Au pair United States ⇄ Spain
Discover how families in Spain welcome au pairs from United States. Spain is the most affordable of the three routes for Americans: the au pair stay is filed as a long-stay study authorisation, with the family providing board and pocket money set by the written agreement.
Prepared by AuPair Connect — Compliance Team
Every legal, tax or safety detail in this content is verified by the AuPair Connect Compliance Team against official sources and dated.
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In brief — key takeaways
A US citizen going to Spain as an au pair does NOT use the J-1 visa: the J-1 governs entry to the United States. Spain has no standalone "au pair" visa — the stay is filed as a long-stay study authorisation (estancia por estudios, modality au pair) under Real Decreto 1155/2024, which transposes EU Directive 2016/801 and expressly lists "colocación au pair". For stays over 90 days a national D visa is filed at the Spanish consulate before departure; Spanish law fixes neither a weekly hour cap nor a pocket-money amount, both set in the written agreement with the family, which provides board, meals, study time and health insurance.
Reviewed by the Compliance team · Verified on · Source: official host-country data
⚠️ No J-1 visa for Europe: what replaces it in Spain
The J-1 exchange visitor visa only governs entry TO the United States. For Spain there is no standalone "au pair" visa at all: a US national files a national long-stay D visa as a study authorisation (estancia por estudios, modality au pair) under Real Decreto 1155/2024.
Source: US Department of State — BridgeUSA / Exchange Visitor Program (22 CFR §62.31).
Official data for Au pair United States ⇄ Spain
Legal status(es)
Age 17–30 years
Written agreement signed between the au pair and the host family
Visa
Required
Study authorisation, au-pair modality (long-stay au-pair student visa) for stays over 90 days by non-EU/EEA nationals — Real Decreto 1155/2024
Where no explicit legal rule exists (hour cap, police clearance), AuPair Connect recommends defining hours and checks by written contract, referring to the ~€320/month reference and carrying out a thorough interview before hosting.
Age
17–30 years
For the long-stay au-pair student visa, applicants must be at least 17 and in no case over 30 years old (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores consular instruction; Strasbourg Convention of 24.11.1969). The host family has no specific legal age limit.
Working time
5 h/day
For au pairs from third countries, Spain's long-stay au-pair student visa requires a placement agreement in which household/childcare tasks do not exceed 5 hours a day, with at least one full free day per week (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores consular instruction; placement framed by the Strasbourg Convention of 24.11.1969). The agreement runs for a maximum of one year, renewable up to two.
Contract / Agreement
Written au-pair placement agreement (study-stay au-pair modality) — Written agreement signed between the au pair and the host family
Spanish Social Security (special household-employee scheme) · Registration with Social Security by the family
Lodging and meals are provided by the host family under the au-pair placement (study-stay authorisation, au-pair modality).
Steps
- 1 Sign the written au pair contract with the host family — Host family / young au pair
- 2 For non-EU nationals: apply for the long-stay au-pair student visa (study authorisation, au-pair modality) at the Spanish consulate — Spanish consulate (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores)
- 3 Obtain the NIE (foreigner identification number) — Spanish immigration administration
- 4 For EU nationals: register after 3 months (Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la UE) — Spanish local authorities
- 5 The family registers the au pair with Social Security — Spanish Social Security (SEPE)
Salary / Pocket money
320.00–320.00 EUR/month
≈ €320/month (≈ €80/week): reference value of accepted practice, not fixed by Spanish law; negotiated in the contract. Includes lodging, meals and health insurance.
Contributions
Spanish Social Security (SEPE)
Registration of the au pair under the special household-employee scheme
Registration is assessed case by case; RD 1620/2011 art. 2.2 excludes “family collaboration at par” relationships from the salaried household-employee scheme. Individual advice recommended.
Tax advantages
May need to declare the payments as household expenses
Pocket money generally below the IRPF filing threshold (€22,000/year — one payer; €15,876/year — several payers; in force 2026)
IRPF thresholds are updated every year by the Budget Law (Ley 35/2006 art. 96.9). The tax classification of au pair pocket money is not documented by the Agencia Tributaria; individual tax advice recommended in case of doubt.
Official sources
- Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones — extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es · verified on 2026-08-17
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores — consulats (exteriores.gob.es) · verified on 2026-08-17
- BOE — Real Decreto 1155/2024 (Reglamento de Extranjería ; transposition Directive UE 2016/801 « colocación au pair ») · verified on 2026-09-11
- Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación — Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores — Servicios consulares: visados nacionales de estudios · verified on 2026-09-11
- BOE — Real Decreto 1620/2011 (relation spéciale employés de maison, art. 2.2) · verified on 2026-08-17
- BOE (Boletín Oficial del Estado) / Council of Europe — Consejo de Europa — Acuerdo Europeo sobre la Colocación «Au Pair» (Estrasburgo, 24.11.1969 ; BOE-A-1988-21042, art. 3 durée, art. 4.1 âge 17–30, art. 8 jour libre/cours de langue, art. 9 tâches ≤ 5 h/jour) · verified on 2026-09-11
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Who you need to know before travelling
Verified notes for au pairs travelling from United States to Spain.
