Skip to content
VisaGuideline
Menu

Spain

Visa Spain

Europe · Europe du Sud

In Spain, visas fall under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. Its portal is a catalogue of services: the procedure appears on the pages of the consular posts. Those read on 2026-09-18 describe the Schengen short-stay visa — 90 days at most in any 180-day period, fee of €90, decision within 15 calendar days extendable to 45 — and the national visas, required beyond 90 days to work, study or settle. Applications are filed in person.

The information on this page helps prepare a case. Only the competent authority decides; always check the official source before filing an application.

Machine-assisted draft, reviewed by a person on 23 September 2026. Only the authority cited is authoritative.

Published on 23 September 2026 · Reviewed by vg_admin on 23 September 2026 · Sources consulted on 18 September 2026

At a glance

Authority
Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación (Spain); the Ministry of the Interior separately publishes the entry conditions at the border post
Submission channel
In person at the Spanish consulate with jurisdiction over the place of residence, or at the external service provider it works with; the ministry's catalogue refers, country by country, to the post's page
Electronic visa
Not stated on the portal consulted: the consular pages read describe an in-person submission
Length of short stay
90 days at most in any 180-day period; beyond that, a national visa is required
Schengen short-stay visa fee
€90 over 12 years of age, €45 between 6 and 12, free under 6, according to the consular page read
Decision time
15 calendar days from submission, extendable to 45 calendar days if additional documents or an interview are requested
Submission window
Between six months and fifteen calendar days before the start of the trip
Insurance required
Travel medical insurance covering at least €30,000, according to the consular page for the Schengen short-stay visa

Do you need a visa?

Choose a nationality to see the recorded entry rule. No answer is shown until reviewed data exists.

Documented visa types

Visado de estancia (visado Schengen)
Stays of 90 days at most in any 180-day period, for tourism, business, family visits, medical treatment, studies, unpaid internships, volunteering of less than 90 days, other non-profit activities, as well as territorial and airport transit. Official page (new tab)
Visados de familiares de ciudadanos UE
Consular service category named in the ministry's catalogue, alongside the airport transit visa. Its conditions are not detailed on the pages consulted. Official page (new tab)
Visado nacional — estudios, residencia no lucrativa, reagrupación familiar
The national visa is required to stay more than 90 days in any 180-day period in order to work, study or take up residence. These three categories are among the national visas published. Official page (new tab)
Visado nacional — trabajo por cuenta ajena, por cuenta propia, residencia temporal y trabajo
National visa categories published, to which are added the recovery of long-term residence, the residence visa for family members of Spanish nationals and international adoption. The national visa is also required for certain professional trips of less than 90 days. Official page (new tab)
Visas under Law 14/2013
Categories published: investor, entrepreneur, researcher or European Union training, highly qualified worker, internships, audiovisual professionals, remote workers (digital nomads) and family members. Official page (new tab)
Visado de tránsito aeroportuario
Consular service category named in the ministry's catalogue. Its conditions are not detailed on the pages consulted. Official page (new tab)

Where and how to apply

The “Servicios consulares” portal works as a search engine: to consult a consular service, one must select the country or territory, the delegation, the service category — including “Visados” — and the service sought. The ministry also publishes a directory of embassies, consulates and permanent representations.

The post pages read describe an in-person submission at the consulate, on the days and at the times published by each post; for a minor, the legal representative attends with the child. Several posts use a visa external service provider, which charges its own service fees.

The application for a Schengen short-stay visa is filed between six months and fifteen calendar days before the start of the trip. The decision is taken within fifteen calendar days from submission, extendable to forty-five calendar days when additional documents or an interview are requested.

The national visa is required to stay in Spain more than 90 days in any 180-day period in order to work, study or take up residence there, as well as for certain professional trips of less than 90 days. Each category refers to its own post page.

Steps of the procedure

  1. Determine the length and purpose of the stay: Schengen short-stay visa for 90 days at most in any 180-day period, national visa beyond that or to work, study or settle.
  2. Find the page of the competent consular service: the ministry's catalogue asks you to select the country or territory, the delegation, the “Visados” category and the service sought.
  3. Check the passport: it must be valid for at least three months after the planned date of departure from the Schengen area and have been issued within the previous ten years.
  4. Gather the common documents: application form, color identity photograph on a light background, travel medical insurance covering at least €30,000, proof of the purpose of the trip and of financial means, proof of residence in the consular district.
  5. Pay the visa fee and attach proof of payment.
  6. File the application in person, on the days and at the times published by the post; some posts go through an external service provider, which charges its own service fees.
  7. Respect the submission window: between six months and fifteen calendar days before the start of the trip.
  8. Await the decision: fifteen calendar days from submission, extended to forty-five days if additional documents or an interview are requested.

