Do I need a student visa if I am married to a Spanish citizen?

Question

I am getting married to my spaish boyfriend this sept and I am moving to spain very soon. Howver I want to continue my studies while in spain. I finsihed two years at an American university and I am an American citizen. I have two years left. Do I need a student visa if I am married to a spanish citizen and will become one myself? please only serious response.

Answer 1

If you are going to become a Spanish citizen, then you clearly won't need to have a student visa. I don't remember if Spain and US have a dual citizenship program, but if they don't then you will get into a sticky situation. You would either have to denounce your US citizenship and be only a Spanish citizen, or if you wish to retain your US citizenship, then you will need to look into visas.

If you are getting married in Sept. you should probably start looking into the policies through the government websites immediately as the paperwork for visas can sometimes take FOREVER. You may need to have the student visa thing sorted out before you move to Spain or you might not be able to study.

Answer 2

You will need a visa most definitely, but probably not a student visa. If you are married outside of Spain and your  spouse is a Spanish citizen or legal resident, the non-Spanish spouse does not automatically receive Spanish nationality. You can get a reagrupación familiar visa before going to Spain. Once you are in Spain, the application process for the NIE will be easier. It will also take less time if you want to become a Spanish citizen (2-5 years instead of 10).

After the wedding, the Spanish citizen has to report the matrimony to the Spanish Embassy or Consulate so it can be registered and validated in Spain. The Spanish Embassy or Consulate then gives you the Libro de Familia.

After you have been a resident of Spain for two to ten years (depending on the circumstances under which you got your residency), you have the right to apply for citizenship. Once your application is approved, you swear allegiance to the King and to the Spanish Constitution. The public body in charge of citizenship is the Ministerio de Justicia; the place to apply is the Registro Civil.

You must technically renounce citizenship with your country of origin (unless you’re from Latin America, Portugal, Philippines, Ecuatorial Guinea, Andorra, or you’re a Sephardic Jew). In practice, countries do not generally exchange this information, so as long as you don’t show both passports at the airport, you won’t get in trouble.

Check with the universtiy because you might be accepted into a Spanish university since you have completed 2 years of university in the US, but they might not accept all of your credits. Hope this help!