STAY VISA (SCHENGEN VISA)
General information
The Schengen visa is issued to third-country nationals listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806
. This visa allows the holder to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days (in any 180-day period) for the purposes of tourism, business, visiting family, medical treatment, studies, training placements or volunteer activities that last under 3 months, or for other non-gainful activities. It also allows transit through the territory and airports. The Schengen area encompasses 27 European countries without border controls between them: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The Schengen visa allows the holder to travel to any of the Schengen States and to transit through their territory, but it does not automatically entitle them to enter the Schengen area. The border authorities can refuse entry if proof of the reason and conditions of the trip are not provided or if the rest of the entry conditions are not fulfilled.
Required documents
1.![]()
Schengen visa application form.pdf. Applicants must legally reside within the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles. Jurisdiction extends through Southern California (Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties), Arizona, Colorado and Utah. The application form must be thoroughly filled out and signed. If the applicant is a minor, one of the parents will sign the application.
2. Passport-type photo. One photo is required, it must have a white background, the face should be clearly visible, the size of the photo should be 2x2 inches (5x5 cm).
3. Passport or official travel document. (Original and a Photocopy): Passport should be no older than 10 years and be valid for a minimum of 90 days after your expected departure date from the Schengen zone. The passport must have at least two blank pages in it.
4. Travel insurance. Must cover sanitary assistance, accidents, emergencies, evacuation, medical repatriation, return of remains with complete international coverage, with ZERO (0) DEDUCTIBLE and NO COPAYMENT Coverage must be of at least 30,000 euros or its equivalent in local currency. Insurance must be valid for the complete duration of your time while in Schengen territory.
5. Payment of the visa fee: Payments are made at the time of your appointment. ![]()
Please check the exact amount of the visa fee here.pdf
The visa fee will not be reimbursed even if the visa is not granted or is cancelled.
6. Documents proving the reason for the trip and the conditions of the stay, the availability of sufficient financial means, and establishing the applicant's intention to leave the Schengen area before the expiration of the visa.
AIRLINE RESERVATION TICKETS: Complete itineraries of your trip, they must be round trip flights, showing entry and departure from the Schengen space and United States of America.
LETTER FROM EMPLOYER (Original and a Photocopy): An original letter from the applicant's employer with letterhead and original signature and/or stamp, with the following information: type of job, length of time employed and annual salary.
If the signature and/or stamp is NOT original ink, you must also provide 3 months of paystubs.
If you are self-employed you must submit a copy of your latest Income Tax Returns and bring the originals for verification. In some cases a “Good Standing Certificate” issued by the Secretary of State may be requested by the Consular authorities.
PROOF OF FINANCIAL MEANS: Your 3 latest complete bank statements (all pages) obtained directly from the bank, with signature or stamp from the bank, with your name on each statement and an ending balance that meets the minimum requirements for the length of your stay. Please review the
Financial Requirements.
Latest Credit Card Statement.
ACCOMODATION: Hotel/Apartment reservation of each city/country for the entire time you will be in the Schengen area.
- Or, if staying with friends or family, they need to request an official “Letter of Invitation” (Carta de Invitación) issued by the Local Police Department of the Schengen territory or territories in which they live, and the original copy sent to you. (You will then need to present the original and a photocopy).
- If you are part of a tour or cruise, please include a letter from your travel agent with a complete itinerary of the cities that you will visit and the addresses of the hotels you will be staying in.
7. Identification (ID) that proves residence within the jurisdiction of the Consulate of Spain in Los Angeles (original and photocopy). Any of the following forms of identification are acceptable: driver's license with current address, state identity card, voter registration card, student ID.
When necessary to assess the application, the Consular Office may request additional documents or data and may also ask the applicant to come in for a personal interview.
Only those applications meeting the requirements specified in sections 1, 2, 3 and 5 will be accepted.
8. US resident alien card or valid US long term visa (Original and a Photocopy).
- Holders of B-1/B-2 visas cannot apply in the United States; they must apply in their country of residence or country of origin.
