Did you know that as a Canadian citizen, you can live and work in Spain for up to two years with the Spain Working Holiday Visa? Imagine yourself walking down Barcelona’s lively promenades, enjoying sangria and tapas at local restaurants. It’s all possible with a working holiday visa or Youth Mobility Visa thanks to the agreement between Canada and Spain through International Experience Canada. Before you get there, you must get your Working Holiday visa for Spain approved! We’ll cover it all in this post, so let’s jump in.
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The Working Holiday for Spain is also known as Spain’s Youth Mobility Visa Program. Canadians can get up to 12 months work permit at a time, for up to 2 times. The 2025 Youth Mobility quota for Canadians is 1,000 visas!
A working holiday is an open work permit for Canadians to work in Spain to help fund your travels. The working holiday visa is the permit that allows you to stay in a country for longer than a tourist. It also allows you to work, which tourists are not allowed to do.
In order to be eligible to apply for the Spain Working Holiday Visa, you must meet the following general conditions:
Year-round sunshine, for starters. There are no winter blues here, and Spaniards utilize this to the fullest, whether soaking up the sun at the beach, sharing tapas on patios or getting active in the great outdoors. You won’t find a better work-life balance than in Spain!
They’re a famously friendly bunch too, making the perfect companions to practice your Spanish with. Discover more about living in Spain, and if you’re dreaming of making the big leap abroad, our Spain Send-Off Program will make the transition seamless, from your working holiday visa application to getting a job and so much more. For additional in-country support, two weeks of accommodation and language lessons, our Kick-Start Spain Program is the perfect introduction to life in Spain!
The working holiday visa for Spain is part of a larger Youth Mobility Program. This program provides opportunities for youth from Canada and Spain to experience work and travel in each other’s countries. Spain offers through the Youth Mobility Visa up to 5 work permit categories for Canadian Youth, labelled from A to E
Aimed for Canadians who want to have work experience in Spain but are not enrolled as a student in a postsecondary education institution in Canada.
a) Canadians with a post-secondary diploma wishing to obtain additional training in Spain through a prearranged contract of employment;
c) Canadians wishing to obtain additional training in the other country under a prearranged contract of employment in order to contribute to their professional development;
e) Canadians that want to work on a casual basis in order to increase their financial resources or to do volunteer work – This is the Working Holiday and most used category. The category we would be helping you with!
Aimed for registered Canadian students at a postsecondary school but haven’t graduated yet.
b) Canadian students registered in a post-secondary institution in Canada wishing to complete part of their academic training through a prearranged internship in a Spanish institution, including under institutional agreements.
d) Canadian students registered in a post-secondary institution in Canada who plan to travel to Spain during academic vacations and who wish to work on a casual basis.
We’ve put together an overview of how to apply for the Spain Working Holiday Visa or Youth Mobility Visa application as a Canadian. Scroll down for the step-by-step process, or click the links below to skip through the steps.
Step 1: Apply for NIE (Foreigners’ Identification Number)
Step 2: Prepare your Youth Mobility Spain Visa Application Documents
Step 3: Submit the Spain Youth Mobility Visa Application
Step 4: Receive Your Working Holiday Visa for Spain!
✈️ Travel to Spain and get your TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero)
Youth Mobility Visa Processing Times: According to the Spanish Authorities, the processing times range from 4-12 weeks (depending on the Consulate or Embassy that manages your application) from the moment you submit your visa application. However, you must have time to prepare your Working Holiday visa application documentation. There will be lots of documentation that can take time to collect, so we recommend our participants to start the visa process up to six months before they plan to depart.
➡️ You must enter Spain within 90 days of your visa being granted to you.
Cost of application: NIE $14.70 CAD + Visa $134.60 CAD as of 2025
Application method: Depending on your location in Canada, the application may be one or two parts. You must submit your application in person at your local Spanish embassy or consulate, depending on where you reside in Canada.
Before beginning your Spain visa application you need to get an NIE (Foreigners Identification Number). Your NIE will be your personal identification and tax number for Spain. It is required in order to submit your visa application. Please note that some Offices will allow applicants to apply for the NIE and visa application at the same time.
To get your NIE, you must gather the following documents and fill out the necessary forms:
Passport
You must have a valid Canadian passport for the duration of the visa.
Photocopy of biographical pages of your passport
This is the page of your passport which shows your passport photo and personal details.
Proof of economic, professional, or social interests
This will be used to justify your application to live and work in Spain.
EX-15 form
This form must be completed, and then printed.
Form 790
You must complete, sign, download, and print this form.
Consular fee
This fee must be presented in exact cash. The fee is $14.70 CAD as of 2025.
Once you receive your NIE, you can submit your Spain Working Holiday Visa application. You will need to gather the following documents:
NIE
What you’ve received after completing step one.
Passport
Ensure your passport is valid for the entire duration of your working holiday in Spain.
Passport photo
The photo must have been taken within the last six months from the date you submit your application. It needs to be a professional passport photo.
Application forms
Fill out the required Spain working holiday visa application form. Be sure to complete it correctly to avoid delays in your application.
Proof of travel insurance
Provide evidence that you have travel insurance for the total duration of your working holiday in Spain.
A return ticket
Show that you have a return flight departing Spain or enough funds to purchase one.
Proof of funds
Prove you have at least approx.$3,000 CAD of accessible funds. This is not how much the visa costs. It shows you have enough money to support yourself in Spain.
Fee
The visa processing fee is $134.60 CAD (2025 Fee). You can pay this fee with cash, money order, or certified cheque.
