Hi, RS Forum folks. My daughter will be studying abroad in Granada in the fall of 2022, and we are running into a logistical challenge. She will be starting her trip from the US with a few days visiting family in Milan, then flying into Malaga from there. Since she will be arriving into Spain from within the Schengen area, it is our understanding that she will not be going through passport control/immigration at Malaga. Does anyone know if there is an immigration office at the Malaga airport where she could get her student visa stamped? Any other suggestions about how do handle this?
Thanks so much for your input!
I’d start with your daughters’s study abroad program, either her home university or, preferably, the office or university connection in Spain. No doubt they’ve dealt with this question before and have an easy answer.
As a former director of an international office, I second the previous poster’s advice. The study abroad office at your daughter’s institution and/or the program in Spain are the most reliable sources for this advice.
I can’t speak directly to the student visas, but I’ve been doing research/future planning around gaining Spanish residency. The passport stamp for entry is something of an antiquated formality that is being phased out across Europe in the coming couple of years. Setting stamped in at Milan shouldn’t present any issues. If she’s just there for one term she won’t even be getting a residency card (which would take most/all of the term to process anyway.) The date of entry into, and exact number of days in, Spain becomes an issue at times of renewing longer-term residency and when calculating tax residency. Even for that, the stamp is not the sole means of proof, and people entering via other countries are counseled to save boarding passes as records of their travel.