Spain Visa

Spain is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. About 82.9 million tourists visited Spain in 2018, which is loved for its beautiful beaches and rich culture. This gorgeous country in southwestern Europe offers a variety of landscapes including the snow capped Sierra Nevada mountain range, rain-swept valleys in the Cantabrian Mountains, pleasant Balearic Islands and the southern dessert range. Spain is well-known for Flamenco music and dance. If you too want to soak under the sun and enjoy Flamenco in Spain, you would have to first obtain a Spain visa or a Schengen visa. You will also have to get travel insurance for your trip in order to visit Spain.

What is Spain Visa?

Spain visa is a permit that is granted to foreign nationals who want to enter the country of Spain. It is an authorization that allows people from another country to enter, travel and stay in Spain for a limited period of time. It also grants the visa holders with permission to catch a connecting flight to another country from one of the international airports in Spain. The Embassy of Spain has appointed BLS International as the official agency to grant Spain visa to applicants on its behalf.

All Indian citizens with a valid Indian passport need a Spain visa in order to travel to Spain. Every visa applicant would also need a travel insurance policy in order to obtain a Spain visa. This is because travel insurance is a mandatory prerequisite to applying for a Spain visa.

Features of Spain Visa

• Available for short-stay as well as for long-stay
• Free short-term Spain visa for family members of EEA/ EU citizens and minor children
• Mandatory travel insurance for all applicants

Types of Spain Visa

The Embassy of Spain broadly provides two types of visas to foreigners who want to visit this European country. All applicants should select the type of Spain visa they require on the basis of their purpose of travel. Take a look at the two Spain visa types and its sub-categories:

Short Term Visa

Short term visa is a type of Spain visa that allows foreigners to enter and stay in Spain for a maximum of 90 days. This type of visa is divided into five categories –

Tourist Visa

A Spain Tourist visa is a type of visa meant for people travelling to Spain for vacationing or tourism purposes. Applicants of Spain Tourist visa do not have a guarantor in Spain and instead have made a booking with a hotel, travel agent or a tour operator.

Business Visa

A Business visa is a type of Spain visa that allows a foreign national to travel to this European country for conducting business activities such as attending conferences, meetings and signing contracts. However, holders of this visa are not allowed to people are not allowed to work in Spain.

Airport Transit Visa

 An Airport Transit visa for Spain allows people from other countries to enter Spain’s territory for the purpose of boarding a connecting flight to a third country. Holders of this type of Spain visa are not allowed to exit the international transit areas of the airport.

Transit Visa for Seamen

A Transit Visa for Seamen is a type of visa meant for people travelling to Spain through ships. This type of Spain visa allows foreign nationals to stay in Spain for up to 5 days before continuing with their onward journey on a ship to another country.   

Family Member of EEA/ EU Citizens

This is a category of Spain visa which is applicable for family members of a citizen of a European Economic Area (EEA) and European Union (EU) country. Applicants under this category can apply for a short-term visa to enter Spain for a short period of time.

National Visa

A National visa is a type of Spain visa that allows foreign nationals to stay in Spain for more than 90 days. Also known as Residence visa or Long-Stay visa, it permits its holder to study, work and conduct research in Spain. It is broadly divided into four types –

Study Visa

A Study visa is a type of national visa that allows its holders to stay and study in Spain for more than 90 days. People with this visa can conduct research work as well as undergo unpaid training in Spain.

Work Visa

A Work visa is a type of long-stay visa that grants permission to its holders to work in Spain. It consists of different categories including intra-company transfers, self-employment visa, visa for research, development & innovation, visa for highly qualified professionals and visa for entrepreneurs.

Non-Lucrative Residence Visa

A Non-Lucrative Residence visa is a type of residence visa that allows foreign nationals to stay as a legal resident of Spain for up to 1 year. This type of Spain visa can be renewed for another 2 years.

Family Reunification Visa

A Family Reunification visa is a type of national visa that allows family members and first-grade relatives of a Spanish resident to travel and stay in Spain for more than 3 months.

Who Should Apply for Spain Visa

People with an Indian passport who wish to travel to Spain need to obtain a Spain visa. No Indian nationals will be allowed to enter the borders of Spain without a valid Spain visa from India, irrespective of what their purpose of travel is. Even people who wish to transit from the international transit areas of Spanish airports require a Spain visa. All applicants will also have to obtain travel insurance in order to obtain a Spain visa, as per the requirements of entering a Schengen area.

How to Apply for Spain Visa?

The process of applying for a Spain visa is very simple. BLS International handles and processes all Spain visa applications on behalf of the Embassy of Spain. If you want to apply for a Spain visa online, you need to follow the steps given below:

• Visit the official website of BLS International
• Select the type of Spain visa you want to apply for according to your purpose of travel
• Arrange all the required documents to be attached with your visa application, including Travel Insurance
• Download the forms and fill it
• Submit the forms along with all the supporting documents to BLS International office as per the Embassy/ Consulate having jurisdiction over your city of residence
• Pay the visa fees
• Give your biometrics, if needed

Make sure to confirm the Embassy/ Consulate where you need to apply for a Spain visa from India as per their jurisdiction. The jurisdiction is decided based on the city where the applicant has been staying for the last 6 months.