RCMP and other Criminal record checks
You will need a RCMP Criminal Record Certificate. This must be apostilled with The Hague Apostille Certification issued by Global Affairs Canada and translate it into Spanish. This process normally can take between 1-3 months in total. If you have lived in any other country in the past five years, you will also need a Criminal Record check from that country. This must be legalizaed by the Spanish Consular Office with jurisdiction in that country, unless the country issuing it has signed the Hague Convention, in which case it must be apostilled.
Medical certificate
Obtain a medical certificate from a recognized doctor in Canada to prove you are in good health. Depending on the consulate, they may require you to authenticate and translate this document. This process also depending on your Province can take between weeks to a few months.
Once you have all of the above documents gathered, submit them to the Spanish Consulate. You must request an appointment to apply in person.
There are two Consulates (Toronto and Montreal) and one Embassy (Ottawa) in Canada. Each consulate is responsible for certain regions in Canada. Be sure to request your appointment and submit your Youth Mobility Visa application to the consulate whose jurisdiction you reside in.
Review your application thoroughly before paying to ensure you made no mistakes and have filled in everything correctly. If your visa application is denied, you are not given a refund for the application fee.
Once you have submitted your Spain Working Holiday Visa Application, you can sit back and wait. Processing time can take anywhere between 1 and 12 weeks. However, it is also possible for it to take longer. If this happens, send a follow-up email to check on the status of your application.
You might have to return to the processing office in person to get your visa stamped on your passport. Once that step is completed, time to prepare for your Working Holiday in Spain with your Youth Mobility Visa! Say bye to Canada, ¡nos vamos a España!
Once you receive your passport back with your visa inside, you are ready to go! After entering Spain, you must go to the nearest Oficina de Extranjería (Foreigners’ Office) or a police station authorized to process TIE applications, so you can request your TIE (Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero).
Besides this, once you get settled, you will need to go to Oficina de Empadronamiento (city hall registration) at your Ayuntamiento in Spain, so you can get your Certificado de Empadronamiento. It’s official, you live now in Spain!
Disclaimer
The information we provide as a Recognized Organization (RO) by the Government of Canada is provided for general informational purposes only. We can not guarantee the accuracy or any potential changes in the visa application process at the time of reviewing this information on the Stepabroad website. To receive the most updated and accurate information, feel free to contact us so our team can guide you through the process through our Working Holiday Spain program
Click in the link below and we will get in touch to help you plan the trip of a lifetime. We will invite you to book a Free Meeting with us. We want to make sure we can help you first!
Did you know that part of our Stepabroad team is from Spain? We pride ourselves on knowing the Youth Mobility process for Canadians very well and we work hand in hand with the Government of Canada to encourage Canadians to make the most of the agreement between countries
¿Te apetece vivir en España? ¡Te ayudamos en Stepabroad!
12 months
CAD$599
Ready to work and travel in Spain? Our Send-Off Package will help you make the big move. Your personal adviser will guide you through every step of the process, from visa support to the ‘life admin’ of setting up in Spain, ensuring you arrive fully prepared to start your Working Holiday.
2 weeks
CAD$1,699
Our Kick-Start Spain Program gives you the opportunity to experience living in Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia! We’ll set you up with two weeks of Spanish language lessons and fun organized social events; a ‘Becoming Local 101’ crash course, if you will.
12 months
From CAD$599
Get ready to learn more about Spain! Thanks to International Experience Canada (IEC) Canada and Spain signed an agreement so Canadians between 18 to 35 years old can work and travel in Spain for up to a total of 24 months - Learn more about it here!
Yes, the Spanish Authorities offer a program for Canadians called Youth Mobility Visa. This program offers different visa categories with different requirements. The Working Holiday visa for Spain is just one of the many categories they offer to Canadians under the agreement between Countries.
You must email your Office that will manage your working holiday visa application to request an appointment. Please note that some Offices might take longer than others to respond to you with a visa appointment.
Some new rules came into effect in early 2024, which made the process of obtaining a suitable criminal record check a lot more complicated than it used to be!
During our visa consultation meeting with you, we will provide step by step instructions on how to obtain a suitable criminal record check. This new process involves a lot of steps, so we recommend signing up and starting your journey at least 6 months before your intended departure to Spain!
Timelines for the NIE processing can take several weeks, potentially up to two months, yet some Consulates allow you to apply for it at the same time as per your visa.
At Stepabroad we anticipate this step, so you don’t have to wait for the NIE to be processed at the same time as your visa. Our Working Holiday Spain Send-Off program includes the service of our Authorized Representative for the west coast participants.
We will make sure you get your NIE processing while preparing for the next step, that will be your visa application!
Unfortunately not. There are no priority processing options available for Spain that allow you to bypass the standard processing timelines. While many other destinations are able to issue a Working Holiday visa within a few weeks, when it comes to Spain, patience is key!
The travel insurance for the Spanish visa application must span your entire duration of stay in Spain, while also including hospitalization and repatriation. There is also a minimum amount of coverage that you must purchase, but we will provide more information and recommendations on insurance providers during your visa consultation call!
Forms are only available in Spanish. However, during our visa consultation call, we provide translations to help our participants understand!
Yes you can, yet, please note that the process to apply for the Youth Mobility Visa for Spain is a lengthy process. We recommend you to apply at least 6-8 months before your 36th Birthday so you have enough room for any delays during your process. Let’s say the more time you have to prepare, the better!