I have hopes to live and work in Spain, but I haven?t found a job over there yet. I am from the USA/US citizen, I am wondering how long could I legally stay in Spain as a tourist? I want stay there for a while and search for jobs…Are there other solutions, such as residency visa, that I could apply for? And can I apply for a student visa if I want to take TEFL courses in Spain?
Your prompt reply and information is much appreciated.
hi marvasee,
as a US citizen, you can stay for 3 months on a regular tourist visa (it’s just your passport). when I was teaching in Spain, I stayed for 20 months and left the country a few times without problems entering and exiting. many people stay in spain without the proper visas and documents and on a day to day basis it’s not a problem.
the easiest way would be to get a student visa but you have to get that in the states and be enrolled in a program in Spain (but a TEFL course would not suffice, mostly because it’s not long enough only being a month long course at the most). I’m speaking more along the lines of enrolling yourself in a Spanish university or a continuing education program or something. if you have a student visa, I believe you can work up to 15-20 hours/week while in Spain. I had a friend who was doing this; she enrolled in a year long course and got her student visa, then once she was here she cancelled her enrollment, getting her tuition back, and stayed for the year working as a teacher. that might not always work for everyone or every course though!
you pretty much need someone to sponsor you for a work permit.
I hope that’s helpful, good luck!
