Visas

Before you came to Spain, you secured a visado de estudiante from one of the Spanish consulates in the United States. Semester-only students should have a 180-day visa, while yearlong students should have a 90-day visa. If you believe that you do not have the correct visa, please contact the CIEE Student Life Office as soon as possible.

Students with 180-day visas are permitted to study in the Spain for up to a maximum of 6 months. If you are here for one semester, you have nothing more to do. American students can travel for an additional 90 days throughout the Schengen zone as a tourist following the expiration of their 180-day visa. Beyond the 90 additional days, students risk being fined or expelled.

Yearlong students must apply to convert their 90-day visado into a tarjeta de estudiante no later than 30 days after arriving in Spain. You will receive instructions during orientation on exactly how to do this upon your arrival. If you do not attend the mandatory meeting for all yearlong students, you are responsible for getting the necessary instructions yourself. If you are a yearlong student, but continuing on with another study abroad program or provider, you should still attend this meeting.

If you are a yearlong student, but continuing on with another study abroad program, site, or provider, you should still attend this meeting.

All passport holders of other nationalities should contact their Embassy in Spain for specific questions about travel to/from Spain. Please note that the student visa is only for Spain, NOT THE SCHENGEN ZONE, for which it will be necessary to consult with your embassy as to the specific visa requirements for all countries other than Spain. CIEE cannot provide you with these details and travel to another country without the appropriate permission can result in your being denied entry or at worst returned to your country of origin.

Embassy of the United States

All U.S. citizens should register with the Consulate of the United States of America in Seville. Registration can be completed online at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs. This allows for more efficient communication between Consulate staff and U.S. citizens residing in Spain. It is also important for replacement of lost or stolen passports, or in case of an emergency. Listed below is the contact information for the various consular posts in Spain.

La Coruña
Juana de Vega 8 piso 5 izda, 15003 A Coruña. Tel: 981 213 233

Barcelona
Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada, 23, 08034 Barcelona. Tel: 932 802 227

Fuengirola (Málaga)
Avenida Juan Gómez «Juanito» 8, Edificio Lucía 1º – C, 29640 Fuengirola. Tel: 952 474 891

Las Palmas
Edificio ARCA, c/ Los Martínez Escobar 3, oficina 7, 35007 Las Palmas. Tel: 928 271 259

Madrid
Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid. Tel: 915 872 200
spanish.madrid.usembassy.gov

Palma de Mallorca
Edificio Reina Constanza, Porto Pi, 8, 9D, 07015 Palma de Mallorca. Tel: 971 403 707

Seville
Plaza Nueva, 8 – 8 Dupdo. 2ª planta E2 número 4, 41001 Seville. Tel: 954 218 571 / Fax: 954 220 791 CLOSED

Valencia
Dr. Romagosa, 1, 2, J, 46002 Valencia. Tel: 963 516 973

Lost or stolen passport services

An application for a replacement U.S. passport can be made at any of U.S. consulate or consular agency. Replacement passport applications made in Spain, however, are sent to Madrid, where the actual passport is issued and then mailed back to Seville – this process can take up to 3 weeks. To apply for a new passport, you need the following items: one form of identification verifying your citizenship, one form of identification with your photo and signature, two U.S. passport sized photos, and approximately 102 EUR. If your passport was stolen, you will also need to provide the «denuncia» (police report). A replacement passport generally takes at least three weeks to arrive, if you are applying via a consular agency. If you need your passport in less than three weeks, you’ll have to travel to the US Embassy in Madrid and apply for the passport in person. In urgent cases, a replacement passport can be produced in 24 hours or less. Keep in mind that if you have a lost passport kit (see the section on security issues), you will save yourself time and make this process much easier.

Lastly, while it possible to replace a passport, it is not possible to replace the student visa. However, a certificate can be obtained form the Spanish Interior Ministry which verifies that you were in posession of a student visa, this along with a copy of the police report/denunica as well as a photocopy of your lost/stolen visa should suffice for the remainder of your trip.