Spain Working Holiday Visa for Canadians, New Zealanders and Australians

If you’ve thought about teaching in Spain after your CELTA course in Barcelona but the visa process has always seemed too daunting for you, you might be eligible for an easier option!

One-Year Working Holiday Visa

Canadians, New Zealanders or Australians thinking about coming to Spain have a special visa opportunity.  Spain has an agreement with these countries that allows people under 35* to live and work in Spain for up to one year. The requirements for this type of visa will change a bit depending on which country you’re from, but this visa is generally easy for you to come to Spain.

What do I need to do?

Regardless of whether you’re from Canada, New Zealand or Australia, your first step in this process is going to be to gather all the documents required, including your NIE paperwork (see more information about NIE below). The process of getting all of these documents together generally takes about 2-4 weeks.

Once you have everything ready to go, submit both the original version and a copy (we would recommend you to keep a copy for yourself as well) to the consulate through mail (yes, including your passport!). All documents have to be from the past 3 months (or last 6 months for background checks) and must be submitted within 3 months of your departure date. Once submitted, they will take around 2-4 weeks to be processed and sent back. So, in total, you’re looking at around 2 months from when you start getting your paperwork together until you receive your passport back.

The requirements and paperwork for each nationality will vary a bit. General requirements include:

• Proof of sufficient funds (consulates can vary for this amount)
• Medical check from you family doctor showing you’re fit to travel
• Medical insurance to travel abroad
• Passport & proof of residency in Canada, Australia or New Zealand
• Two passport sized photos
• Visa form (See English version here or Spanish version here)
• NIE (Foreign Identification Number) form (see here)
• Consular fee (payment form here- choose the option Asignación de Número de Identidad de Extranjero (NIE) a instancia del interesado)
• Fingerprint background check including from any other countries where you’ve lived in the past 5 years
• Possible application fee

*There are however some different requirements regarding age and/or studies:

Canada: 

• Age 18 to 35, inclusively, on the date the applications is submitted

Australia:

• Age 18 to 30, inclusively, on the date the applications is submitted
• Completed at least 2 years of higher education
• Proof of functional level of Spanish

New Zealand:

• Age 18 to 30, inclusively, on the date the applications is submitted

Once in Spain, you will have a few more steps such as getting your empadronamiento (registered address in Spain, so maybe have a think about where you are planning to live) and your TIE (foreign identification card). But don’t worry; we can help you with that process once you’re here!

Form in Spanish 

Form in English:

Tasa (payment) page (click on Asignación de Número de Identidad de Extranjero (NIE) a instancia del interesado):

How can we help you?

We can provide support all our CELTA applicants in Barcelona free of charge, including:

• Advice finalizing visa once in Spain
• Help applying for your empadronamiento (registering your address in Spain)
• Unlimited meetings and advice looking for work via our comprehensive careers service

If you are thinking about taking an accredited TEFL certificate in Barcelona and working in Spain, get in touch or apply for our Cambridge CELTA course here.