Costs and Expenses of the Spain Working Holiday Visa

Written by Volare | June 5, 2026

When structuring your budget for a prolonged stay in the Iberian Peninsula, it is essential to understand that the expenses of the immigration procedure go beyond the simple consular fee. Below, we break down in detail the official fee and the peripheral operational costs necessary to apply for this exchange program.

Consular fees by nationality

The direct costs of the visa vary asymmetrically depending on the passport with which you apply at the corresponding diplomatic mission:

• Applies to Argentina: Mandatory. The procedure requires the payment of a base consular fee set at 90 euros.

• Applies to Australia: Mandatory. The payment of a fluctuating fee of approximately 90 euros is required, to which 16 AUD corresponding to the processing of the Foreigner Identity Number (NIE) must be added.

• Applies to Canada: Mandatory. The visa fee is estimated between 145 and 150 CAD, plus a payment of 14 CAD for the NIE procedure.

• Applies to South Korea and New Zealand: Mandatory. The payment of a consular fee equivalent to 90 euros in the local currency of the jurisdiction is required.

• Applies to Japan: Free. Japanese citizens are exempt from paying the consular fee due to bilateral reciprocity agreements.

Additional logistical and operational expenses

On a technical level, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain manages the collection of fees for the youth mobility program, but the comprehensive budget of the process requires the applicant to assume with their own capital all the mandatory peripheral expenses to assemble the file.

Even if your nationality is exempt from the consular fee, every applicant must mandatorily pay for the obtaining and international legalization of their medical and criminal records through The Hague Apostille. Furthermore, the contracting of an annual international health insurance policy without copayments is unavoidable. Likewise, non-Spanish speaking nationalities (Australia, Canada, South Korea, Japan, and New Zealand) must add the mandatory fees of official sworn translators recognized by Spain to validate their documentation in Spanish territory.

As a reminder to consolidate the solidity of your file, it is a mandatory transversal requirement for all nationalities to evidence the possession of a flight ticket to leave the territory, or else, to present the financial documentation that irrefutably demonstrates the possession of exclusive additional funds for its future purchase.

To ensure you have the appropriate support and the most detailed information at every step of your application, we recommend consulting the complete guide on Volare's Spain Working Holiday Visa (WHV).