Spanish Tourist Visa

Tourism has encountered an enormous boost in Spain and the country had been able to improve its socio-economic situation due to its prosperous hospitality sphere. The national government, in order to guarantee the security of the foreign tourists and provide better law and order, enhanced a tangled way of getting visas for British residents. We are more than happy to share a detailed clear procedure on how to obtain a Spanish visa in 2022.

Let’s consider this:

Introduction

1. Top questions

1.1 What is a visa & who needs to get it?

1.2 What Tourist Visa is to enter Spain? 

1.3 How long is a Tourist Visa valid for?

1.4 When should I start applying to get a Tourist Visa?

1.5 How long does it take to get a Spanish Tourist Visa?

1.6 Where is the Tourist Visa processed?

1.7 How much does it cost to obtain a Spanish Tourist Visa?

1.8 How to pay?

2. Application process

2.1 Documents to apply for a Spanish Tourist Visa

2.2 Steps to apply for a Spanish Tourist Visa

3. Tourist Visa Extension

In overall 

The boom in the number of international travelers in Spain has led to numerous benefits in terms of local business & study generation. This is also linked to global funding and infrastructure improvement. In parallel, there is an issue about their influence on the local population in Spain. While questions have been raised on the detrimental effects alongside the increase in the Spanish travel industry, it is of high importance to say that, by enforcing strict law and order and implementing clear and transparent legislation, authorities may regulate most of these bad effects of trips to Spain. For this reason, certain visa requirements have brought innumerable perks to Spanish and especially the local citizens. On the other side, we are sure that the procedure of obtaining a visa to enter Spanish is not as complicated thing as it seems to be. Let’s start to answer as well as get the responses to some questions to find out the Spanish visa application process.

1. Top questions

1.1 What is a visa & who needs to get it?

According to Wikipedia definition, a visa is a permit given by Italy that allows someone to fly, stay in, or pass through the border of Spain. This document is stamped on one’s passport by a Visa Application Center. It goes without saying, there is the type of visit and the duration of staying in the country. In rare cases, people have to be interviewed at the Visa Application Center before they obtain a visa. Henceforth, it can be confidently conveyed that some categories of citizens who reside in the UK are offered visa-free conditions to see Spain.

British citizens are exempted from visas for short stay visits to the Schengen area (up to 90 days in any 180 days period) but will require a visa if staying more than 90 days in Spain. On the other side, if you do not hold a UK passport or a BOTC, BOC, BPP, or BS passport meaning that you are a UK resident there is a need to get a Spanish Schengen visa to visit Spain.

Please, take a look at the tables to check out whether your nationality requires you to apply for a Spanish visa or not.

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With the primary condition such as a UK residence permit valid for at least another three more months beyond the date you plan to leave Spain / the Schengen Area comes a plethora of benefits like you can live in Spain for less than 90 days but if your idea is about staying in Spain for more than 90 days, then there is a need to apply for a residency permit, not a Spanish Schengen visa.

If you have a 3 month UK visa, you can extend it for three more months to be eligible to apply for a Spanish Schengen visa from within the UK. You must apply for an extension before your visa expires and while you’re still in the UK.

1.2 What Tourist Visa is to enter Spain? 

This is the most frequent visa and as the name indicates, it is issued for stays that are for traveling for sightseeing and experiencing their culture, architecture, food, and much more. First of all, it means that you are not allowed to engage in any professional activity in Spain unless you are a young traveler eligible to take part in the working holiday program.

1.3 How long is a Tourist Visa valid for?

The time of visa to be actual is primarily dependent on a visa type. Consequently, this enables us to pay attention to the duration and prepare some documents to make your trip with great pleasure.

A tourist visa is normally issued for a maximum of 90 days per 6-month period. Remember that if the total duration of your stay exceeds 90 days, you will be issued a long-stay national visa.

1.4 When should I start applying to get a Tourist Visa?

It is highly recommended to apply for a Spanish Tourist Visa at least 20 calendar days prior to the planned trip.

1.5 How long does it take to get a Spanish Tourist Visa?

You will be replied to by the Visa Application Center from one to four weeks from the day you submit your application.

