Which documents I have to prepare for my stay?
Before leaving home:
The following checklist will help you with your travel preparations:
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Decide when you are going to start work and discuss the date with your (host) Institute well in advance.
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Compile the most important documents.
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Arrange Health Insurance cover (for yourself, your marital partner and children)
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Find out about accommodation in your new place of residence.
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Apply for your visa, if applicable (and those of any members of your family accompanying you)
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If required, enquire about local childcare/schools well in advance.
Upon arrival:
These are the first steps you will need to take as soon as you arrive:
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Visit your department/institute and sign your employment contract, if applicable.
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Sign your lease agreement.
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Register you and your family at the Local Foreign Office (oficina de extranjería), placed in Calle San Agapito, number 2.
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If you are going to be employed with a contract, apply for…
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Open a bank account
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Register your child/children, at kindergarten/school
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Apply for a Residence permit (for yourself and for your marital partner and children).
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Set up your work place (Internet access, university card for access to all the services at the University of Granada.
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Gather information of any potential tax obligations and pension rights which may ensue from your employment status.
How can I get to Granada?
In the Travel Recommendations section, you can find all the information on how to get to Granada and how to get around the city.
Where to live?
In the International Welcome Centre we gladly assist you in finding accommodation in Granada and kindly ask you to inform us about your needs as early as possible.
When preparing your stay in Granada, probably the department which has invited you, may have found accommodation for you. In the case you have not been offered accommodation or you are not satisfied with the place you have rented, please contact us and let us know your requirements before your arrival in Granada, if possible, otherwise it is less likely that we will be able to assist you with an appropriate offer.
Granada is a city of 240.000 inhabitants and very used to give lodgings to its 65.000 university students.
Accommodation Service of the University
(information only available in Spanish)
The University of Granada offers, through its Accommodation Service (Oficina de Gestión de Alojamientos) lodgings in Granada: university dormitories, university residences, apartments, rooms, student halls, accommodation with elderly people or families, hostels, and also several hotels which are within walking distance of the venues.
When registering through the web site of the accommodation Service of the UGR, please note that you have to choose the profile “Demandante del International Welcome Centre de la UGR” (Petitioner from the International Welcome Centre of the UGR).
Please, take into account that the Accommodation Service of the University of Granada is a portal web where you will find information about housing offers and demands and you, as UGR user, may register and search for the accommodation which adjust better to your needs. The consultation of these data will not give you additional costs.
Overview of accommodation options through the UGR Accommodation Service:
1. University residences
University residences offer accommodation to visiting scholars and members of the university community. We recommend to access to the website of each of them in order to know their requirements, regulations and how to apply for a room.
To see the UGR Accommodation Service’s list of university residences click here
2. Colegios mayores
Granada’s “colegios mayores” are an intrinsic part of the University. Similar to university residences, colegios mayores offer student accommodation, but differ in several aspects. These institutions tend to promote a variety of educational, cultural and sporting activities and events that tend to be mostly organised by the students. The student communities that integrate the colegios mayores tend to be very active. In Granada, these residences are sometimes managed by members of religious communities.
To see the UGR Accommodation Service’s list of colegios mayores click here
3. Renting a flat
There are different ways you can search for a flat in Granada. There is a wide range of advertising websites that you can use and it is common to find advertisements all around the city.
UGR’s Accommodation Service also has database with different offers from the private rented sector. While you can get advice at the UGR’s Accommodation Service, you will have to negotiate and settle the rental agreement directly with the property owner. In this sense the International Welcome Centre will do its communicative task between the owner and the tenant, in needed cases, such as, for instance, the lack of understanding, due to the fact that the website is only written in Spanish (We remind you that apart from Spanish, our office will communicate with you in English and French). Besides we offer our help with the translation of terms that affect to the tenant of the lease contract, before you sign it.
Check out the Accommodation Service’s flat rental database:
• Recent and updated entries (view on map or search)
• Complete list of entries (view on map or search)
4. Student residence halls
Student residence halls generally offer accommodation specifically for students, creating a favourable atmosphere for studying and socialising.
Click here to view the UGR Accommodation Service’s suggestions
5. Rent a room
Another attractive option is to rent a room, be it a shared flat with other students, with the owner of the property or with a family.
While there are other ways to search for rooms, the UGR Accommodation Service also has its own database for this purpose.
Click here to see the offers (view on map or search)
6. The Alternative Accommodation Programme
This programme is aimed at promoting mutual assistance between university students and the more vulnerable sectors of society. As part of this programme, students live free of charge with an elderly or disabled person and, in return, offer them company and help with different activities, such as taking them to the doctor or helping them with paperwork.
For more information, click here
7. Guesthouses and hostels
Some guesthouses and hostels provide special rates for students for the academic year.
