Student Visa Programmes

Our Student Visa Programmes allow you to live and work in Spain whilst you study.

Living and Working in Spain Has Never Been Easier

If you are a European citizen or have a European passport you are free to work in Spain without a visa. If you are a non-EU citizen you will need a visa to live and work in Spain. You can do the one month TEFL course on a tourist visa, but if you are planning to stay in Barcelona or Seville for longer than three months you won’t be covered by your tourist visa.

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If you want to get qualified as a teacher

You have two options for obtaining a student visa:

Trinity CertTESOL + Developing Teacher Programme

This programme is for you if you want to get qualified and then continue to work on your professional development as a teacher. The package includes:

1 month Trinity CertTESOL course
11 months Developing Teacher
Support from our experienced visa coordinator
Assistance in gathering all your documents, applying for the visa and bureaucracy once you arrive in Barcelona.
Total: 3000€ (Save 300€!)

All courses must be paid in full in order to apply for the student visa.

Trinity CertTESOL + Developing Teacher + Spanish Programme

This programme is for you if you want to get qualified, continue to work on your professional development as a teacher and achieve fluency in Spanish with 10 hours/week of lessons! The package includes:

1 month Trinity CertTESOL course
11 months Developing Teacher & Spanish
10 hours/week of Spanish lessons from professional, qualified teachers
Support from our experienced visa coordinator
Assistance in gathering all your documents, applying for the visa and bureaucracy once you arrive in Barcelona.
Total: 4500€ (Save €150!)

All courses must be paid in full in order to apply for the student visa.

If you are already qualified as a teacher

You have two options for obtaining a student visa:

Developing Teacher Programme

This programme is for you if you want to continue to work on your professional development as a teacher. The package includes:

12-month programme
20 hours/week Developing Teacher course
Support from our experienced visa coordinator
Assistance in gathering all your documents, applying for the visa and bureaucracy once you arrive in Barcelona.
Total: 1500€ (Save €300!)

If you do not want to do 12 months, this course is priced at 150€/month. All courses must be paid in full in order to apply for the student visa.

Developing Teacher + Spanish Programme

12-month programme
10 hours/week of Spanish lessons from professional, qualified teachers
10 hours/week of Developing Teacher course
Support from our experienced visa coordinator
Assistance in gathering all your documents, applying for the visa and bureaucracy once you arrive in Barcelona.
Total: 3000€ (Save €300!)

If you do not want to do 12 months, this course is priced at 275€/month. All courses must be paid in full in order to apply for the student visa.

Find out more about our Developing Teacher course

See our dates and fees page for more information.

Long-term courses explained

In order to qualify for a long-term student visa you must sign up to a course that is at least 20 hours/week and 7-12 months long. At TEFL Iberia we have developed two courses to meet this requirement:

The Developing Teacher Course

This is an advanced TEFL course aimed at those who already have some TEFL training / work experience and want to deepen their subject knowledge and brush up on their skills.

It involves a mixture of in-person workshops, senior teacher observations, webinars, reflective tasks and independent study.

You will also gain access to our active community of Barcelona teachers, to share advice, job opportunities, guidance on Spanish bureaucracy, flat share opportunities and more.

150€ per month or 1500€ for 1 year

Spanish and Developing Teacher Course

This course has all the benefits of the Developing Teacher course, plus 10 hours per week of Cervantes accredited Spanish classes in our partner school.

Studying Spanish for 10 hours per week will take you from complete beginner to fluency in under 12 months. Gain another skill and get the most out of your experience in Spain with this option!

275€ per month or 3000€ for 1 year

What makes our visa service different?

Before you set off:

Detailed guidance on how to gather all the necessary paperwork.

Help completing the Spanish application form.

Special discount on health insurance for TEFL Iberia students

Courier delivery of your school enrolment letter.

Fast delivery of your school enrolment letter.

96% success rate in processing student visas and minimal rejections.

Once you are in Spain:

We will book your TIE appointment for you (read more about the TIE here). These appointments are notoriously hard to come by and we’ll save you a lot of hassle.

A contact from the school will personally accompany you to the foreign office to help with paperwork and translations.

The school will give you ongoing guidance on how and where to get all the necessary documents to get your student card (TIE - Tarjeta de identidad de extranjero).

Student card (TIE) and housing register (empadronamiento) booking and accompaniment to appointments have an additional cost of 200€.

What documents do I need?

The Spanish consulate requires the following documents:

Passport, valid for 6 months beyond your stay in Spain.

Spanish student visa application form (downloadable pdf)

2 x passport photos.

Enrolment letter from the school (you get this from us once you are accepted onto the course).

Criminal background check.

Proof of course payment in full.

Medical certificate.

Medical insurance.

Proof of sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay.

Proof of address in your home country.

Got Questions? Ask Us Anything.

If you would like to discuss the process in more detail you are welcome to contact coordination@tefl-iberia.com with questions or book an appointment to talk at the school / video call.

If you would like to read about recent, first-hand experiences we highly recommend joining the Barcelona TEFL Teachers’ Association page or TEFL Teachers in Seville page on Facebook. They are very active online communities with tons of non-EU teachers and TEFL trainees sharing their experiences. If you use their search function on the top right-hand corner of the page to search, for example, ‘student visa’, you’ll find lots of active discussions.

Frequently Asked Questions

View More FAQs

How many hours can I work if I have a student visa?

Officially up to 20 hours per week.

How long does it take to process a student visa?

It varies from country to country but on average you should give yourself 2 months from start to finish.

Can I extend my student visa from within Spain?

Yes, if you have a long-term visa (7 months or more) you can extend from within Spain by signing up to further courses.

Can I combine courses to process a visa?

Yes, you could do 6 months of Spanish and 6 months of the Developing Teacher course, for example.

Can I process a visa from within Spain?

No, not with a course in our category, which is 'professional training'. It is possible to apply from within Spain if you sign up for Spanish lessons at a Cervantes-accredited Spanish school or a university, as long as you do it within 30 days of arriving.

I already have a student visa with a different school. Can I renew with TEFL Iberia?

Yes, but your previous course must be related to teaching or Spanish. You need a certificate of completion from your old school (certificado de aprovechamiento) and an enrolment letter from us to take to the administration office.

Can’t I just apply for a straight-forward work visa?

Nowadays it is very difficult. The sponsorship process is a large commitment for an employer and it is very hard to find a company willing to take it on. Even if you do, you would have to involve costly immigration lawyers and prove that someone from the EU can’t do the job, which is extremely difficult.

Can I leave the EU to reset my tourist visa?

Yes, but you would have to leave the EU for a minimum of 3 months.

How easy is it to find private classes in Spain?

Very easy, we show you exactly how to do it on the TEFL course.