Quick answer: what are the requirements for international school in Spain? Expect to provide the child's passport, recent school reports and, once you live here, an NIE or TIE and a padrón certificate; written entrance tests usually start around age seven. Newton College in Elche tests English, Spanish and maths from Year 3 and charges an €825 enrolment fee for 2026-27.
Last reviewed: November 2026 by David from ISA. Fee ranges are indicative; always confirm with the school.
Key takeaways
- Pupils from foreign systems need no convalidation to join any year of Spanish Primaria or ESO; the receiving school places them (Order of 14 March 1988, amended in 2002).
- While a homologation request is processed, a stamped "volante" allows conditional enrolment for six months, and then for the school year of enrolment (same Order).
- Spanish law puts children into 1º de Primaria in the calendar year they turn six (Real Decreto 157/2022), and the NABSS equivalency table lines up Year 2 with 1º de Primaria.
- CAT4, a reasoning test some schools use for entry, measures verbal, non-verbal, quantitative and spatial reasoning for ages 6 to 17 and over (GL Assessment).
- Among the three Alicante schools here that publish 2026-27 fees, entry charges run from an €825 enrolment fee at Newton College to a one-off €1,650 registration fee at Lady Elizabeth School.
Families planning a move to the Costa Blanca usually ask the same thing first: what are the requirements for international school places in Spain, and which papers do we need before we arrive? The answer has two layers. Each private school sets its own entry conditions, but Spanish rules decide which year group a child can join and when foreign school records must be officially recognised.
This guide explains those requirements one by one, with Alicante schools as worked examples. For the month-by-month application timeline, read our guide to international school admissions in Alicante.
What documents do international schools in Spain ask for?
Each school sets its own list, but the core is the same: the child's passport, recent school reports and, once a place is offered, the school's own registration forms. Newton College asks for school reports from the last three years; ELIS Villamartín asks for its admissions booklet and supporting documents after an offer is accepted. Three Spanish documents come up again and again.
- NIE or TIE. EU citizens receive their foreigner identity number (NIE) on the EU citizen registration certificate; non-EU residents hold a foreigner identity card (TIE). Alicante's town hall accepts either, or a passport, for minors on the municipal register.
- Empadronamiento. Registering on the padrón in Alicante is free and needs a valid rental contract or proof of ownership, the child's birth certificate or family book, and consent from both parents. Foreign official documents must carry a sworn translation into Spanish.
- Vaccination record. No Spanish law makes childhood vaccination compulsory, The Local reported in March 2026, but schools may ask to see the record, and private nurseries can require it, according to a 2021 review by Maldita.es.
The requirements at a glance
| Requirement | What it is for | Who issues it | When to get it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | Identity of child and parents | Country of nationality | Before you apply |
| NIE or TIE | Residence in Spain | Spanish police (Policía Nacional) | After arrival in Spain |
| Padrón certificate | Proof of address | Town hall (ayuntamiento) | Once you have a rental contract |
| School reports | Placement and entrance decision | Current school | With the application |
| Entrance test | Level in English, Spanish and maths | The new school | Before the offer |
| Homologation or volante | Entry to Spanish Bachillerato | Ministry of Education or regional office | Before enrolment |
Source: Alicante town hall padrón requirements; Order of 14 March 1988 (BOE); admissions pages of the schools below. Check the current list with each school, because private schools can ask for more.
Which year group will your child join?
Spain groups children by calendar year of birth: Real Decreto 157/2022 places pupils in 1º de Primaria in the calendar year they turn six. British schools in Spain map their year groups onto that system, and the NABSS equivalency table aligns Year 2 with 1º de Primaria and Year 1 with the last year of Infantil.
The difference with England, where year groups run from September to August, catches families out. Take a child born in November 2019. In England she would start Year 3 in September 2027; a school applying the Spanish calendar-year rule would place her in 3º de Primaria, which is Year 4. Ask each school which rule it follows before you accept an offer, and keep the birth certificate with your application.
What entrance tests should you expect?
At these Alicante schools, written tests start around Year 3, while younger children are invited for a visit or a taster day. The tests check language level and readiness. Some schools add CAT4, which GL Assessment describes as the UK's most widely used test of reasoning abilities; because it measures reasoning rather than taught content, it does not favour any curriculum.
- Newton College: written assessments in English, Spanish and maths from Year 3; a family visit is part of entry to Infantil.
- Lady Elizabeth School: level tests where needed and a possible trial day; sixth form entry asks for at least five (I)GCSEs, the Spanish Graduado en ESO or an equivalent, and English at B2.
- ELIS Villamartín: an informal assessment or taster day that checks English against the year group requested.
When do you need homologation or convalidation?
