 days (90 days for some nationalities), you need a visa. If you want to live in Spain, the process is this: First get a visa from the Spanish Embassy or Consulate closest to your home. When you arrive in Spain, you work on getting residency . After you get that, you can begin work on getting citizenship.
Getting residency in Spain allows you to live anywhere in the EU. Likewise, getting residency somewhere else in the EU gives you a right to residency in Spain. That means that if your goal is residency in Spain and you have relatives or ancestors in some other country in the EU, then the easiest way may be to first apply for residency in that other country.

The various visas you can obtain are described in the following information noted from the Spanish Consulate of New York. Keep in mind that what is required for the visa application in New York may be different from what is required in other consulates, but it is probably similar.

General Requirements for Spain Visas
For any visa application for Spain, expect to require the following documents, plus those specifically as noted below for each individual type of visa for Spain.
To apply for your visa the following requirements must be submitted in person:
Passport valid for a minimum of six months and three photocopies of the personal information and photo page.

4 recent pictures, passport size.
Original marriage certificate *.
Original certificate of good conduct issued by the police department of the city or cities where the applicant has spent 6 months or more in the last 5 years, with a translation into Spanish .
Original medical certificate typed on doctor’s stationary verifying that the applicant is free from the following quarantine diseases: yellow fever, cholera, and the plague. The certificate must also certify that the applicant is free of drug addictions and mental illness, with a translation into Spanish .
Original Medical Insurance that will cover you in Spain.
It is also necessary to submit two (2) photocopies of all the documents.

Retirement Visa for Spain
In addition to the above General Requirements for Spain Visas, you will need:
Residence visa to retire in Spain (visa de Jubilados). This visa allows a foreigner to reside in Spain as a retiree without working. In addition to the above General Requirements for Spain Visas, you will need:
Original certificate of a public or private institution certifying that you receive a pension, specifying its monthly amount.
Proof of any other source of income and/or properties in Spain (The anual minimum is $10,000 increased by $1,700 for each dependant).
If you own any propety in Spain you must bring Original proof of ownership.
Note: on arrival in Spain, you may be asked to get medical insurance, so you’re not a drain on the Spanish public medical system. This may not be the easiest request for an older person. If you can’t prolong the health insurance you had in your country of origin then try some of the companies listed in Health Care and Medical Insurance. The point is to convince them that you are insured, whether you are or not.

Student Visa for Spain
Residence visa for students in Spain, Student Visa. A student visa is mandatory for any foreign citizen wishing to study in Spain for more than 3 months. In addition to the above General Requirements for Spain Visas, you will need:
3 Schengen visa application forms fully completed and signed at the bottom of the back page.
Proof of admission to a Spanish academic center as a full-time student from the Spanish center or from the U.S. program as well as transcripts from your current studies.
Proof of financial means for the period of study in Spain. Proof could be: Letter from the institution organizing the studies indicating that tuition and living expenses have been paid in advance or the organization is fully responsible for them. For many students this information is stated in the previously mentioned letter of acceptance. Notarized letter of parents/guardians assuming financial responsibility while student is in Spain for at least $1000 per month. Three last statement of student´s bank account with a minimum balance of $1000 per month of stay in Spain or $1000 worth of travellers checks per month of stay in Spain.
If the student is under 18 years of age, the student should present a notarized letter of authorization from the parents.

Invesment or Self-employment Visa for Spain
Residence visa for investors or self-employment. If you’re wealthy or self employed (for example you work online with a foreign source of income). In addition to the above General Requirements for Spain Visas, you will need:
Copy of the Work Authorization Application (Solicitud de Permiso de Trabajo) filed with the Ministry of Labor in Spain and one photocopy. This document must be submitted at this Consulate General within thirty (30) days from the date stamped by the Ministry of Labor in Spain.

Non-lucrative Visa for Spain
Residence visa for non lucrative purposes. Another choice if you’re wealthy. In addition to the above General Requirements for Spain Visas, you will need: Proof of sufficient financial resources ( Bank accounts in Spain or the United States, investments, annuities, and any other source of income) totaling a minimum of $75,000.00 annually. If stocks or partnerships are owned in one or several companies, it must be specified that no funds are derived from direct labor activity in these companies.
If you own property in Spain you must submit the original deed and a photocopy, or you must submit proof of sufficient financial resources to obtain housing in Spain.

Work-excempt Visa for Spain
Residence visa exempt from the obligation of requesting work permit If you’re a Mormon etc. In addition to the above General Requirements for Spain Visas, you will need:
Documents which verify that the organization in Spain is accredited by the appropriate governmental authorities in Spain.
Proof of receiving a grant, if applicable.
If you don’t fit any of the above, then it gets tougher. You can come for three months, then try to find a company to sponsor you, or you might try to get residence in another EU country first (do you have an Irish grandmother?). Or if you just love Spain but hate bureaucracies, you can probably live here illegally many years without difficulties, as long as you keep a low profile.