Documents Required to Apply for Spain Visa

Each applicant of Spain visa from India needs to submit the following documents at the time of applying for the visa:

Documents Required to Apply for Short Term Italy Visa

• Spain visa application form
• Copy of passport with a minimum validity of 3 months
• 2 recent photographs
• Copy of flight booking confirmation for round trip
• Duly signed BLS Authorization form
• Proof of residence, which includes:
  • Copy of rent agreement
  • Copy of sale deed
  • NOC from the applicant’s employer mentioning his residential address and the date since when he has been stying there
  • Affidavit by the applicant’s relatives (if staying with relatives)
• Biometric / biometric declaration letter (if biometric submitted in the last 59 months)

Check the list of additional documents required by different kinds of short term visa applicants in the table given below:

Documents Required to Apply for National Visa

All applicants of National visa can visit the Embassy of Spain without an appointment in order to submit their application. Take a look at the various documents required that needs to be submitted:

• Spain visa application form
• 1 recent photograph
• Copy of passport, which is valid for the entire duration of the stay
• Proof of financial security
  • ITR for the last two years
  • Bank statement for the last six months
• Travel medical insurance or medical health insurance
• Original and photocopy of the police clearance certificate from the Regional Transport Office (RTO)
• Original and photocopy of the criminal record clearance certificate from the country (other than India and Spain) where the applicant has stayed for more than 5 years
• Original and photocopy of medical certificate by a chartered doctor
• Copy of marriage certificate in English (in case spouse or registered partner)

Refer the table given below to check the list of additional documents required by different kinds of national  visa applicants:

*All documents for National visa for Spain should be apostilled or legalized.  

Do’s to Ensure Smooth Processing of Spain Visa Application

• Passport should have at least two empty pages and should be valid for at least 3 months after the date of arrival back in India.
• The photograph should not be more than 6 months old and should be taken on a white background in the dimensions of 3.5cm X 4.5cm. The candidate shouldn’t be wearing spectacles/ sunglasses and his teeth should not be visible.
• Fill the application form with a blue pen or get it printed.
• All required affidavits should be made on a stamp paper of INR 100 and should contain notary’s seal.

Spain Visa Fee

Every applicant of Spain visa has to pay a visa fee at the time of submitting their visa application. Applicants above the age of 12 years will have to pay a fee of INR 4804. Children between the age of 6 and 12 years will have to pay INR 2802. The applicants will also have to pay an additional service charge of INR 1237. The Spain visa fee can vary as per the Euro and Indian rupee conversion rate.

Family members of EEA and EU citizens can obtain a Spain visa for free.  Moreover, no Spain visa fee has to be paid for Spain visa applications by children below the age of 6 years.

Spain visa fee and the service charge can be paid in online as well as offline. You can pay the Spain visa fee online via NEFT, RTGS and IMPS. You can also make your Spain visa fee payment offline via cash and demand draft. The demand draft should be drawn in the favour of ‘BLS International Services Ltd Spain Visa’ and should be payable at New Delhi or Mumbai as per your visa application centre.

Travel Insurance for Spain Visa

Spain is a beautiful country with sceneries that will take your breath away. It is also popular for bullfights and is a hub for adventure sports activities. The change in weather conditions in different parts of Spain can put you under the risk of falling ill. Thus, it is important to keep yourself prepared for any mishap that may take place during your trip to Spain. The only way to stay protected from an unforeseen emergency is by purchasing a travel insurance policy.

Travel insurance is insurance for your trip that will keep you safe from any eventuality that might interrupt your travel plans in Spain. It not only provides emergency medical & financial assistance but also covers losses that you face due to any travel-related emergencies. Basically, a travel insurance policy covers you from risks including medical expenses, emergency ambulance charges, personal accident, loss of passport, personal liability, loss or delay in check-in baggage arrival, trip delay, trip cancellation & curtailment, medical repatriation, missed connection flight and many more.

It is compulsory for everyone travelling to Spain to possess a valid travel insurance policy. In fact, you will not be granted a Spain visa if you haven’t purchased international travel insurance or medical travel insurance for your trip. Make sure to purchase travel insurance with a minimum cover of EUR 30,000 or USD 50,000 in order to be eligible to get a Spain visa.

Applicants of Spain visa can buy travel insurance that best suits their needs. While people going for a one-time trip can get a single trip travel insurance, people who will be travelling frequently to Spain can opt for multi-trip travel insurance. Moreover, families visiting Spain together can buy family travel insurance and senior citizens can get senior citizen travel insurance. In case you are travelling to Spain for studying, you can buy student travel insurance that will protect you from risks such as study interruption, compassionate visit, bail bond, sponsor protection, maternity expenses, etc.