Spain’s Au Pair Visa: Everything you need to know

Firstly, it’s important to note that there’s no such thing as an official au pair visa for Spain, however, there are ways that au pairs from certain countries can come and work here.

We’ll look at some of the ways people from certain non-EU English-speaking countries can get a visa to work in Spain as an au pair for more than three months.

What is an au pair?

An au pair is similar to a nanny in that they are hired by a family to help them with childcare duties. Unlike some nannies, however, au-pairs do not usually have particular childcare qualifications. They are typically hired by a family from abroad so that their children can learn another language.

Au pairs typically also live with the family, so accommodation and meals are provided, therefore they only receive a small amount of remuneration, rather than a full salary.

As well as childcare duties, some families may require the au pair to do cooking and light cleaning too.

Au pair jobs may only require you to work part of the day, for example, taking the children to school and then looking after them when they come home until parents return from work or until bedtime. Therefore, you may have extra time to study or learn Spanish. 

I only want to work as an au pair in Spain for a few months, do I still need a visa?

No, typically if you only stay in Spain for less than three months, you do not need a visa to work as an au pair. If you are from a non-EU country and want to stay longer than three months, however, you will need to apply for one. 

READ ALSO: What are the pros and cons of Spain's student visa?

United States

Certain states in the US have an agreement with Spain that is linked to language learning. This means that they essentially come on a special type of student visa and enrol in a language program, but also have the right to work for a family as an au pair at the same time. 

The requirements for this type of residency visa are:

• You must be between the ages of 18 and 30
• You need a confirmation of enrolment on a language course
• You need a letter of invitation from a host family
• You must have an au-pair contract signed by the applicant and the family
• Private health insurance
• Proof of financial means - The minimum required amount is equivalent to the100 percent of the IPREM. For 2023 is around USD $640 per month.
• A valid passport
• If staying over 6 months, you also need a criminal background check

The exact requirements vary depending on which state you live in and which consulate you apply from.

The Chicago consulate deals with applicants who live in the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The consulate in San Francisco deals with applicants from North California, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.

For all other states, contact your nearest consulate to find out. 

READ ALSO: Where in Spain do all the Americans live in 2023?

Canada

There are two different ways Canadians can get a visa to work as an au pair in Spain. The first is via a student visa, which also allows them to work as an au pair, and the second is through the Youth Mobility Programme.

For the student visa, the requirements are:

• Be enrolled on an approved course or have a placement with a family
• Have private health insurance
• Proof of finances, which equates to 100 percent of the IPREM. For 2023 this is around CAD $865
• If you’re staying over six months you also need a police background check.

For the Youth Mobility Visa, the requirements are:

• You must be a Canadian citizen and live in Canada
• You must be between 18 and 35 years old
• Have a return ticket or enough resources to buy one, plus enough money for your first three months in Spain. This amounts to around CAD$2,593 in 2023. 
• In the case of having a prearranged job offer, the proof of economic means will be satisfied with the submission of the contract of employment, as long as the income during the three first months amounts to the above quantity.
• Have private health insurance

Those from the following provinces should apply at the consulate in Toronto: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario (except the city of Ottawa and the National Capital Region), Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut.

Those from the following provinces should apply via the Embassy of Spain in Ottawa: the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau and the National Capital Region.

Those from the following provinces should apply through the consulate in Montreal: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Quebec (except Gatineau and the National Capital Region).

READ ALSO: Where in Spain do all the Canadians live?

Australia

Like Canada, those from Australia also have two options to get a visa to work as an au pair in Spain. The first is a working holiday visa and the second is a type of student visa.

There are 3,400 working holiday visas for Australians to come to Spain every year and stay for a maximum of 12 months.

To be eligible for the working holiday visa you must:

• Be an Australian citizen and resident in Australia
• Be between the ages of 18 and 30
• Hold a return ticket or have sufficient funds to purchase a return
• Be coming to Spain for tourism purposes, with work being a secondary intention for your visit
• Not be accompanied by any dependents
• Have sufficient funds to support your stay, this is equal to AUD $994 per month
• Have private health insurance
• Have a functional level of Spanish and be able to prove this with a qualification or similar
• Have completed at least 2 years of higher education
• Get a police background check
• Pass a medical check
• Not have been a recipient of this visa previously
• You must not work for the same employer for more than six months during your stay

Applicants who participate in this programme are able to study in Spain, however, the period of study cannot exceed four months.

For the student visa the requirements are:

• Be enrolled on an approved course or have a placement with a family
• Have private health insurance
• Proof of finances, which equates to 100 percent of the IPREM. For 2023 this is around AUD $994. 

If you’re staying over six months you also need a police background check.

READ ALSO: Where in Spain do all the Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans live?

New Zealand

Those from New Zealand who want to work in Spain as an au pair should apply through the working holiday visa programme the two countries share. This is a one-year visa.

To be eligible you must:

• Be between the ages of 18 and 30
• Have sufficient financial means of at least NZ $4,200 to cover the stay
• Be primarily in Spain for tourism purposes
• Have private health insurance
• Have suitable accommodation during your stay

You cannot have any dependent children and cannot apply with a partner (partners need to apply separately).

One important factor to note with this visa is that you can only work in Spain for a total of six months during your one-year visa and you are only allowed to stay with the same family for three months.

This may mean you’re at a slight disadvantage when finding families who will take you on as most of them will more than likely want someone longer than that time so they can provide stability for their children.

South Africa

You can apply for a visa to work as an au pair from both the consulates in Cape Town and Pretoria. You must contact them directly to find out their specific requirements. 

There are also several agencies that can organise placements for between one and three months and can also contact the consulates on your behalf. These are available to South Africans who are:

• Between ages 18 and 30
• Are good English speakers
• Have clean criminal records
• Have a medical certificate
• Have private health insurance
• Can show proof of financial means

United Kingdom

As the UK doesn’t have any specific deal with Spain yet when it comes to working holiday or youth mobility visas, the best way for UK citizens to work as an au pair in Spain is to get a student visa.

This could be a simple language course to learn Spanish for example and doesn’t need to be a full university degree.

Student visas are available to all UK citizens, providing that they are accepted onto a course and that they meet all the necessary requirements.

This includes:

• Being accepted and enrolled in a course
• Having sufficient funds, which equals the full amount of the IPREM, which for 2023 is €600 per month, around £516.
• Having a clear criminal background check
• Getting a medical certificate
• Signing up for private health insurance

Your visa will be valid for the same time as the length of your course.

One of the advantages of this visa is that it allows you to work up to 20 hours a week, meaning that you will be able to work as an au pair so long as you have time to go to your course and don’t go over the 20 hours.