Documents listed by the authority

The exact list depends on the visa type, the purpose and the consular post applied to; only the post's official page prevails.

Stated fees and processing times

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the consular page for the Schengen short-stay visa publishes a fee of €90 over 12 years of age, €45 between 6 and 12, and no fee under 6.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the decision time is fifteen calendar days from submission, extendable to forty-five calendar days when additional documents or an interview are requested. The application is filed between six months and fifteen calendar days before the start of the trip.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the fees for national visas are not quantified on the page read, which refers to a table of consular fees specific to the post and also mentions service fees of the visa external service provider.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the published entry conditions require financial means of €118 per person per day in 2025, with a guaranteed minimum of €1,065 or the equivalent in foreign currency, whatever the length of the stay.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: the consular page read sets in-person submission from Monday to Friday, from 8.30 am to 10.30 am; these hours are specific to the post.

After the decision

The Schengen short-stay visa authorizes stays of 90 days at most in any 180-day period, for tourism, business, family visits, medical treatment, studies, unpaid internships, volunteering of less than three months and other non-profit activities, as well as territorial and airport transit.

Beyond 90 days in any 180-day period, or to work, study or take up residence, a national visa is required; it is also required for certain professional trips of less than 90 days.

On entry, the conditions of the Schengen Borders Code apply: cross at an authorized border post, present a valid travel document that is still in force, hold a visa where one is required, justify the conditions of the planned stay and sufficient financial means, and not be subject to an entry ban.

The decision rests with the Spanish authority. The pages read refer to an online consular case-tracking service; they do not describe avenues of appeal.

Published procedures

No reviewed and published procedure for Spain to date. We prefer an empty page to an invented requirement.

Explore procedures

Frequently asked questions

Is a visa required to travel to Spain?

It depends on nationality and purpose; the rule reviewed by VisaGuideline is shown with the nationality selector on this page. The consular pages read refer to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 for the visa requirement. Always check with the authority.

Where is the application filed?

In person at the Spanish consulate with jurisdiction over the place of residence, or at the external service provider it works with. The ministry's catalogue of services refers, country by country, to the page of the competent post.

Which visa categories does the ministry name?

The catalogue names the Schengen short-stay visa, the visas for family members of European Union citizens, the airport transit visa and many national visas: studies, investor, researcher, internships, family reunification, non-profit residence, remote work, employed work, self-employed work, entrepreneur, highly qualified worker and recovery of residence.

How much does a Schengen short-stay visa cost?

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-18: €90 over 12 years of age, €45 between 6 and 12, and no fee under 6. The fees for national visas are not quantified on the pages read, which refer to a table of fees specific to each post.

What decision time should be expected?

Fifteen calendar days from submission, extendable to forty-five calendar days when additional documents or an interview are requested. The application is filed between six months and fifteen calendar days before the start of the trip.

What financial means must be proven?

According to the entry conditions published on 2026-09-18: €118 per person per day in 2025, with a guaranteed minimum of €1,065 or the equivalent in foreign currency, whatever the length of the stay. Cash, traveler's checks, credit cards with a bank statement or an up-to-date bank passbook are accepted; bank letters and statements printed from the internet are not.

Consulted sources

Official pages read to write this guide, with the date they were read. A page may have changed since: check it before taking any step.

What this guide does not know yet

Points the official source does not specify and which this guide therefore left blank. Ask the competent authority about them before filing an application.

Prepare my case

This method is the same for every destination. It does not list any document as an official requirement: only the authority’s source is authoritative.

  1. Describe your situation

    Nationality, residence, purpose and dates. The checker tells covered routes apart from situations that are still unknown.

  2. Check at the source

    Open the destination’s official source and compare it with your situation before starting a procedure.

  3. Track what is left to do

    Your space keeps your answers and your declared checklist. A complete checklist does not announce a favorable decision.

Check my route Open my case

The information on this page helps prepare a case. Only the competent authority decides; always check the official source before filing an application.