Normally proceeding time takes up to two months if there is something unusual in a certain situation.

1.6 Where is the Tourist Visa processed?

IF YOU VISIT ONLY SPAIN THEN you need to submit your application at the Spanish Visa Center IN THE UK.

IF YOU VISIT MORE COUNTRIES THAN SPAIN THEN you need to submit your application at the Visa Center IN THE COUNTRY:

– you will be spending more days;

– you will come in first since you plan to spend an equal amount of days in each.

Address:

Lower Ground Floor, Cromwell House,
14 Fulwood Place, London, WC1V 6HZ

Contact details:

Phone: +442031291651
Email: info.lhr@blshelpline.com

However, to meet the skyrocketing demand for Spanish Visas, the Spanish Embassy outsourced its Visa Application Processing to the Spanish Visa Centers in London. To be added, a Visa Application Centre is a special third-party service provider authorized to accept visa applications on behalf of a country. It should transmit the information on the applicant and their application to the responsible body for visa processing which is the embassy or consulate of the applicant’s destination country. Our company is ready to help you with filling and sending the necessary documents to the Visa Application Center. Thus, at present, our company corrects and sends the documents to get Spanish Visas through BLS International Visa Application Center.

1.7 How much does it cost to obtain a Spanish Tourist Visa?

The cost for processing a visa is totally different for some categories of UK residents:

– 73 UK pounds is the actual visa processing fee for adults;

– 36,5 UK pounds is the actual visa processing fee for the 6-12 years old kids.

There is no fee to be paid for the next categories of UK residents:

– the kids younger than 6 years of age;

– a family member of an EU/EEA national.

1.8 How to pay?

You have the option of paying the visa fees by cash or Credit/ Debit card when applying at the Visa Application Centre. Checks are not accepted.

2. Application process

2.1 Documents to apply for a Spanish Tourist Visa

When applying for a Spanish Tourist Visa, you must provide the next documents:

FIRST DOCUMENT – VISA APPLICATION FORM 

You need to fill in your Short-stay Visa Application Form legibly, and correctly, sign it, and be aware that addresses in Spain must specify the number, street name, city, and postal code.

Please make use of the following table to fill in the form correctly:

SECOND DOCUMENT – TWO RECENT PHOTOS

It is recommended to follow all the following Spanish Visa Photo Requirements:

– Two identical photos. Not older than six months;

– Photo size: 35x45mm (width*height);

– In color. No black and white;

– Head should take 70-80% of the photo;

– Brightly colored background. Light grey is suggested;

– The applicant should be looking straight at the camera;

– Neutral face expression. No smile and mouth closed;

– Avoid uniforms or colors matching the background.

THIRD DOCUMENT – A FLIGHT ITINERARY (RESERVATION)

Sometimes you can hear other names of this document like Booked Flight Itinerary, Flight Itinerary for Visa Application, Flight Reservation, Air Ticket Booking, Dummy Air Ticket for Visa, Dummy Ticket, Flight Confirmation, and Return Ticket.

A Flight Itinerary for Visa Application is not an actual air ticket that you spend money for without ensuring that your Spanish Visa will not be declined. Flight reservation means a document of a detailed plan of your flight or travel journey to Spain. So, it is only a flight timetable on the chosen flight airline including a flight name, your name, a valid flight reservation number or booking ID, arrival and departure date and airport IATA codes, and the price of a real Flight Ticket.

Getting a Flight Reservation for your visa application is not a price-free matter. It is real to get charged with a small amount of money to be confirmed about your flight. There are not so many air companies to do this for free by not charging you anything until you buy the actual Flight Ticket. But, in the long run, you can try to find some air companies that offer a charge-free Flight Reservation.

FOURTH DOCUMENT – VALID PASSPORT

Your passport’s maximum validity period: 10 years.

Your passport minimum validity period: 3 months after your trip to Spain. Your passport should have at least two blank pages in order to be able to affix the visa sticker.

