College of the Holy Cross

Visas


Before travelling to Spain, you’ll already have obtained your student visa at your nearest Spain Consulate in the United States. This visa usually expires between 60 to 90 days. For that reason, once you are in A Coruña you’ll have to extend the expiration date of your visa.

We’ll usually fulfill all these formalities during the welcoming and guidance days and the cultural advisor or the academic director will always go with you

Extension of the visa

First, you’ll need a registration certificate, that is, a document certifying you are living in Spain. For that reason:

1. Ask the academic director the necessary forms (if he has not supplied you with them).
2. Fill in those forms. Here you have some models: Hoja de inscripción en el padrón (Municipal registry sheet), Documento de alta en el padrón (Document for the registration at the municipal register)
3. A person in your Spanish host family who has been taken a census at the same domicile where you live must sign one of these forms (the Hoja de inscripción o modificación).
4. You’ll have to go to one of the registry offices of the City Hall that are in two places: at the City Hall (Palacio Municipal, Plaza de María Pita) or at the Fórum Metropolitano (Parque Europa), Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You’ll have to carry:
· those forms, filled in and signed by a person of your Spanish host family;
· your passport;
· original (not a photocopy) DNI (National Identity Document) of the person signing the document mentioned in 3.
5. Two days later, you can go to the same place with your passport and ask for a certificate of registration at the municipal registry.

After that, you’ll have to go to the Police (Álférez Provisional street, no. 3, near the port, Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) with the following documentation:
· Your passport
· A photocopy of your passport
· 2 passport-size photos (32 x 26 mm; photocopies or photos printed in paper are not valid)
· Certificate of registration at the municipal registry
· A supporting documentation of your enrollment at the UDC (the academic director will give you this)
· Depending on the conditions you entered the country (for example, if you entered via other countries), you’ll possible have to make an statement of entry.

In case of any doubt, you can contact the academic director. 

It takes 40 days for the resident card to be issued. After you request it, the immigration service will give you a slip that you can use to temporarily live and travel within Spain.

While you don’t have the resident card, if you want to travel outside Spain, you’ll have to go to the immigration service (with your passport and a copy of the slip showing you requested the resident card) to ask for a "return authorization" that is issued in around 3 days. This authorization will enable you to travel abroad and be able to come back to Spain without any problems.


Take into account that the U.S. photos may be higher than the Spanish ones. What the police request is: “A recently taken full-face color photo of the applicant, 32 x 26 millimeters size, with a plain, clear and uniform background, the head fully uncovered (no hats, caps, etc.) and without sun glasses or any other garment preventing or making difficult the person's identification". 


Faculty of Philology
University of A Coruña
Campus da Zapateira
15008 A Coruña (Spain)

  • T. +34 881 011 860
    F. +34 981 167 151
    felix . cordoba @ udc . es