Au pair Philippines ⇄ Spain

For a stay over 90 days, Spain has no standalone "au pair" visa: the placement falls under the study-stay authorisation (au-pair modality) of Real Decreto 1155/2024, transposing EU Directive 2016/801, applied through the long-stay au-pair student visa at the Spanish consulate. Under the placement agreement, household/childcare tasks may not exceed 5 hours a day, with at least one full free day per week.

Source: BOE — Real Decreto 1155/2024 / Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (instrucción consular) · Verified on 2026-09-11

Applicants for the long-stay au-pair student visa must be at least 17 and in no case over 30 years old (consular instruction; Strasbourg Convention of 24.11.1969).

Source: Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores — Servicios consulares: visados nacionales de estudios · Verified on 2026-09-11

Reference pocket money is ~€320/month (≈€80/week) including lodging, meals and health insurance; the value is negotiated in the contract and not fixed by law.

Source: Ministerio de Inclusión (extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es) · Verified on 2026-08-17

Lodging and meals are provided by the host family as part of the Spanish cultural-exchange placement.

Source: Ministerio de Inclusión (extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es) · Verified on 2026-08-17

A criminal-record certificate is required only for stays over 6 months by applicants of full criminal age (documents from countries of residence in the last 5 years).

Source: Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (instrucción consular) · Verified on 2026-09-11

Spanish law sets no weekly language-course minimum for the au-pair student visa: under the European Agreement on Au Pair Placement (Strasbourg, 1969), the au pair must simply be given sufficient time and facilities to attend language courses. A "20 hours/week" figure circulating online comes from language schools and agencies, not from the consular instruction (VIS/3.pdf) or Real Decreto 1155/2024.

Source: European Agreement on Au Pair Placement (BOE-A-1988-21042, art. 8.2) / Real Decreto 1155/2024 · Verified on 2026-09-11

Filipino au pair visa holders heading to Europe must register and attend the CFO Country Familiarization Seminar (CFS), which issues the digital CFO certificate.

Source: CFO Citizen's Charter (6th ed.) · Verified on 2026-08-24

The competent Spanish mission for the Philippines is in Manila — confirm visa details and current requirements there.

Source: Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores (instrucción consular) · Verified on 2026-09-11

Consulate of the origin country

If you are a Filipino au pair choosing Spain, get the framing right first: Spain has no standalone "au pair" visa. The placement falls under the study-stay authorisation (au-pair modality) of Real Decreto 1155/2024, transposing EU Directive 2016/801, and is applied through the long-stay au-pair student visa. The placement agreement cannot exceed 5 hours a day of household/childcare tasks and must provide at least one full free day per week; pocket money is set in the agreement, not by law. The practical first step is the Spanish long-stay entry: apply at the Spanish consulate in Manila, where a slot is often booked three to four weeks ahead through the BLS portal or a consular appointment. Bring the signed hosting agreement, a valid passport, proof of insurance and your document apostilles. Because many Filipino au pairs speak fluent English too, the pairing Spanish families usually expect is: you bring the English and the maturity, the family gives you the Spanish immersion and a genuine cultural exchange.

Apostille & legalisation

Spanish paperwork follows the Hague Convention like the rest of Europe. Have the Philippine DFA apostille the documents you will use - typically your signed placement agreement and any diplomas - then get a sworn translation into Spanish before they reach the consular office. If your au pair stay heads to Europe (Spain included from the Philippines), you also add the CFO pre-departure certificate: registration plus the Country Familiarization Seminar (CFS), which issues the digital CFO certificate. The Spanish au-pair student visa requires a negative criminal-record certificate only for stays over 6 months (for applicants of full criminal age, covering countries of residence in the last 5 years); verified profiles and references remain the AuPair Connect standard, and a clean, complete paper folder is what moves a Manila file fast. In practice the two files travel together - CFO on the Philippine side, translated and apostilled documents on the Spanish side - so prepare both before you book the consular slot.

Passport delay

The Spanish rule to fix early is passport validity: your passport must be valid for six months after your planned entry, and Filipino renewals via the DFA take two to four weeks. Renew before the consular appointment so you never chase a slot with an expiring passport. Plan the calendar in two moves: first settle the renewal, then book the Manila consular slot, allowing a realistic gap because Spanish slots are often three to four weeks out. Only after the visa decision and insurance proof are in hand do you schedule the CFO seminar before departure. Getting the order right - passport, consular entry, insurance, then CFS - is the difference between a two-month sprint and a three-month stall for many Filipino au pairs.

Departure obligations

What Filipino au pairs actually earn and do in Spain is negotiated, not fixed. The reference pocket money is around EUR 320 a month (about EUR 80 a week) and this comes on top of free lodging, meals and health insurance provided by the host family under the cultural-exchange programme - Spain does not fix the hours by law, so the signed contract is the document that defines tasks, schedule and pay together. Before flying, complete your CFO registration and CFS (needed for au pair stays towards Europe), carry the apostilled and translated documents, and keep the digital CFO certificate with your visa. For host families the draw is the pairing: your English and reliability with their Spanish-speaking children, in exchange for an honest immersion you help shape through the hours and tasks you agree in writing. Enter with the contract as your compass and Spain's au pair year becomes genuinely two-way.