Guide · Escolarización de menores extranjeros
School in Spain for foreign children: compulsory ages, the right to a place, and why it matters for your permit
School is compulsory and free from 6 to 16 for every child in Spain, whatever their nationality or status. Foreign parents renewing a residence permit, or applying for long-term residence, must prove their school-age children are enrolled.
Checked at source ·
- Compulsory, free basic education
- Ages 6 to 16
- Right to stay in ordinary basic education
- Until 18
- Early-years education (0–6)
- Voluntary
- Proof of schooling needed for
- Permit renewal and long-term residence
Source: Boletín Oficial del Estado — Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de Educación — arts. 4 y 12 (texto consolidado). Checked .
Source: Boletín Oficial del Estado — Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de Educación — arts. 4 y 12 (texto consolidado). Checked .
Source: Boletín Oficial del Estado — Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de Educación — arts. 4 y 12 (texto consolidado). Checked .
Source: Boletín Oficial del Estado — Ley Orgánica 4/2000, sobre derechos y libertades de los extranjeros en España — art. 9 (texto consolidado). Checked .
Every child has the right, and the duty
The Education Act makes basic education compulsory and free for all persons. It covers ten years of schooling, normally between the ages of six and sixteen, and pupils have the right to remain in ordinary basic education until eighteen, counted as turning eighteen in the year the school year ends.
The Foreigners Act says the same from the other side: foreign minors under sixteen have the right and the duty to education, including free and compulsory basic education, and foreign minors under eighteen also have the right to post-compulsory education. That includes obtaining the corresponding qualification and access to public grants on the same terms as Spanish pupils. A student who turns eighteen during the school year keeps the right until it ends.
The law does not make any of this conditional on the child's immigration status. A child without papers has the same right to a school place as any other.
Before six
Early-years education, educación infantil, covers from birth to six and is voluntary. The centres that take children of those ages regularly must be authorised by the education authorities. How places are offered and allocated is decided by each region.
Getting a place
Education is run by the autonomous communities, and so is admission: the application period, the forms and the criteria for allocating places are regional. Proof of your address, the padrón certificate, is normally part of the application.
A family arriving mid-year applies through the regional education authority's procedure for admissions outside the ordinary period. Since school from six to sixteen is compulsory, contact the authority as soon as you have an address rather than waiting for the next school year.
School and your residence permit
Article 9.4 of the Foreigners Act puts a condition on foreign parents. Foreign residents with minors in their care who are of compulsory school age must prove that they are enrolled, with a report from the regional authorities, when they apply to renew their authorisation or apply for long-term residence.
In practice that means keeping your children's school enrolment unbroken and keeping the paperwork that proves it. A gap in schooling can become a problem at renewal time, years later.
After sixteen, and adults
Foreign residents over eighteen have the right to the other post-compulsory stages, to the corresponding qualifications and to public grants on the same terms as Spaniards. Non-resident adults in Spain have the right to education as the education legislation provides.
Common questions
Is school compulsory in Spain for foreign children?
Yes. Basic education is compulsory and free for everyone from six to sixteen, and foreign minors have the right and the duty to it whatever their status.
Can my child go to school without a residence permit?
Yes. The right to education of foreign minors does not depend on their immigration status.
Does my child's schooling affect my residence permit?
It can. When renewing a residence authorisation or applying for long-term residence, foreign residents with school-age children must prove their enrolment with a report from the regional authorities.
Is nursery or pre-school compulsory?
No. Early-years education, from birth to six, is voluntary.
The procedures this leads to
- Family reunification in Spain (reagrupación familiar)
Bringing your spouse, partner, children or parents to Spain. You need a year of residence behind you, 150% of IPREM in regular income, and a social services report on your housing.
- Residence for the children of foreign residents in Spain
A five-year residence permit for the children of foreign residents — with no visa. For a child born in Spain there is a six-month deadline from the birth; for a child born elsewhere, two years of continuous presence in Spain.
- Long-term residence in Spain (residencia de larga duración)
Indefinite residence and work in Spain on the same terms as a Spaniard, after five years of legal continuous residence — with precise limits on how much time abroad breaks the count, and seven routes that skip the five years entirely.
- Empadronamiento: registering with your town hall
Everyone living in Spain is legally obliged to register at their town hall. It is usually free and quick — but for non-EU residents without long-term residence it expires after two years unless renewed, and nobody reminds you.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from one of these. We do not cite other guides, because a copy gives us no way to notice when the original changes.
- Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de Educación — arts. 4 y 12 (texto consolidado)Boletín Oficial del Estado
- Ley Orgánica 4/2000, sobre derechos y libertades de los extranjeros en España — art. 9 (texto consolidado)Boletín Oficial del Estado
This is information, not advice
Your own case depends on your nationality, your status and your history with the administration — none of which a web page can see. Confirm anything that matters with the responsible authority or a qualified professional before you act on it.