Get a Tourist Visa for Spain

A visa is required for all travel to Spain if you plan to visit for more than 90 days. You also may need a tourist visa even for a shorter stay if your country of citizenship is not covered under the Schengen Agreement. The Schengen Agreement allows citizens of covered countries to travel freely among the European member states for up to 90 days for either tourist or business purposes. To get a tourist visa for Spain, you must plan your trip in advance and apply with the Spanish consulate nearest you.

Steps

Planning Your Trip

1. Decide on travel dates. If you need to apply for a visa, you should plan your trip well in advance so you have time to submit your application and have your visa approved before you leave.
   • You will need to provide details about your travel itinerary with your visa application, so the sooner you nail down the dates for your trip, the better.
2. Check the validity of your passport. Once you've decided when you plan to travel to Spain, make sure you won't need to renew your passport. If your passport is not valid for at least three months after your scheduled date of departure, you may be refused entry.
   • The U.S. State Department recommends that you make sure your passport remains valid for at least six months after your scheduled date of departure, just to be on the safe side.
3. Book your flight. You cannot get a tourist visa for Spain unless you can provide proof that you are booked on a flight entering and leaving Spain. For a Schengen visa, you must arrive and depart within 90 days.
   • If you plan on staying in Spain for longer than 90 days, you still must provide proof that you have already purchased round-trip travel into and out of the country.
   • Even if you are flying to another country before you fly home, you must have specific information, including flight numbers, for when you are arriving in and departing from Spain.
4. Arrange your accommodations. To get a tourist visa for Spain, you must provide proof that you will have a place to stay the entire time you are in the country. Typically if you are traveling as a tourist, you would provide your hotel booking reservation.
   • If you're planning to stay with friends or family who live in Spain, they must be a citizen or legal resident of Spain. You will need a letter of invitation from them that was issued by their local police department.
5. Secure travel and health insurance. If you plan to travel to Spain on a tourist visa, you must provide a copy of your travel and health insurance policy with your application. You must be covered for a minimum of 30,000 euros.
   • The policy must be valid throughout your stay, and for all Schengen countries. Speak to a travel agent if you're not sure where to get appropriate insurance.
   • The policy must cover 100 percent of all medical care, with no deductibles or co-pays.

Applying for a Schengen Visa

1. Determine if you need a short-term visa. If you are a citizen of an EU country, the US, Canada, and some other countries, you won't need a visa to enter Spain as a tourist for 90 days or fewer.
   • For the most part, if you are a citizen of a country in South America, Asia, or Africa, you must get a Schengen visa if you want to travel to Spain as a tourist.
   • A complete list of the countries for which citizens need a Schengen visa to travel to Spain for fewer than 90 days can be found at http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/LONDRES/en/Consulado/Pages/CheckPassport.aspx.
2. Complete the Schengen application form. You can pick up a Schengen tourist visa application form from the Spanish consulate nearest you. You also can download the application from the website of the Schengen visa department at www.schengenvisa.cc.
   • The application form has space for you to provide your name, address, and birthdate. You also must include information about your passport and citizenship, employment, and finances.
   • The application also requires you to provide dates you will be entering and leaving Spain, other Schengen countries you will be visiting, and where you plan to stay while you are in Spain. You also must describe your reason for visiting Spain.
   • For most of the information you list on the form, you must provide documentation to back up your statements.
3. Attach appropriate documentation. Along with your application, you must submit copies of your travel itinerary, proof of health and travel insurance, and information about your income.
   • You can get a list of the documents required from the consulate, or by visiting the consulate's website. Take note of the documents that must be translated into Spanish.
   • Generally, you will need a letter from your employer that provides information about your job and annual income. The Spanish government wants to make sure that you will be able to support yourself during your stay and that you aren't planning on staying in Spain in violation of their immigration laws, but that you have a job to return to. If you are self-employed, submit a copy of your most recent tax return.
4. Apply at the correct consulate. A Schengen visa allows you to enter any one of the countries participating in the Schengen Agreement. However, you must apply for your visa at the consulate of your main destination, if you plan to visit more than one country.
   • You don't have to visit the consulate in person to apply for a Schengen visa. You can mail it to the correct consulate, but make sure you're leaving enough time for it to get there and be processed before you start your travel.
   • You can only apply for a visa from a consulate or embassy where you are a legal resident. For example, if you are a legal resident of the United States, you cannot submit an application to the Spanish consulate in Portugal.
   • A Schengen visa application must be accompanied by a non-refundable visa fee of 64 euros. This fee is payable by cash or money order only.
5. Wait for approval. From the day the consulate receives your Schengen visa application, it typically takes one or two weeks to be approved. It may take longer at certain high-volume times of the year, or if the consulate requires additional information from you.

Applying for a Long Stay Visa

1. Determine the type of visa you need. If you plan to visit Spain for longer than 90 days, there are several different classifications of visa that might apply to your situation. Go over these classifications on the Spanish consulate website, or visit your nearest Spanish consulate and ask for assistance.
   • For example, if you want to spend a portion of your retirement in Spain, you would want to apply for a "Residency Visa to Retire." This visa allows you to stay in the country for longer than 90 days, but does not permit you to work or do any other lucrative activities.
   • If you are a digital nomad who is slow traveling through Europe and plans to spend more than 90 days in Spain, you need the "Residence Visa for Investors and Self-Employment." This visa allows you to reside in Spain and work, provided you have contracts that originate elsewhere. You cannot work for Spanish employers while you are in Spain on this visa.
2. Complete the national visa application. You can get a copy of the appropriate visa application by visiting the Spanish consulate's office or embassy nearest you, or you can download the form from the Spanish consulate website and print it out.
   • The national visa application requires personal and citizenship information such as your name, address, birthplace, and country of citizenship.
   • Additional information will depend on the type of visa for which you're applying, but typically includes financial and employment information, as well as information about your health and health insurance.
3. Gather the appropriate documentation. Generally, you will need documentation to back up all of the information you provided on your visa application. The types of documents required will vary depending on the classification of the visa for which you applied.
   • You can find a list of required documents on the application as well as on the Spanish consulate's website.
   • For all visas, you will have to provide proof of medical insurance coverage that lasts the duration of your stay in Spain, as well as a certificate from your doctor that you do not have any mental illnesses or contagious diseases, and are not addicted to drugs. This certificate must be translated into Spanish.
   • You also must submit your passport along with two passport-sized photographs. Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date on your application.
4. Visit the Spanish consulate. If you want to apply for a visa to stay in Spain for longer than 90 days, you must apply in person at the Spanish consulate or embassy nearest you. To find the nearest embassy or consulate, you can visit the website of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.
   • Take all your documents with you, along with your original application and one copy. You also should bring photo identification and proof of residency.
   • Wear clean, conservative clothing as you may be interviewed by a member of the consulate office staff when you arrive.
5. Submit your application. You must give your application and all documents to a staff member at the consulate or embassy, along with cash or a money order for the required application fee. The amount of the required fee varies depending on your country of citizenship.
   • If you are a U.S. citizen, you must pay $160. The fee for citizens of all other countries is $64, unless you are a national of Russia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, or Moldavia, in which case you'll pay $38.
   • This fee is non-refundable regardless of whether your application is approved or denied.
6. Wait for your application to be resolved. It typically takes between three and four weeks for the Spanish consulate to approve a visa for a longer stay, and if they need additional information it may take longer. Keep this in mind when you're planning your trip and don't wait too long to apply.
   • Once your application is resolved, your visa will be issued. You will receive a temporary residency card once you arrive in Spain.

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Sources and Citations

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