Eligibility and requirements for an internship in Spain
In Spain, internships are regulated by several laws in order to guarantee the difference between a job and an a student placement and its educational purpose.
To summarize, in a nutshell, you can make a placement if:
1) You are enrolled in any studies which allow you to make an internship placement as part of the studies and the educational institution provides you a training agreement.
2) You graduated no longer than 2 years ago from a bachelor degree in an official university out of the European Union. This alternative, available since 2019, it is possible due to the interest of the European Union in attracting qualified students to the diverse countries in need of this profiles.
In this 2 cases, you are entitled to make an internship in Spain, though processes and permits may be different.
If you are coming as part of your studies (point n.1) , you may need a student visa (obviously if you are from out of the EU).
For students coming with the second option you will need an "autorización de residencia" which is another process.
When do you need to apply for a VISA?
If you are not an EU citizen you do not need a student visa. If you are:
- Unpaid internship/volunteer: Some countries may not have the need to apply for a tourist visa to enter into Spain so entering into Spain without a VISA may be possible. But, as you are coming as student, you should always apply for a student visa and this is our recommendation. Please, check in your consulate, countries such as The USA do not need to apply for volunteer work but this is an exception.
- List of countries that DO NOT need a VISA for unpaid internship/volunteer: ANDORRA | ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA | ARGENTINA | AUSTRALI | BAHAMAS | BARBADOS | BRASIL | BRUNEI | COLOMBIA | DARUSSALAM | CANADA | CHILE | SOUTH KOREA | COSTA RICA | EL SALVADOR | USA | GUATEMALA | HONDURAS | ISRAEL | JAPAN | MALAYSIA | MAURICE | MEXICO | MONACO | NICARAGUA | NEW ZEALAND | PANAMA | PARAGUAY | SAINT CHRISTOPHER AND NEVIS | SAN MARINO | VATICAN CITY | SEYCHELLES | SINGAPORE | URUGUAY | VENEZUELA | Región Administrativa Especial de HONG-KONG (República Popular de China) | Región Administrativa Especial de MACAO (República Popular de China)
- Paid internship: If the position is paid you always need a STUDENT VISA.
Students that need a VISA can find their consulate’s website by clicking on following link: http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Portal/es/ServiciosAlCiudadano/Paginas/EmbajadasConsulados.aspx