- Applicants holding U.S. student visas must also submit a copy of their I-20 with the endorsement on the back, and copies of their F1 visa.
9. For minors under 18 traveling alone or with only one of the parents:
- Notarized, written authorization of parents/legal guardians to travel abroad.
- Original and copy of the minor's birth certificate.
- At least one parent must be present; the absent parent must give notarized authorization to apply on her/his behalf.
The Consulate Administration has full authority to evaluate and request more documents than those listed above. Please be informed that submitting the mentioned documents does NOT guarantee issuance of the visa. Documents presented for the visa application will not be returned.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION - READ BEFORE APPLYING
1. If you plan on visiting only one Schengen country, you must apply at the Consulate of that particular country of which you are visiting.
2. If you plan on visiting multiple Schengen countries, you must apply for a visa at the Consulate of the country which will be your main destination (where you are going to be spending most nights).
3. If you plan on visiting multiple Schengen countries but do not have a main destination (you spend equal number of nights in two or more Schengen countries), you should apply for a visa at the Consulate of the country which is your first point of entry in Schengen territory.
Procedure
- Who can apply for a visa: Third-country nationals residing in the consular district who are traveling to Spain as their only or main destination.
- Place of submission: Applications must be submitted in person at BLS Visa service for Spain:
6380 Wilshire Boulevard, suite 1100 Los Ángeles, CA
To make an appointment: https://usa.blsspainglobal.com/Global/account/login
Email: info.laxes@blsinternational.net
Phone: 516-888-1169
- Biometric data capturing: The applicant's facial image and fingerprints will be captured during the visa application procedure. Applicants under 12 and applicants whose fingerprints have been taken in the last 59 months are exempt from fingerprint taking. However, in the latter case, if the applicant's prints are of poor quality, the Consular Office will request that they come back in to have their fingerprints retaken.
- Rectifying the application: The Consular Office may ask the applicant to submit any missing documents, or to provide additional documents or data that are necessary for a decision regarding the application. The applicant may also be called in for a personal interview.
Decision period: The legal period for reaching a decision is of 15 calendar days as of the day after the application submission date, but this period may be extended to 45 calendar days if an interview or additional documents are requested.
Visa applications submitted by nationals of certain States require consultation with the central authorities that could affect the duration of the visa procedure.
- Return of passport and other documentation: The Consular Office or Visa Application Centre will inform the applicant regarding the procedure for the return of the passport and any other original documentation.
- Permission granted by the visa: A visa does not automatically entitle someone to enter the Schengen area. The traveller must meet all legal entry requirements (see section "Conditions for entry into Spain").
- Visa refusal: Visa refusals will always be notified in writing, setting forth the grounds on which the decision adopted was based.
- Appeals: If a visa is refused, the applicant may submit an appeal for reconsideration to this Consular Office within 1 month of the day following the date on which notification of the refusal is received. An application for judicial review may also be filed with the High Court Justice of Madrid within the 2-month period beginning the day after the date on which the applicant receives notification of the visa refusal or of the dismissal of the reconsideration appeal.
Complaints or suggestions about the service received or about the visa application procedure can be submitted online through this website. They may also be submitted in writing at this Consular Office.
Data protection
The processing of personal data of visa applicants is done in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation.
Persons wishing to exercise their rights of access, rectification and erasure of their personal data in the Visa Information System (VIS) may do so by addressing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation
Inspección General de Servicios
Postal address: Plaza de la Provincia, 1, Madrid, España
Email: dpd@maec.es
The following forms may be used to do so:
Persons whose visa application has been refused because they are banned from entering the Schengen area may exercise their rights of access, rectification and erasure of their personal data in the Schengen Information System (SIS) by addressing the Ministry of the Interior.
To obtain more information on your rights and duties and on how to exercise your rights of access, rectification and erasure of data included in the SIS, please refer to the website of the Spanish Data Protection Agency.
Basic legislation
Community Code on Visas
- Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code).
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1155 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 amending Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code).