Successful candidates for the language Assistant Programme are eligible for a STUDENT VISA. This means that the post as language assistant is regarded as a scholarship and, for administrative reasons, it is considered as continuation of University studies. Once you have received an official notification of having been selected for the vacancy, you can apply for your visa at the Consulate or Embassy with jurisdiction over your place of residence.
Each visa application must include:
1. Passport (original) with a validity of at least 6 months (if your studies are less than 180 days) or the full duration of placement (if placement exceeds 6 months) plus one photocopy of the details page of the passport.
2. One visa application form duly completed in clear capital letters and signed. Application forms that cannot be read will be returned.
3. One passport size photograph on a light coloured background, photo must be glued (not stapled) to the visa application form on the top right hand corner. Photographs must be printed on quality photographic paper.
4. A non-refundable visa fee in Australian dollars. Payment is accepted by money order. Without this payment a visa will not be processed. Money Orders to be made payable to: Consulate General of Spain. For updated visa fees please forward an email with the following information: Full Name as it appears on your passport and Country of Passport and type of visa you are applying for: cog.sydney.vis@maec.es.
5. Letter of Placement in School in Spain.
6. Return airline ticket or confirmed booking (an airline ticket to a country where the applicant has residency or valid visa for is accepted). This must include the departure from Australia and entry into Spain also.
7. Copy of travel Insurance policy for the period outside of your programme if you will be travelling throughout the Schengen space.
Please note that stays of under 180 days are not extendable.
FOR STAYS EXCEEDING 180 DAYS (6 MONTHS), THE FOLLOWING MUST ALSO BE INCLUDED:
a) Medical certificate stating that the applicant “does not have any of the diseases that could harm the public health according to THE INTERNATIONAL HEALTH REGULATIONS (2005), and is fit to travel”. No special form is required. Certificate must be less than 6 months old.
b) National Police Certificate based on a Name and Fingerprint check, covering all states of Australia and if you have lived overseas, we will require a police clearance check from those countries where the applicant has lived in the past 5 years. It is important that this you apply for this certificate early, as the processing times can take up to one month. Certificates must not be more than 6 months old.
NOTE: Please do not forward a copy of your actual fingerprints, we require the results of the Police checked against your name and fingerprints. Your local police should be able to take your prints and send them to their relevant Criminal Records department in their State
For stays exceeding 180 days a visa will only be issued for 90 days and you must apply for a STUDENT CARD at the Police Department (Oficina de Extranjeros) within the first 30 days of arrival in Spain. The student card will replace your visa for the duration of your stay.
The average processing time is 2-4 weeks and in some instances longer, especially during the Christmas/New Year periods and during the Spanish summer months. It is the applicant’s responsibility to lodge their application on time, PREFERABLY AT LEAST 2 MONTHS IN ADVANCE.
All applications must be lodged by post to this Consular Office:
Consulate-General of Spain in Sydney
St. Martins Tower, Level 24, 31 Market Street
Sydney, 2000, NSW, Australia
No applications will be accepted if there are missing documents. Please be advised that incomplete applications will be sent back. To return your documents back to you, you must include an A4 size registered envelope or an A4 express post envelope with your name and address on it. Please include an Australia post money order with the exact amount for the visa fee. No personal cheques or credit cards will be accepted.
The applicant is informed that submitting the above mentioned documents does not guarantee automatic issuance of the visa. Supplementary documentation to verify the visa application may be required.
Please be aware that the visa officers will not assess an application until your visa application is lodged at the Consulate.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
STUDENT VISAS
HOW SOON BEFORE MY STUDIES COMMENCE CAN I ENTER SPAIN?
You are able to enter Spain up to 15 days prior to the commencement of your study dates and stay for 15 days at the end of your studies.
I WANT TO TRAVEL THROUGH OTHER COUNTRIES BEFORE COMMENCING MY STUDIES, CAN I DO THIS?
You can travel to other countries before commencing your studies, as long as this gives you enough time to apply for your visa (you cannot apply more than 90 days prior to commencement of your studies) and wait for the approval (can take up to one month). Basically this allows for 2 months of travel prior to your studies commencing if you apply exactly 90 days prior to the commencement date of your studies.
CAN I TRAVEL WITHIN THE SCHENGEN STATES AFTER MY STUDIES HAVE FINISHED?
AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, DENMARK, ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, GREECE, HUNGARY, ICELAND, ITALY, LATVIA, LIECHTENSTEIN, LITHUANIA LUXEMBOURG, MALTA, THE NETHERLANDS, NORWAY, POLAND, PORTUGAL, SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA, CZECH REPUBLIC, SPAIN, SWEDEN, AND SWITZERLAND have signed an agreement to abolish the internal frontiers between them.
The Schengen Agreement -named after the city where it was signed- came into effect on the 26th of March 1995 and was last updated on the 21st of December 2007.
Australian and New Zealand Passport Holders travelling to the Schengen Territory for holidays or business do not require a visa for stays of a maximum of 90 days, multiple entries, per period of 180 days (six months) on presentation at the airport of a return ticket and current valid passport with a validity of at least 6 months. When entering the Schengen territory, the 90 days will take effect from the date of entering the first Schengen country.
A student visa is only issued for Spain and is not a Schengen visa; therefore you are still allowed your 90 days within a 6 month period of travel within the Schengen states. If you have taken short trips during your studies into the Schengen states, these will count towards your 90 days.
CAN I APPLY FOR A VISA WHILST I AM IN EUROPE OR SPAIN?
You can only apply for a visa within your country of legal residence. If you are a resident of another country then you can apply at the Consulate General of Spain with jurisdiction over your country of residence.
I AM STUDYING FOR A YEAR OR MORE, AND I CAN'T BUY A RETURN TICKET.
If you are unable to purchase a ticket so far in advance due to your studies, you must show that you will have sufficient funds to purchase a return, as well as being able to support yourself.