Click here to view the UGR Accommodation Service’s list of guesthouses and hostels
8. Student Accommodation Agencies
Some Accommodation Agencies have special discounts for UGR students. You can check them here | http://alojamiento.ugr.es/?q=content/habitaciones-gestionadas-con-ofertas-para-los-estudiantes-de-la-ugr
For example, ALUNI (www.aluni.net) is a company that rents out individual rooms in shared flats, and provides additional services like ensuring the fulfilment of the leasing contract or establishing multi-cultural flats with environments that promote language learning.
Students and researchers of the University of Granada will have a 100% fees discount from the management of Aluni provide that the following conditons are met:
1º To show the university card at the moment of the contract signature.
2º To sign the leasing contract for more than 5 months.
3º To apply for this discount when signing the contract, referring to the information contained in this web site.
Furthermore, for those students who stay for more than 9 months, Aluni, will offer the gratuity of the 10 month if agreed by the owner.
This offer will not extend to utilities. Please consult the Aluni web site to know the apartments subject to this promotion.
Useful tips
• Start looking at accommodation options before you move to Granada.
• We recommend that you see the place that you are considering living at before you sign any agreements or pay any money.
• Student halls and residences are more expensive than shared flats, but usually include different services, such as cleaning, canteen service and laundry service. Services vary widely from one residence to another, so make sure you check them before you make a decision.
• Some residences, especially the colegios mayores, have strict policies concerning different aspects, like curfew or visitors. Make sure you read the residence’s rules and policies and that you agree with them before you make any decisions.
• If you want to find a flat or a shared flat, it is recommendable to see a number of them before you settle for one. There are usually still flats available at the start of the academic year, so it is a valid option to come to Granada a few weeks before to search for one. However, some prefer to come to Granada and find a flat several months in advance.
• When searching for a flat, make sure you notice, or ask, if it is being advertised directly by the owner (“por particular”) or by an estate agency (“por agencia inmobiliaria”). Agencies will ask for a fee, usually equal to a month’s worth of rent. (We aren’t saying that you shouldn’t search for your flat through agencies; just be aware that there are usually more costs involved.)
Before settling for a flat
o Ask whether the monthly rent includes “gastos de comunidad”, or whether you have to pay them on top of that (everyone in the building usually pays “gastos de comunidad”, which cover building maintenance and cleaning).
o Ask how much you would be expected to pay per month for utilities (“agua y luz”). Sometimes utilities are included in the rent, but you usually pay them separately.
o Ask how you get hot water. You may have an electric heater, gas supply or, alternatively, you may have to replace your gas bottles (“bombonas”) when they finish. If the latter is the case, you usually have two bottles, so that you never have to be without hot water (as long as you remember to replace the empty bottle!). One of the ways you can do this is by calling one of the gas bottle suppliers in Granada and ask them to deliver one.
o Ask how much you have to pay for your deposit (“fianza”). It is usually equal to a month’s worth of rent and. If everything is in order, it should be paid back once you extinguish the rental agreement.
o Think ahead. It might be warm when you arrive, but Granada can get quite chilly during winter. Does the flat have heating? What about double glazed windows? You may appreciate it later on.
o Read the rental agreement (“contrato de arrendamiento”). Get us to help you, if needed. Make sure that everything is in order.
How my kids can go to school in Spain?
Education system in Spain. General Notions
Education in Spain is free (at state schools and government subsidized schools) and compulsory from the ages of 6 to 16, the latter being the minimum legal age for work, although free and mandatory education can be extended to the age of 18 as part of the E.S.O. (Compulsory Secondary Education) under various circumstances: repetition of or missed school year, integration of students coming from abroad, etc.
Infant school (up to 6 years old) is not compulsory although the vast majority of children start their education between the ages of 3 and 6.
This stage is known as the 2nd cycle of Infant Education, which is offered free of charge on an integrated basis by State Schools.
See scheme of our Education system
Education in Spain is decentralized and the educational authorities are transferred to the Autonomous Regions. This implies certain different features in the general scheme, for example, in the Autonomous Regions with another official language, studying this language is compulsory to varying degrees.
If you wish to get more information about the Spanish Education System, please consult the link of our Ministry of Education Culture and Sports
Andalusian Education System
The main objective of the International Welcome Centre is to provide information and support for international researchers who move to the University of Granada. If you are coming with your family and have children of school going age, we will help you to get the appropriate information and support on the administrative procedures associated with the official registration in a school or in a college.
There are three types of schools: public, private and subsidized or Private publicly funded schools.
- Public schools are state-owned and free.They are attended by the majority of the population. With respect to bilingual schools, bilingualism is gradually being introduced in public schools.
- Private schools are mainly religious (Catholic) or bilingual.
- Subsidized or Private publicly funded schools are private schools partially subsidized by state, so its cost is quite low.
The selection of a particular public or subsidized school depends on the area where you reside or work. In subsidized schools the income of parents is also taken into account.
As a general rule, students are required to enrol in the months of March or April preceding the start of the academic year. The cost of school books and material is normally met by the parents.
In Granada, the Delegation for Education is in charge of the administrative issues related to the official registration in a School or in a College.
Where can I learn languages?
Consult the various language and culture centers available at the University of Granada.