Get Your Schengen Visa Application for Spain Online Now!

Last updated: January 2023

NOTE: Since January 3, 2023, all travelers coming from China need proof of vaccination or a negative PCR taken within 72 hours, or an antigen taken within 24 hours before traveling.

Spain is one of the most dazzling destinations in Europe, with a thriving tourism industry. Visitors come to experience the religious, historical, and cultural sights of popular cities such as Barcelona and Madrid. Spain has also been a member of the Schengen zone since 1991. That means that visitors who travel to this zone can enjoy visa-free travel to any other Schengen country.

If you’re planning on visiting Spain, you will need to make sure your travel documents are in order before your trip. Depending on where you are from, this might include applying for a Spain Schengen visa. The iVisa.com experts can help you expedite the visa application process as soon as it becomes available online. In the meantime, use our Visa Checker widget to check which travel documents you need to visit Spain.

What to know about the Spain Visa

A Spain Schengen visa is a short stay visa that lets tourists visit Spain and other countries in the Schengen area. This is a group of 26 countries (both EU member state and non-EU) that operate as a single entity for the purposes of travel, allowing visitors to use one convenient visa when traveling through the region.

Who needs to apply for a Spanish Visa?

The Spanish visa regime requires most visitors from outside Schengen area countries to apply for a Spain visa.

There are some exceptions for countries with non-visa agreements with the Schengen zone. The United States and Australia are a few examples of countries who can enter Spain and the Schengen zone without a visa. However, visa-exempt visitors may be required to obtain a visa waiver to stay in Schengen countries for any less than 90 days starting in 2023, called the Spain ETIAS.

Persons with Spanish nationality don’t need a Schengen visa because their home country is part of the visa-free movement agreement. Spain and the other 25 Schengen states all operate without border security along their shared borders. This means that Spanish citizens can visit any Schengen country, and citizens from these states can visit Spain, without needing special visas.

Entry requirements vary significantly between countries. Individuals from the following countries are required to obtain a Spanish visa before entering Spain or traveling to other Schengen states:

Afghanistan	Algeria	Angola	Armenia	Azerbaijan
Bahrain	Bangladesh	Belarus	Belize	Benin
Bhutan	Bolivia	Botswana	Burkina Faso	Burundi
Cambodia	Cameroon	Cape Verde	Central African Republic	Chad
China	Comoros	Congo	Côte D’Ivoire	Cuba
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Djibouti	Dominican Republic	Ecuador	Egypt
Equatorial Guinea	Eritrea	Eswatini	Ethiopia	Fiji
Gabon	Gambia	Ghana	Guinea	Guinea-Bissau
Guyana	Haiti	India	Indonesia	Iran
Iraq	Jamaica	Jordan	Kazakhstan	Kenya
Kosovo	Kuwait	Kyrgyzstan	Laos	Lebanon
Lesotho	Liberia	Libya	Madagascar	Malawi
Maldives	Mali	Mauritania	Mongolia	Morocco
Mozambique	Myanmar	Namibia	Nepal	Niger
Nigeria	North Korea	Northern Marianas	Oman	Pakistan
Papua New Guinea	Palestinian Authority	Philippines	Qatar	Russia
Rwanda	São Tomé and Príncipe	Saudi Arabia	Senegal	Sierra Leone
Somalia	South Africa	South Sudan	Sri Lanka	Sudan
Suriname	Syria	Tajikistan	Tanzania	Thailand
Timor-Leste	Togo	Tonga	Tunisia	Turkey
Turkmenistan	Uganda	Uzbekistan	Vanuatu	Vietnam
Yemen	Zambia	Zimbabwe

How long can I stay in Spain or a Schengen country with this visa?

A Spain visa lasts for up to three months (90 days) within a 180-day period. After this period, visitors must leave Spain and the Schengen area. These Category C Schengen visas are basic tourist travel documents meant for short business and personal trips such as visiting friends, tourism, and work-study programs. If you overstay your visa, you may be seized by the Spanish national police and fined or barred from entering Spain or even the Schengen area again.

You should complete your Spain visa application form well before your trip. Visas take at least two weeks to process, or longer. To ensure that you have everything in place to travel to Spain, aim to get your visa issued several months before your intended travel dates.

What are the visa requirements for the Spain visa?

For your visa application, in addition to attending a visa interview, you need to present a number of identification and itinerary documents to Spanish authorities to apply for a Spanish visa.

