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Au Pair in Spain: visa information
There is no official Au Pair program in Spain, thus there is no official Au Pair visa. Yet, Non-EU participants need to apply for a visa to be able to become an Au Pair in Spain.
We’ve created a list of different countries, to share the requirements for different nationalities. If your home country is not on the list, please read the information about “other countries”.
Most of the participants planning on staying in Spain for less than 3 months do not need a visa. If they want to stay 3 months or longer, they need to apply for a visa at the Spanish embassy in their home country. The type of visa the participants need differs from country to country. We recommend contacting the Spanish embassy in the Au Pair’s home country to get more information.
Shortcuts for the visa information:
If an applicant wants to be an Au Pair in Spain for less than 3 months, they won’t need a visa. If the Au Pair plans on staying longer than 3 months there are two different visas that the participant can apply for.
If candidates are citizens from New Zealand and plan on staying in Spain for less than 3 months they won’t need a visa.
The Working Holiday Visa works for New Zealand applicants if they want to spend some time in Spain. For more information please contact the Spanish embassy in New Zealand. With the WHV participants are not allowed to stay with the same family for 3 months or work more than 6 months.
The visa type the applicants need differs from state to state. For that reason they should check the requirements with the Spanish embassy. If they stay less than 3 months they won’t need a visa at all.
To apply for a visa they will definitely need:
Please call the embassy before your appointment and ask if you need any additional documents.
Participants can apply for an Au Pair Visa for Spain if they are from:
Alabama |
Alaska |
Arizona |
Arkansas |
Colorado |
Connecticut |
Delaware |
Florida |
Georgia |
Hawaii |
Idaho |
Illinois |
Indiana |
Iowa |
Louisiana |
Kansas |
Kentucky |
Michigan |
Minnesota |
Mississippi |
Missouri |
Montana |
Nebraska |
Nevada |
New Jersey |
New Mexico |
New York |
North Dakota |
Northern California |
Oklahoma |
Ohio |
Oregon |
Pacific Islands |
Pennsylvania |
South Carolina |
South Dakota |
Southern California* |
Tennessee |
Texas |
Utah |
Washington |
Wisconsin |
Wyoming |
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*counties: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura
Participants can apply for a Student Visa if they are from:
Islas Vírgenes |
Islas de Culebra |
Maine |
Maryland |
Massachusetts |
New Hampshire |
North Carolina |
Puerto Rico |
Rhode Island |
Vermont |
Vieques |
Virginia |
Washington DC |
West Virginia |
|
|
Applicants should always ask the Spanish embassy in their home country about the requirements and rules for a stay in Spain.
Citizens of many countries won’t need a visa to stay less than 90 days in Spain. But it is important to double check that. It’s also possible that a participant will need a short term visa (Schengen Visa).
Irrespective of the length of stay, the participants needs proof that they can afford to stay in Spain. They will also need the signed Au Pair contract to prove the purpose of their stay in Spain. In addition to this, the family has to obtain an invitation letter from the police station. Once the Host Family got the letter they have to send it to the Au Pair for further legal formalities.
If an Au Pair stays more than 90 days, the participant can apply for a Student Visa. It requires applicants to take a Spanish class in Spain. The applicant has to enroll for it before the arrival to Spain. The participant needs to attend this class for at least 20 hours a week.
People interested in going to Spain should always check if they are eligible for a Working Holiday Visa.
What else?
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Please note that applicants from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America cannot become Au Pairs in Spain because the participants already speak the Spanish language. Learning a language is one of the main points of the Au Pair program.