Everything You Need for Your Spain Internship Visa
We run the full residence permit application, every intake, with our own immigration counsel in Barcelona. Here is exactly what is involved, what you need to get, and what it costs. We support the Spain study visa too.
We have done this before
The internship residence permit is a specific route with its own rules, and we run it repeatedly rather than occasionally.
Our counsel, not a referral
The process is run with our own immigration lawyer in Spain, who acts as legal representative for the host company.
We carry the admin, and the fee
Company documentation, submission, monitoring and the government application fee all sit with us.
We are the legal applicant, not you
Spanish law makes the host company the applicant for this permit. We act for them under Power of Attorney, which means most of the process is ours to run rather than yours.
- Prepare and submit the applicationTo the Spanish Immigration Office
- Act as the company’s legal representativeOnce Power of Attorney is granted
- Obtain all company documentationNIF, incorporation, tax and Social Security certificates
- Review everything before it goes inYours and the company’s
- Pay the government application feeNothing for you to pay
- Monitor and update you throughout
- Convenio de prácticasFrom your university. Start this first
- Proof of your qualificationOr evidence you are studying towards one
- ACRO criminal record certificate
- Bank letter showing €600 per month€3,600 for a six month placement
- Private health insurance€50 to €100 per month
- Passport, all pages, and a CV in Spanish
Three steps, and the order matters
Most of your documents need to go through all three. Doing them out of order means paying twice.
Notarise
A UK Notary Public certifies the document is genuine. Private documents only.
Apostille
The FCDO attaches a certificate so Spain will accept it. £45 per document.
Sworn translation
A registered traductor jurado translates it, apostille included. €50 to €60 per page.
If you translate before you apostille, the translation will not cover the apostille and you will have to pay for it again.
Timings and costs
Decision time once submitted
Per document for the FCDO apostille
Per month you must already have available
Government application fee. We cover it
The ones we get asked most
Who provides the convenio de prácticas?
You do, through your university. It does not come from the host company. Ask your placement or study abroad office for it as early as possible, because it then needs to be notarised, apostilled and sworn-translated before we can use it.
Do I need to notarise my ACRO certificate?
No. The ACRO is issued by a UK police body, so it is a public document. It only needs to be apostilled, and then sworn-translated.
My bank gave me a letter, not a certificate. Is that enough?
It can be, as long as it is an official letter on headed paper stating your current balance, and it is then notarised, apostilled and sworn-translated. You must already have at least €600 per month of your internship available.
Can I travel before all my documents are translated?
Yes. If your translation is not ready, it is usually better to travel anyway and add the outstanding documents to your file afterwards, rather than delay your trip.
How long does the whole document chain take?
The official FCDO postal route can take one to two weeks. Using a private agent, apostille and sworn translation together have taken as little as about a week end to end. Start as early as you can.
Do I have to pay the government application fee?
No. We cover that on your behalf. You do pay for apostilles, notarisation, sworn translation and your health insurance.
What happens once it is approved?
You attend a National Police Station to give fingerprints for your TIE, the Foreigner Identity Card, which can usually be collected around 30 days later. This applies if you will be in Spain for more than six months.
Going to Spain to study?
Some students need the study visa rather than the internship permit. If a Spanish institution is enrolling you and your placement sits inside that course, that is usually the route you are on.
It is a different application with different rules. The most important difference is that the study visa has to be applied for from the UK before you travel. It cannot be sorted out once you have arrived. We will tell you which route applies and support you through it.
The quick test
- A Spanish institution is enrolling youStudy visa. Apply from the UK, before you travel.
- A Spanish company is hosting you on a convenioInternship residence permit. Usually applied for once you are in Spain.
- You are not sureAsk us. The two routes are not interchangeable and swapping later costs weeks.