General information
Nationals of the following countries require a visa to transit through the international area of any airport located in the territory of the Schengen States in order to take a connecting flight to a country outside the Schengen area.
- Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.
In addition, nationals of the following countries require a visa to transit through the international area of any airport located in Spain in order to take a connecting flight to a country outside the Schengen area:
- Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Liberia, Mali, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Syria, Togo and Yemen. Holders of passports issued by the Palestinian Authority also require a visa.
Nationals of the States included on the foregoing lists do not require an airport transit visa if they have a Schengen visa, or another type of visa, or a residence card permitting their return, issued by a Member State of the European Union or of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, or by Andorra, Canada, the United States of America, Japan, or San Marino, or by any of the overseas countries and territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, or if they are a diplomatic passport holder, or a family member of a citizen of the EU or of the EEA, or a flight crew member of a State that is party to the International Civil Aviation Organization.
The Schengen area encompasses 26 European countries without border controls between them: Austria, Belgium, 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 airport transit visa enables transit through the international area of airports located in the Schengen area but does not permit entry into the territory of the Schengen States. When a connection entails a change in airport terminal that requires going through a border control, it will be necessary to apply for a Schengen visa (see the “Schengen visas" section).
Please note that transits in Madrid-Barajas airport from Terminals 1, 2 & 3 to Terminals 4 & 4S IMPLY ENTERING the Schengen area and therefore require a valid Schengen tourism visa.
Required documents
NOTICE: All documents issued neither in English nor Spanish need to be translated into Spanish and the translation must be certified.
NOTICE: All documents issued in the foreign country, except in Spain and Korea, need to be legalised through Spanish consular representations of the issuing country or, in the case of signatory countries to the Hague Convention of October5, 1961, hold the Hague Apostille.
1. Schengen visa application form
. Applicant must complete in English or Spanish 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. One (1) recent, passport-size, colour photograph, taken against a white background, facing forward, without dark or reflective glasses, or any garments concealing the oval of the face. Photographs of minors must not show any part of the adult holding them.
3. Valid, unexpired passport. Original and a photocopy of the page or pages of the passport that contain biometric data. The passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned date of airport transit in the Schengen area. It must also contain at least two blank pages. Passports issued more than 10 years ago will not be accepted.
4. Documents concerning the continuation of the journey onto the final destination following the planned transit. Applicants must provide proof of the journey they are taking that involves an international layover in an airport in Spain or a country represented by Spain, as well as of the necessary entry permits for the country of destination and any other layovers.
5. Documents corroborating the applicant's intention not to enter the territory of any Member State.
6. Proof of residence in Republic of Korea. Original and a copy of valid, unexpired Korean Alien Registration Card. The ARC must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned departure date from the Schengen territory.
7. Overseas insurance policy, stating the name of the applicant and day interval. It must cover all risks expected during the time of stay inside the Schengen area, offering a minimun coverage of 30,000 euros, including repatriation. Conditions must be stated wither on insurance document or on separate confirmation letter. The insurance should be taken out in the Republic of Korea, but if that is not possible, insurance can be taken out elsewhere.
8. Payment of the visa fee. Please refer to the section Consular Service fees.
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.
9. In the case of underage applicant:
-Birth certificate, legal custody or legal guardian certificate: [Original and photocopy] duly legalised through Spanish consular representations of the issuing country or, in the case of signatory countries to the Hague Convention of October5, 1961, hold the Hague Apostille. Sworn translation into Spanish also is required.
-Copy of the parent/s or legal guardian´s passport.
In the case of minors travelling without their parents or legal guardians, or travelling with one single parent, in addition to the documents mentioned above, applicants must submit:
-Notarised authorisation of parents or legal guardians for travel to Spain, with evidence of the person responsible for looking after the minor in Spain, residence address in Spain and period of the intended stay: duly legalised through Spanish consular representations of the issuing country or, in the case of signatory countries to the Hague Convention of October5, 1961, hold the Hague Apostille. Sworn translation into Spanish also is required.
-In case of sole custody, official document proving such: duly legalised through Spanish consular representations of the issuing country or, in the case of signatory countries to the Hague Convention of October5, 1961, hold the Hague Apostille. Sworn translation into Spanish also is required.
Procedure
This Consular Office is competent to accept visa applications from third-country nationals residing in the consular district who are travelling to Spain as their only or main destination.
- Who can apply for a visa: Applications must be submitted in person. If the applicant is a minor, the application must be submitted by their legal representatives.
- Place of submission: Applications must be submitted in person at the Consular Office by appointment only.
Applicants must request their appointment following the instructions:
Please note that the previous link is the only official way to book an appointment. You do not need to pay anything to obtain an appointment. In addition, we will not reply to e-mail starting an appointment cannot be booked. If the calendar does not show any available spot, it is because all the appointments are taken and the system will eventually offer more.
We recommend you to schedule your appointment at your earliest convenience once you decide to visit our Embassy. It is essencial to confirm your attendance in advance of the appointment to avoid no-show. You will receive an email to confirm your attendance at the appointment in advance of 3 days. You will have 2 days to confirm your attendance from the moment youreceive the email. If you do not confirm your attendance before 2 days, the appointment, automatically, will be cancelled and you have to reschedule it. Appointments made less than the confirmation time will be automatically confirmed. Please arrive at least 5 minutes earlier before your appointment. After the time of your appointment, we will not be able to attend you, in which case you will have to make another appointment for another day.
- 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 working days as of the day after the application submission date, but this period may be extended if an interview or additional documents are requested.
- Collecting the visa/passport/refusal certificate: The visa must be collected in person by the applicant or by their representative (if the applicant is a minor) within a maximun period of 1 months, counted as the day after the date on which the RESUELTO is notified. You may pick up your visa/ passport/ refusal certificate by APPOINTMENT or you may come to the Embassy, without an appointment on Monday, Wednesday or Friday from 12.00p.m. to 12.50p.m.. Please bring the proof of receipt of the application provided by the Consular Office.
- 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:
Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación
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 July 2019 amending Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code).