The J-1 programme governs entry TO the United States; it has no role for a US citizen going to Spain. Spain has no standalone "au pair" visa: the stay is filed as a long-stay study authorisation (estancia por estudios, modality au pair).
Source: US Department of State — BridgeUSA / BOE — Real Decreto 1155/2024 · Verified on 2026-09-11
Real Decreto 1155/2024 (Spanish immigration regulation in force since 20 May 2025) transposes EU Directive 2016/801, which expressly lists "colocación au pair"; it applies to third-country nationals (general aliens regime), not a bilateral au pair agreement.
Source: BOE — Real Decreto 1155/2024 · Verified on 2026-09-11
For stays over 90 days a national long-stay D visa is filed at the Spanish consulate covering the applicant; required documents typically include passport, the au pair contract, proof of accommodation, health insurance and a criminal record certificate.
Source: Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores — consular instructions · Verified on 2026-08-14
Spanish law fixes neither a weekly hour cap nor a pocket-money amount for au pairs: both are set in the written agreement with the host family, which provides accommodation, meals, study time and health insurance. A commonly cited reference is around €320/month, but it is not a legal minimum.
Source: extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es · Verified on 2026-08-14
The family must register the au pair with the Spanish Social Security (special household-employee regime); the au pair also obtains an NIE (foreigner identity number) after arrival.
Source: SEPE / extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es · Verified on 2026-08-14
Spain caps the au pair stay at 6 months to 2 years maximum, typically 6–12 months; the au pair is a participant in a cultural exchange, not an ordinary salaried employee.
Source: extranjeros.inclusion.gob.es · Verified on 2026-08-14
Before you leave: the overview
A US candidate heading to Spain does not apply for an "au pair visa" — no such standalone category exists. The stay is filed as a long-stay study authorisation (estancia por estudios, modality au pair) under Real Decreto 1155/2024, which transposes EU Directive 2016/801 and expressly lists "colocación au pair". For stays over 90 days a national D visa is filed at the Spanish consulate covering your US state. Spanish law fixes neither a weekly hour cap nor a pocket-money amount: both are set in the written agreement with the host family, which provides board and health insurance. The J-1 programme does not apply to a US citizen going to Spain.
Your travel pocket-guide
The concrete steps for au pairs on the United States → Spain route.
Consulate of the origin country
For Spain there is no standalone « au pair » visa: the stay is filed as a long-stay study authorisation (estancia por estudios, modality au pair) and, for stays over 90 days, requires a national long-stay D visa at the Spanish consulate covering your US state — the Consulate General in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Boston, San Francisco, Washington DC and others. File before departure and confirm the exact document list and processing times on the official consular site.
Apostille & legalisation
US official documents for the Spanish file (birth certificate, FBI or state criminal-record certificate, diplomas) must be apostilled under the Hague Convention: federal documents via the US Department of State, state documents via the corresponding Secretary of State. Documents in English require a sworn Spanish translation. The Spanish consulate may also require a medical certificate and, depending on the consulate, a criminal-record certificate legalised with the apostille. Assemble every piece well ahead of the appointment.
Passport delay
A US passport must be valid for at least the duration of the planned stay (the Schengen rule is at least three months beyond the intended departure) and match exactly the name on the ticket and the visa file. Standard US passport processing takes several weeks by mail. Renew before starting any step with the host family or the consulate, and keep a digital copy of every page.
Departure obligations
Before leaving the United States, gather: a valid US passport, the signed au pair agreement with the family, proof of accommodation, valid health insurance for the whole stay, the national D study visa and apostilled/translated documents. There is no US exit visa for going abroad; after arrival, the family registers the au pair with the Spanish Social Security and the au pair obtains an NIE. Registering with the nearest US consulate (STEP programme) is recommended; keep a digital copy of every document.
Live as an au pair in Spain: the host cities
Other routes to Europe
The au pair procedure differs by destination country. Compare the United States → Spain route with these alternatives.
How it works
Create your profile
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Verified matches
Identity & references checked.
Meet
Chat & video call.
Sign the contract
Agreement following host-country rules.
Frequently asked questions
Do Americans use the J-1 to be an au pair in Spain?
No. The J-1 only concerns entry to the United States. For Spain, an American files a national long-stay D visa before departure; there is no standalone "au pair" visa, so the stay is filed as a long-stay study authorisation (estancia por estudios, modality au pair).
What legal framework covers an au pair stay in Spain?
Real Decreto 1155/2024 (the Spanish immigration regulation in force since 20 May 2025) transposes EU Directive 2016/801, which expressly lists "colocación au pair". That is the legal basis for a third-country national, not a bilateral au pair agreement.
Does Spain set a minimum pocket money or a weekly hour cap?
No. Spanish law fixes neither a weekly hour cap nor a pocket-money amount for au pairs: both are negotiated in the written agreement with the host family, which provides accommodation, meals, study time and health insurance. A commonly cited reference is around €320 per month, but it is not a legal minimum.
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Not sure what an au pair exactly is? What an au pair is: definition, role & rules .