Everything You Need to Know about Legally Extending Your Stay in Spain

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Requesting an extended stay in Spain

U.S., Canadian, Australian and other non-European citizens who enter Spain without a visa can request a prorroga de estancia to extend their stay from 90 to 180 days.

 

Extensions are only granted for extraordinary reasons. These may include (but are not limited to): emergency medical treatment, engagement (with actual wedding plans in Spain) to a legal resident in Spain, termination or extension of studies or research, or humanitarian reasons.

 

How to apply for a prorroga de estancia in Spain

The request is made in person at the Oficina de Extranjeros or at the local comisaría (police station), depending where in Spain you are living. Your passport must not expire before the final day of your requested extension. In addition, you must be in a legal situation when you make the request.

 

To request an extension for personal/medical/humanitarian reasons, you will need to submit:

The completed and signed original of Modelo 12. Make one or two copies for yourself.

Your passport. The authorities will keep this until they have made a decision and put the appropriate stamp in your passport.

Proof of financial means (e.g., a copy of your most recent bank statement) for the duration of your requested extension. When I requested a prorroga in 2007, I was told the minimum is about €30/day.

Proof of travel/medical insurance throughout the duration of your extended stay.

Proof of your planned departure from Spain – to your home country or to another non-EU country – before the end of your requested extension.

Three passport-sized photos in color with a white background. (They may only take one in the end, but it’s a good idea to bring extras just in case.)

To request an extension for research or study, you will need to submit:

The completed and signed original of Modelo 11. Make one or two copies for yourself.

Your passport. The authorities will keep this until they have made a decision and put the appropriate stamp in your passport.

Proof that you have met the requirements or passed the necessary exams to continue your studies or research in Spain.

Proof of financial means (e.g., a copy of your most recent bank statement) for the duration of your requested extended stay. When I requested an extension, I was told the minimum is about €30/day.

Proof of travel/medical insurance through the duration of your extended stay.

Three passport-sized photos in color with a white background.

For minors: Authorization from the parents or academic supervisors.

 

If you are the family member of a student or researcher requesting an extension, you will need to submit:

The completed and signed original of Modelo 11. Make one or two copies for yourself.

Your passport. The authorities will keep this until they have made a decision and put the appropriate stamp in your passport.

Proof of relation (e.g., a marriage certificate or birth certificate) translated into Spanish and legalized by a notary. For marriage certificates, the date of legalization must be within three months of the extension request.

Proof of the authorized stay/extension of the student or researcher.

 

 

 

Approval/rejection of a request to extend your stay in Spain

If your request is approved, you receive a stamp in your passport authorizing you to stay in Spain until a specified date. You will have to pay a fee (unspecified on the Web site of the Ministerio del Interior).

 

If your request is denied, you receive a stamp in your passport obligating you to leave Spanish territory on or before the end of your original 90-day stay. If you receive the rejection after your 90-day stay has ended, the stamp will order you to leave Spain on a specific date equal to 72 hours after the rejection is issued.

 

NOTE: While your prorroga request is under consideration, you are legally entitled to stay in Spain. Given the slow rate at which Spanish bureaucracy tends to move, you could try submitting your application a few weeks before your legal period of stay expires. Assuming the bureaucrats take a few weeks or months to process your request, you can therefore stay “legally” for at least a little bit longer. However, if they move your application through quickly or refuse to accept it, you’ll need to be prepared to leave the country when your legal stay is over or, if you’re already past your legal limit of time in Spain, within 72 hours.

 

How does a rejected prorroga affect future visits to Spain?

It doesn’t – as long as you comply with the general norms of the Schengen area. Once you leave Spain (and the rest of the EU and Schengen countries), you can reenter after 90 days.

 

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