Estudios Internacionales

Living in Spain

Studying in a new country is much more than going to class. In addition to all the necessary documentation required for entering the country, and Customs procedures, it is important to be aware of certain aspects of the place where we are going to live, in order to adjust as quickly as possible. In order to help you do this we have collected some basic information which may be of interest to overseas students. Firstly, the structure of the Academic year and public holidays in Spain helps to provide an overall view of your stay, and to plan ahead.

One of the first things you must get used to is to a new climate and any time diferences compared to our home country. Depending on your country of origin and your chosen location, you will feel these difference to a greater or lesser degree. Once you have settled in, you may have to face a difference in units of measurement, in particular if you come from an Anglo-saxon country.

When you first arrive, one of the most urgent things may be to open a bank account. It will therefore be useful to have some basic information about Spanish banks and financial institutions. Also, if you live outside the Euro-zone, you will have to adapt to the Spanish currency. For this reason we thought it useful to include some information about the cost of living in Spain.

In case of emergency, you ought to know some of the key telephone numbers to call. Also, in case you are ill, you need to know about the Spanish health system.

In order to contact your loved ones back home, it is worth finding out about the postal service an how to make a long-distance phonecall. Finally transport is one of the main concerns of daily life, as you will probably have to travel some distance to reach your place of study.

All this information should provide you with an idea of what it will be like in Spain. However, remember that it is just a guide. For a more specific view of daily life in your chosen location, we recommend contacting the university International Relations Office.