Only when your child moves into the Spanish system for Bachillerato or another course that requires the Graduado en ESO. The Order of 14 March 1988, which still governs the procedure after its 2002 amendment, says pupils from foreign systems do not need any convalidation to join any year of Primaria or ESO: the Spanish school places them under the rules in force.
Bachillerato is different, because it requires the Graduado en ESO. A student arriving with foreign qualifications applies to have them homologated, and the volante lets them enrol conditionally while the Ministry decides. The stamped volante lasts six months for enrolment and then for that school year; if homologation is refused, the enrolment and any exams taken under it lose their effect. Families aiming for the Spanish Bachillerato at a school like Newton College or El Valle Alicante should apply as soon as the final foreign school year ends.
Four Alicante schools: tests, fees and deposits
Newton College
A NABSS member in Elche that combines the British and Spanish systems, with the IB Middle Years Programme in secondary and a choice of IB Diploma or Spanish Bachillerato at 16. For 2026-27 the enrolment fee is €825 and annual tuition runs from €7,510 in Years 2 to 7 to €11,390 for the IB Diploma. After the assessment, families have 5 to 10 days to accept an offer.
Lady Elizabeth School
A British-curriculum school for ages 2 to 18 at Cumbre del Sol, Benitachell, leading to IGCSEs and A levels. Its 2026-27 schedule lists a one-off €1,650 registration fee for new pupils, an annual €1,100 re-enrolment fee and monthly tuition over ten months from €889 in Years 1 and 2 to €1,565 in Year 13. Lunch is compulsory for new pupils.
El Limonar International School Villamartín
A NABSS member in San Miguel de Salinas with more than 600 pupils aged 3 to 18 from over 35 nationalities, according to the school. It charges a non-refundable €1,500 registration fee and 2026-27 monthly fees, over ten months, from €805 in Years 1 and 2 to €999 in the sixth form, where A levels sit alongside the Spanish Bachillerato. Its fee table shows the Spanish course next to each year group.
El Valle Alicante
A school on Avenida de la Condomina in Alicante that teaches the IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma programmes and the Spanish Bachillerato, according to its website. Because it also teaches the Spanish Bachillerato, the homologation rules above matter for older entrants from abroad. Its website does not list fees, so ask for the 2027-28 schedule; the school says admission to secondary and Bachillerato is more personalised and weighs several factors.
Deadlines and waiting lists for September 2027
The admissions pages of these four schools give no closing date for 2027-28. Newton College enrols all year but warns that places are limited; Newton and Lady Elizabeth give 5 to 10 days to accept an offer, and ELIS Villamartín makes time-limited offers. In a popular year group, the waiting list works as the real deadline.
- Visit or book video calls in autumn and winter 2026, and ask how many places remain in your child's year group for 2027-28.
- Apply to two or three schools at once, with reports and passports scanned and ready.
- Sit the assessments, then compare offers: you may have only 5 to 10 days to pay the registration fee.
- If your child will enter Spanish Bachillerato, file the homologation request and keep the stamped volante.
- Register on the padrón as soon as you sign a rental contract.
Compare schools in Alicante
See curricula, locations and fee bands side by side in our ranking of the best international schools in Alicante.
Sources: Order of 14 March 1988 applying Real Decreto 104/1988, as amended by Order ECD/3305/2002 (BOE); Real Decreto 157/2022 (BOE); Ayuntamiento de Alicante, padrón requirements; NABSS equivalency table and member pages; GL Assessment on CAT4; The Local (March 2026) and Maldita.es (2021) on vaccination; 2026-27 admissions and fee pages of Newton College, Lady Elizabeth School and ELIS Villamartín; El Valle Alicante admissions page.
More guides to schools in Alicante
- Best international schools in Alicante
- Bilingual schools in Alicante
- How to choose an international school in Alicante
- International school admissions in Alicante
- International school fees in Alicante
- best international schools in Alicante
Frequently asked questions
Does my child need to speak Spanish to join an international school in Spain?
Not always. English-medium British schools mainly assess English: ELIS Villamartín checks English against the year group requested. Schools that combine systems test both languages, and Newton College sets English, Spanish and maths assessments from Year 3. If your child will later take the Spanish Bachillerato, start Spanish lessons early, because that route is taught largely in Spanish.
Is vaccination compulsory to enrol in a school in Spain?
No Spanish law makes childhood vaccination compulsory, as The Local reported in March 2026. Schools can still ask for the vaccination record, and a 2021 Maldita.es review found that some regions request it for information when children enrol, mainly in Infantil, while private nurseries can require it. Bring the record, translated if possible, to every admissions meeting.
What is a volante de inscripción condicional?
It is the stamped copy of a homologation or convalidation request that lets a student enrol in a Spanish course, such as Bachillerato, before the Ministry decides. Under the Order of 14 March 1988, it is valid for six months from stamping and then for the school year of enrolment. If the request is refused, the enrolment and any exams taken lose their effect.