Au Pair in Spain: visa information

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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:

Visa requirements for Australian and Canadian citizens
Visa requirements for New Zealand citizens
Visa requirements for South African citizens
Visa requirements for Filipino citizens
Working Holiday Visa for Japanese citizens
Working Holiday Visa for Argentine citizens
Visa requirements for American citizens
Visa requirements for other countries

Visa requirements for Australian and Canadian citizens

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.

One is the Student “Au Pair” Visa for Canadians and Australians or the Youth Mobility Programme Visa for Australians or Canadians. The YMV will allow the participant to study, work and travel in Spain for up to 12 months, but the Au Pair is only allowed to stay with a family for 6 months. The number of Youth Mobility visas is limited though. It is necessary to contact the embassy of Spain in Australia and Canada accordingly.

Visa requirements for New Zealand citizens

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.

Visa requirements for South African citizens

Applicants from South Africa have the opportunity to get an Au Pair Visa at the Spanish Consulate in Cape Town or the Embassy of Spain in Pretoria.

Visa requirements for Filipino citizens

Candidates from the Philippines can apply for the Student - Au Pair Visa. They need to meet requirements similar to the general student visa, however, we suggest contacting immigration authorities for more information.

Working Holiday Visa for Japanese citizens

Spain recently signed a Working Holiday agreement with Japan. Candidates can apply for this Visa at the Spanish Embassy in Tokyo.

Working Holiday Visa for Argentine citizens

Applicants from Argentina can take part in the Au Pair program through the Working Holiday agreement. Participants are allowed to stay up to 12 months. However, they can only work for up to 6 months. For more information please contact the Spanish Consulate in Buenos Aires.

Visa requirements for American citizens

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:

a valid passport
a health insurance for Spain.
a certificate of enrollment in a language course.
the invitation letter from the Host Family obtained from their local police station.
the Au Pair contract signed by both parties.

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

*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

Visa requirements for other countries

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?

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.

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