Each travel document you need is detailed below:

• Visa application form: When inquiring online, start with filling out the visa application form. You’ll be asked for personal details, such as name, address, date of birth, and civil status and marriage certificate, for example. Make sure that your information is complete and ready to go.
• Two photographs: You will need to submit two photos of yourself taken within the last three months. If you don’t have one, check out the convenient iVisa.com photo service.
• Valid passport: You will need a valid passport that has been issued within 10 years but not expiring within three months from the arrival date. Your passport needs to have at least two blank pages for visa stickers. If applicable, you may also need to show a valid personal identity card.
• Travel Itinerary: Your itinerary shows the intended duration of your stay. This can be a copy of flight information showing intended onward travel, a round trip ticket, or hotel accommodations marked with a planned date. Anything that officially details your trip can be part of your itinerary.
• Proof of accommodations: Your visa application will need proof showing where you plan to stay, such as hotel reservations or a letter from family members residing in Spain.
• Birth certificate: Minors applying for a Schengen visa need to provide their birth certificate along with written consent from their parents or legal guardians.
• Financial statement: Provide a bank statement demonstrating that you have sufficient financial means to pay for your stay. Showing your monthly income is the simplest method.
• Medical treatment insurance: Travelers must have travel health insurance with minimum coverage of €30,000 for emergency medical treatment. You must show proof of your medical insurance as part of your visa application form.
• Proof of enrollment/Employment status: Proving that you are enrolled in an educational institution or work at a Spanish company, or that you are self-employed, is necessary if these are part of your stay. You can also show a business license, employment contract, or income tax return on your visa application.

Do I need a Schengen Visa if I am just transiting through Spain?

You do not need a transit or Schengen visa to pass through Spain unless you are exiting the transit area of the airport, or if you are from any of the following countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, or Sri Lanka.

How do I apply for the Spain visa online?

Applying for a Spanish visa online wasn’t possible at all until quite recently. It used to require mailing physical paperwork to the ministry of foreign affairs, or visiting Spanish embassies or a consular office in person.

Soon, iVisa.com’s streamlined visa application services will let you do the entire Spain visa process online. You will be able to submit your Spain visa application and important documents on our website from the comfort of your home. We then pass the documents and your visa application to your consulate general to streamline the visa approval.

These are the steps that third-country nationals need to follow:

• First, read all the information and fill out your details in the Spanish visa application form. Then, choose the preferred processing time.
• Second, double-check and verify your information on the visa application and pay the iVisa.com processing fee (see below for more information on service fees).
• Third, attach any documents required and click on the submit button to apply for your Schengen tourist visa.

Please read all the info carefully and double-check the spelling. If you make a mistake and have already submitted the online form, it may be difficult for us to change this. Once the online application is submitted and accepted, a confirmation of your document will be sent per email. You need to show proof of your visa status to border police when arriving in Spain.

What are the costs and processing times for a Spain Visa?

We don't have exact pricing options yet as the Schengen visa has not been launched online, but we can assure you that iVisa.com will provide 3 different processing options to cover your travel needs when it becomes available:

• Standard Processing Time for the planner and budget traveler.
• Rush Processing Time for those who like to have everything done quickly but also affordably.
• Super Rush Processing Time for the last-minute traveler and those who need their Schengen short-stay visa urgently.

Visiting Spain with children or minors

The Schengen region requires minors to apply for visas as well when traveling to Spain. If your home country has a non-visa agreement, this will also apply to minors or children accompanying you. Parents or legal guardians are responsible for applying for the visa for their children.

COVID-19 requirements from the Spanish authorities

While some countries in the Schengen territory are relaxing COVID-19 travel requirements, Spain continues to exercise increased caution. Please take note of the following requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers.

Testing and vaccination requirements for Spain

COVID-19 entry requirements state that if you enter Spain from a country outside the Schengen States or the European Union, you will need to provide Spanish authorities with official proof of vaccination against COVID-19.

If you are arriving in Spain from a country that is neither part of the European Union nor has the status of a Schengen-associated country, you must show an EU Digital COVID Certificate of COVID-19 vaccination or recovery certificate. If you can’t show the EU document, the Spanish Ministry for Health requires you to complete the [SpTH Health Control Form] with details of your vaccination. Children under 12 years old do not need to show proof of vaccination.

If you cannot provide proof of vaccination at a Spanish port, you must show proof of immunity or a negative COVID test.

What type of Schengen visa do I need?

There are different categories of Spanish visa for distinct traveling purposes. There are four or five main types, though not all are as common as others:

• Type A (Airport Transit Visa): This visa type does not apply to most travelers, but may be issued to citizens of a select number of countries. This allows them to transit through a Spanish airport.

• Type C: The C type visa has three categories, single entry, double entry, or multiple entry. Each of these visa types allows for various number of entries into the Schengen zone, each visit with a max. length of 90 days within a 180-day period.

  1. Single entry: A Type C single entry visa allows the visa holder to enter the Schengen zone once for a period of up to 90 days. After leaving the zone, they are not permitted to reenter.
  2. Double entry: A Type C double entry visa allows you to enter the Schengen zone twice. Together, the two visits must be shorter than 90 days over a 180-day period.
  3. Multiple entry: A Type C multiple entry visa lets visitors enter the Schengen area as much as they like, as long as all the visits together adhere to the 90/180 rule. Multiple entry visas can be valid between one and five years.

• Type D: A Type D Schengen visa is a less common visa and acts as a temporary residence permit. It is issued to travelers who want to stay in a Schengen state for longer periods for a single purpose, such as temporary work or study. Longer programs may require a Spain study visa or work permits. This temporary residence permit may be valid for up to 12 months.

Where can I learn more about the visa application for Spain?

If you need further information, please contact our customer service representatives at any hour of the day. We are here 24/7 via chat or email at [email protected] to help you obtain your valid Spain visa status.