Obtaining a student visa to Spain

Natalia reached out to us to get a student visa to study in Spain.

Natalia enrolled in a Master’s program at the Marketing Faculty of a private university in Barcelona, with English as the language of instruction. The choice of Barcelona wasn’t random — the city is a leading center for training specialists in marketing, communications, and intercultural relations.

A private university proved to be the optimal choice as it offers more flexible programs and curricula compared to public institutions. This is particularly important in marketing, where it’s essential to keep up with new trends and methodologies. An additional advantage was the opportunity to intern at major advertising agencies in Spain.

Private universities are typically more expensive than public ones. The program cost was €7,000 for the entire course (1 year, 60 credits). A pleasant bonus was the university’s offer to study Spanish with the possibility of subsequent DELE certification.

1. Document Preparation

One of the advantages of a private university is the simplified enrollment process. Unlike public universities, in many cases, there’s no need for diploma recognition by the Spanish Ministry of Education if the bachelor’s degree was issued under the Bologna system. It’s sufficient to provide:

-Apostilled diploma with Spanish translation (jurado)

-Transcript with list of subjects

-B2 level certificate to confirm English proficiency

After receiving confirmation of enrollment, we assisted Natalia in the process of submitting documents for a student visa at the Spanish Consulate in Moscow.

The document package included:

1. Enrollment confirmation
2. Preliminary room rental contract + student residence certificate
3. Bank statement from Kazakhstan
4. Full coverage medical insurance
5. Criminal record certificate
6. Medical certificate 086
7. All documents translated into Spanish

2. Submission

Submission date: February 21, 2024

3. Additional Request

The consulate requested the bachelor’s degree to verify that the chosen master’s program corresponds to the applicant’s current profession.

On March 15, 2024, we received a notification about processing delays due to the consulate’s request to Barcelona City Hall to verify the student residence license.

4. Approval Receipt

Approval date: April 19, 2024

Under the old rules, the visa was issued for either the duration of the study program or maximum one year, depending on the consul. Natalia received a visa for the duration of her studies – until March 31, 2025.