Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

General purpose:

• Facilitating the access, arrival and stay of UAM students, teaching staff and researchers from outside the EU
• Promoting multiculturalism in the university

Specific purposes:

• Promoting relations with the institutions which non-EU students, researchers and teaching staff must deal with in order to enter or stay in the UAM
• Involving all professions and departments of the university to improve the quality of their stay for this group
• Offering a personal welcome to the users of the office
• Making their presence visible in university life
• Dignifying the figure of the foreign student and researcher in and outside the UAM
• Raising awareness in the University community for the integration of the cultural diversity of the university

Functions

The UAM Reception Office has the double function of processing and welcoming the foreign students, researchers and teaching staff who come to the university, board of governors and Foundation.

The processing relates to the academic and bureaucratic formalities which foreign students and researchers encounter when entering the country.

• Academic procedures:
  • Legalise the qualifications obtained at UAM for international, obtaining the Hague Apostille.
  • Facilitating recognition of qualifications obtained abroad for validity in Spain through contact with the Recognition Office of the Ministry of Education and Science.
  • Supporting registration, admission, complaints and contract procedures, acting as intermediaries between students or researchers and the offices where these are processed.
  • Providing information on the working and structure of UAM and the services it offers: university card, website, location, accommodation in halls of residence and university residences…
• Other procedures: 
  • Obtaining the student residence card from the bureau for immigration
  • Managing all procedures for obtaining or renewing part time work permits for students, work permits for Training of University Teaching Staff and Training of Research Staff grant holder, work permit exemption and other situations such as permanent residence, in the Government Department for Work in Madrid.
  • Contacting the Ministry of the Exterior, Spanish consulates and embassies abroad to help obtain student visas or work permit exemption.
  • Relations with various Social Security offices to facilitate the assigning of a social security number to researchers in order to formalise their contracts
  • Facilitating the procedures for obtaining or renewing residency for families of students and researchers.
  • Facilitating procedures for obtaining the Right to Return when travelling.
  • Organising medical and travel insurance for non-EU students through the agreement between the Office and the Compañía Europea de Seguros insurance company.
  • Facilitating opening a bank account and the procedures involved.

• Welcoming actions:
  • Promoting the creation and development of the Foreign Students' Association (ASOEX)
  • Work co-ordinated with this association to give a personal welcome to students and researchers
  • Finding accommodation
  • Organisation of activities with the ASOEX: informational, integration and leisure days; excursions, trips and group activities.
  • Psychological care programme with the ASOEX and the Centre for Applied Psychology
  • Information about Spain and Madrid: transport and communications, places of interest, grants and work opportunities…

• Personal support when students and researchers arrive
• Integration activities
• Psychological care programme
• Housing pool

UAM internal procedures

• Support for procedures:
  • Registration
  • Legalising Documents
  • University card
  • Managing e-mail accounts
• Information on:
  • The campus and access to it
  • Services, functioning and structure of UAM
  • Housing: university residences

UAM external procedures

• In the MAEC (Ministry for Foreign Affairs), consulates and embassies for obtaining visas
• In the Education Ministry for recognition of qualifications
• In Social Security offices
• In bureaus for immigration and Mininstry of Labour for organising student residence cards and work permits
• Agreement with a medical insurance company
• Agreement with banks
• Housing pool