This Consulate General of Spain has outsourced the SCHENGEN visa applications to:
BLS International Houston
Address: 2500 West Loop South 3rd Floor, Suite 350 Houston, Texas 77027
Phone number: +1 516-888-1169
Email: info.houes@blsinternational.net
IT IS MANDATORY TO REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT
website: https://usa.blsspainglobal.com/Global/account/login
BLS Spain Visa Application Center Website: https://usa.blsspainvisa.com
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 29 Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Required documents
1. Schengen visa application form. Each applicant must complete and sign an official application form, filling in each of its sections. If the applicant is a minor, one of their parents must sign the application.
2. Photograph. It has to be glued to the application. A recent, Passport-size, 2x2 inches, with White background. The face should be clear and visible.
3. Passport or Official Travel Document Original and copy of the page or pages of the passport that contain biometric data. The Passport must have a minimum validity of three months, counting from the expected date of return to the United States. The passport cannot be older than 10 years. Please, make sure that your passport has two consecutive blank pages to affix the visa. Your passport will remain at the Consulate during the visa application process.
4. ID and a photocopy: State ID, Driver´s License or Student ID from one of the following States: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
5. Proof of legal residence in the United States.
Must present one of the following documents:
- Original and copy of Permanent Resident Card (Green card)
- Valid US long-term Visa
- F1 student visas must also submit original and copy of I-20 form
- Holders of B-1/B-2 visas cannot apply in the United States; they must apply in their country of permanent residence.
6. Round-trip airline ticket reservation:
“Do not purchase the airline ticket until your visa is granted” If you are traveling to several Schengen countries you will have to provide the means of transportation to all of them: plane, train, bus, etc.
Printout of the Round Trip Flights reservation showing:
- Arrival and departure from the Schengen area
- Departure and arrival to the United States of America
- For travel-tours or cruise, include the complete itinerary trip (cities, hotels) issued by the Travel Agency
7. For Business trip: Invitation letter from the Spanish Company: Indicating: Contact person and Address in Spain as well as purpose of the visit and expenses coverage.
8. Accommodations: Hotel reservations with name, complete address, phone for the entire time you will be in the Schengen area. The applicant's full name must be identified in the hotel reservation. If you are staying with friends or family, they need to request an official ¨Letter of Invitation¨ issue by the Local Police Department of the Schengen territory or territories in which they live. (You will then need to present the original with the visa application). If you are part of a tour or cruise, please include a letter from your travel agent stating a complete itinerary of cities that you will be visit and the addresses of hotels you will be staying in.
9. Proof of financial means: Official bank statements of the last three months, showing a stable balance in all of them, of your personal account/s (Business accounts not accepted). Applicants must demonstrate sufficient means of economic funds available. The minimum amount is $125 per person per day of your stay, with a minimum of $1,250.
10. Travel medical insurance: Certificate of Insurance Company specifying:
- Name of applicant
- Dates of coverage
- Repatriation coverage
- Minimum coverage €30.000 or $50.000. No deductibles
- An Insurance card will NOT be accepted as proof of coverage.
Insurance must be valid for the complete duration of your time while in Schengen territory.
11. Proof of Income:
For employee: Updated Employer letter indicating position, length of employed and salary or the latest 3 payment stubs.
For students: Registration letter from school, college or university.
Self-employed: Last year Income Tax Return and a “Good Standing Certificate" issued by the Secretary of State.
Financial dependent: Last joint Income Tax Return or joint bank statements
12. For Minors under 18 traveling alone or with only one of the parents:
Add:
- Notarized, written authorization of parents/custodians to travel abroad. When apply tranlated into English or Spanish.
- Original and copy of the minor's Birth Certificate. When apply tranlated into English or Spanish.
- At least one parent must be present; the absent parent must give notarized authorization to apply in his/her behalf.
The Consular Office may request additional documents or data.
Procedure
- Who can apply for a visa: Third-country Nationals residing in the Consulate district who are traveling to Spain as their only destination or main destination. (Main destination: the country where the applicant will spend more days).
If the applicant is visiting several Schengen countries (tours, cruises) but do not have a main destination, the application must be present at the Consulate of the country of the first entry as long as the spend of days in each country will be the same amount.
- Visa application period: Visa applications must be submitted between twenty days and six months from the scheduled date of travel. Seafarers may apply for the visa up to nine months before the date of travel.
- Biometric data capturing: he 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: BLS International 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 traveler 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.
- Proof of receipt: When a visa application is submitted, the Consular Office could provide the applicant with proof of receipt of the application with a code that enables them to check the status of the dossier through the following link: https://sutramiteconsular.maec.es/Home.aspx
- 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.
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).