Student visa in Spain
 

This year in October I will be attending a school in Madrid! I am super excited to be back in Spain and live there while I attend School. My real concerns are about my visa. I got the letter from my school to give to my consulate that my course starts October 8th till September next year. I have an appointment in July for my Visa application( can’t exceed 3 months before the start date) if my visa starts October 8th the day the course starts will I not be able to enter the country before hand? I was looking at flights for September 26th 2018 in order to give me enough time to move in with my flat mates and get familiar with Madrid’s metro.

I have tried to call my consulate which I will have to travel out of state but the lines seems to always be busy. I would love to book my flight before July since the longer I wait the higher the price goes up. If this helps any my flight will arrive in Lisbon Portugal then to Madrid Spain.

*will this affect my visa: I will be returning to the USA for thanksgiving 2018 and returning back to Madrid a week after Thanksgiving*

Thank you for the help! :)

A SIL who is a senior had go through similar machinations to become a permanent resident in Madrid. She was persistent with the consulate in NY. She was told different consulates are more attentive than others including Miami.

Do you also have to be fingerprinted and get an FBI background check?

I don’t have to do a FBI background check but one through my local police station which doesn’t take as long as the FBI

Where are you flying from? You don't really need to book a flight so far in advance to get the best deal. I booked a flight to Barcelona last Friday for next Tuesday and it was less than $800 RT from LAX. But we have a lot of deals here these days because of Norwegian airlines and others trying to compete with them. So depending on where you are flying from, don't think you have to book by July.

Have you tried to email the consulate? It seems like you should be able to go a week early as a standard tourist. Or you can just ask at your visa appointment and book the flight after.

Airfares to BCN in Feburary are always going to be cheaper than in October, it isn't due to lead time, it's seasonality. October is a very peak period so I agree with the idea of tring to book something by July. One isn't going to find some amazing bargain airfare to BCN for October at the last minute.

Spain student visa
 

I am going to be studying in Madrid on a student visa through an Academy I will be attending for year. The start date on the letter the academy gave me was October 8 and I am not sure what the date will be on my visa if it will be October 8 the day the course will start or week before because I never had visa before. I was planning on booking my flight for September 26 to give me enough time to settle in with my flatmate and get used to the metro.I will be returning to the United States for Thanksgiving and will return to Madrid about a week after Thanksgiving can I just get my visa stamped when I get back from thanksgivings? I know as a USA citizen I am a able to enter Spain without a Visa for 90 days. I do have an appointment for my visa on July 12 but I’m not waiting till July to book my tickets since it will be more expensive.

Thank you you for the help :)

Christina, Norwegian air is showing LAX to Madrid in late September for less than 300 euros one way. Granted, I don’t know where the OP is flying from, but I doubt the fares will change that much. Iberia is trying to compete. I usually book a month in advance nowadays unless I see some crazy good fare and do not see much difference in price. But I understand the need to get things done and not worry about it.

Warning: fare experiences at big international airports like LAX are not like experiences at medium-sized ones where cheap international fares tend to disappear 6 months out.

Visa: no experience with Spain but I think all Schengen student visas are virtual and don’t reside physically in stamp form in a passport.