Student residency to permanent residency
Spanish permanent residence ( residencia de larga duración) is also called long-term residence. Since it is valid for 5 years, it is also commonly referred to as a five-year residency. As you know, there are certain conditions to be met in order to apply for permanent residence, the most important of which is to have lived in Spain for 5 consecutive years.
Does the period of student visa count for long-term residence application?
No. Article 32 of the Spanish Law on Foreigners states that the first requirement for permanent residence is to have resided in Spain legally and continuously for 5 years. The Spanish law refers to ” residencia ” (which means “residence” in Spanish) and “estancia” (which means “temporary residence or stay”) when living or studying in Spain as a student. This is why the words “estancia por estudios” appear on the student residence card.
Therefore, the period of student visa cannot be counted as part of the 5 years residence period to apply for long-term residence permit. This is because legally the period of student residence cannot be considered as a legal residence.
Student visa counts 50% for EU long-term residence permit
According to Article 152 of the Spanish Aliens Statute, the period of student visa can be counted as 50% of the residence time when applying for European Union permanent residence. In other words, if I have been a student in Spain for 4 years, this period is counted as 50% when applying for permanent residence in the European Union, i.e. 2 years. However, the law does not have a similar provision in relation to the Spanish permanent residence.
