The Spanish student visa is applied for at the Spanish representation once you hold admission to an authorised institution. Beyond the usual academic and financial evidence, Spain routinely requires a medical certificate confirming you are free of diseases with public health implications, and a police clearance certificate covering recent residence.
Both of these have format and recency requirements. A general medical letter or an old character certificate will not do, and discovering this at the appointment costs you the appointment.
Means, insurance, accommodation
Financial capacity is assessed against a monthly reference figure for the length of the stay. Private health insurance with full coverage and no co-payments is generally required where you are not covered by a reciprocal arrangement, and the policy wording matters as much as its existence.
Accommodation evidence is part of the file. As in most European corridors, this means the housing search is an application task rather than an arrival task.
After arrival
For stays beyond six months you will apply for a foreigner identity card after arrival, within a defined window and by appointment. Appointment availability in the larger cities is genuinely constrained, so book as early as the system permits.
Registering with the local town hall is a related step that unlocks a good deal of practical life, including some health and banking processes.
Language and programme choice
Spanish-taught programmes dominate outside the international-facing master's market. English-taught options are real but concentrated, and the competition for them is correspondingly higher.
Spain rewards applicants who choose a region deliberately. Costs, housing availability, and job markets differ sharply between Madrid, Barcelona, and smaller university cities.