How to Move to Spain (Legally!)

It’s no surprise why so many people want to pack up their bags and move to Spain. Between its beautiful cities and laid back atmosphere, this country offers the ideal place for individuals looking for an alternative way of living.

While it’s one thing to decide to move your life over to Europe, it’s a whole other battle to find a way to do it legally. For me, this was my biggest struggle when I decided I was going to move back to Spain after college.

I found that there were a few main ways to get a visa for Spain.

Work Sponsored Visa

The first way to get a visa for Spain is to find a company to sponsor you. Before arriving, I was kind of banking on this option, assuming it would not only be easy to find a job as an American but also to find a company that was willing to pay for my visa. Turns out, neither of this is true.

Most companies in Spain don’t want to have to pay extra to sponsor a visa when they can easily hire someone that’s from Spain with more experience. I only know one American who was able to get a sponsored visa from her work but she had also been working in her profession in the United States for several years before deciding to move.

Student Visa

Probably the easiest way to move to Spain legally is to get a student visa through an undergrad or master’s program. This is how I was first able to study in Barcelona before, however, these visas only last the duration of your courses. That means if you only study for a semester, your visa is only good for 4 or 5 months.

If you weren’t planning on going back to school, this visa obviously wouldn’t work. The main downside here is that you have to depend on your schooling rather than working, which can be a problem if you don’t have the means to sustain living abroad without a job.

Teaching English in Spain

If my current job hadn’t allowed me to work remotely, I probably would be teaching English in Barcelona right now. Teaching English is by far the most popular way Americans move to Spain. Why? Because as long as you turn in your application with all the correct information you have a pretty good shot in getting placed somewhere (through the government program).

However, it’s important to note that there are A LOT of teaching programs to choose from. The government-funded program,  Auxiliares de conversación, is the cheapest and easiest way to find a position. Through this specific program, you don’t have to pay extra for any teaching classes or credentials or pay for a service to place you. With that being said, they can literally place you where ever, even if you recommend a specific region.

There are also private institutions that you can apply for but their process is a bit different. Normally for these programs, you get paid more each month, however, you have to go through an interview process that’s more intense.

If you go through the government program, you can expect to be making around 700- 1000 euros a month for most cities (excluding Madrid where teachers make more). You also only work around 12-16 hours a week so you can find other means to make money in your free time. But the important thing to remember here is that you get a visa through these programs which is the hardest part when moving to Spain.

When I was looking into this process, I found that the Young Adventuress blog had a lot of great resources on all these programs!

Residence Card: Tarjeta de Residencia de Familiar de Ciudadano de la Union Europea

The final way to get a visa for Spain is through a residence card. This is what I currently have and is in my opinion the best option if you are planning on living here for a longer period of time.

However, there is a catch. This option only works if you are currently in a relationship with a Spanish citizen.

When I was looking into my different options, my boyfriend and I felt that this was the best visa for me to be able to live and work in Spain.

With a pareja de hecho residence card, you don’t need to be married or anything like that. The main thing you have to do is to officially recognize your relationship with the government and show that you are dating a Spanish citizen (well and complete the visa process and paperwork but you get it).

When I applied for this visa, I found that the entire process was difficult, not because it was hard to get, but because you really need to have a high level of Spanish to make all your appointments and ask questions. Luckily for me, my boyfriend made the whole process 1000x easier by researching and calling all the places we needed to contact.

If you have a Spanish novio or novia and want to get the “boyfriend visa” as I like to call it, check out my post on How to Get a Residence Card with Pareja de Hecho in Spain for a step-by-step guide.

So there you have it. If you are considering packing up your life and moving to Spain, I completely support you. Just remember you have one life to live and you have to make the most of it! The logistics of making the move with the visa or housing should not set you back. Just remember it’s all apart of the process and is a necessity if you want to go pursue your dreams of living in Spain.