FIFTH DOCUMENT – TRAVEL HEALTH INSURANCE

You need to be aware of some travel insurance requirements, such as the following:

– A minimum coverage of at least 30,000 EUR;

– It should cover all member states of the Schengen Area;

Regarding this, it is highly recommended to contact one of the companies like AXA or Europ Assistance.

SIXTH DOCUMENT – PROOF OF ACCOMMODATION IN SPAIN

You need to prepare one of the next recognized docs to provide the Spanish Visa Application Center with it:

– Hotel Booking or Reservation;

– Rent agreement. If you have rented a place, in the country you will be staying.

It may be solely chosen like Hotel Booking Plan as Proof of Accommodation because you should not pay for the complete hotel stay before getting a Spanish Visa. Actually, you could lose your money to pay the hotel fee if your visa is denied.

VisaReservation is a good company that may provide you with a Proof of Accommodation Letter for Visa application with paying a small fee to reserve a room in a hotel. Follow the website VisaReservation, choose the Hotel Booking Plan Only, write the necessary information about you and your residing time in a hotel, pay online, get the confirmation of your payment and the e-mail with info of your hotel reservation in your inbox, print the email details and provide it to the Visa Application Center.

SEVENTH DOCUMENT – LETTER OF TOUR AGENCY

If your trip is planned by a travel agency do not forget to ask someone from there to hand you this doc in.

EIGHTH DOCUMENT – PROOF OF SUBSISTENT FINANCIAL MEANS

This is a supporting document that demonstrates you have enough money to support yourself when your stay in Spain. Proof of subsistent financial means maybe one of these docs:

– bank account statement;

– sponsorship letter from another person who can financially support your trip to Spain;

– a combination of both.

In other words, there are some recognized docs to use as proof of subsistent financial means:

– a personal bank statement with your financial affairs for at least 3 last months;

– credit card;

– cash;

– cheques;

– payslips;

– proof of employment;

– document from your sponsor during your stay;

– proof of prepaid accommodation;

– a document about your private accommodation;

– proof of prepaid transport;

– other docs.

Any applicant when applying for Spain Visa should attest to the Spain Visa Application Center possessing this:

at least 100€/day, with a minimum of €900per person regardless of the intended duration of the stay.

NINTH DOCUMENT – EVIDENCE OF EMPLOYMENT STATUS

In case of your employment:

– employment contract;

– leave permission from the employer;

– income tax return.

In case of your self-employment:

– a copy of your business license;

– company’s bank statement of the latest 6 months;

– your Income Tax Return.

In case of your studies:

– proof of enrollment;

– No Objection Letter from University.

TENTH DOCUMENT – TRAVEL ITINERARY

A description of your trip to Europe, your purpose of traveling, which places are you going to visit in Europe, the time frame, and all the personal data.

ELEVENTH DOCUMENTS – FOR MINORS

– either birth certificate/proof of adoption/custody decree if parents are divorced / death certificate of a parent;

– letter of consent from parents, including passport copies of both parents/ legal guardian.

2.2 Steps to apply for a Spanish Tourist Visa

Irrespective of your visa type, your movements after collecting all the corresponding docs to getting a Spanish visa are the same:

FIRST STEP – find out the option of applying – through the Visa Application Center on your own or contact us to help you with filling out the documents.

SECOND STEP – figure out the appropriate time to go in person to apply for the Spanish Visa.

THIRD STEP – make an appointment at the Spanish Visa Application Center

There are two options to make an appointment:

– online;

– in person.

FOURTH STEP – attend the interview with the collected documents.

FIFTH STEP – pay the visa fee.

SIXTH STEP – wait for a reply from the application center on your visa application.

Take note that the visa application form must clearly contain the dates of your visit and which cities you will be staying in. For this reason, it is better to collect your documents and fill in your visa application form once you have all of the information you need for the visa application.

3. Tourist Visa Extension

It is not a frequent case when you can extend your Spanish visa. Your reasons to extend your tourist visa should be powerful. To get to know more of them read these ones:

– late entry;

– humanitarian reasons;

– force majeure;

– personal reasons.

In overall,

We do really hope this article has helped you apply for a Spanish visa from the United Kingdom.

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