With almost 1.6 million visa applications, Spain was the 4th most visited country in the year 2016. Out of this, about 943 visa applications were made from Boston.
Spain has a whopping 8% visa rejection rate. This is the second highest visa rejection rate after France. Which is why it is extremely important for you to know the right way of applying for a Spain Schengen visa.
If you’re planning on visiting Spain for a short duration of within 90 days, then you have landed at the right place. This guide will take you through the entire process of getting yourself a Spain Schengen visa.
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The steps involved in getting a Spain Schengen visa
There are five basic steps involved in getting yourself a Schengen visa to visit Spain.
- Find out if you really need a Schengen visa to enter Spain
- Can you get your Schengen visa from the Spanish consulate in Boston?
- Make an appointment with the Spanish consulate
- Prepare all the documents required for your visa interview
- Attend the interview to get your visa application approved
Book Spain Visa Appointment at $10
Let’s now take a look at each step in detail.
Do you really need a Spain Schengen visa?
Whether or not you need a short-stay visa to visit Spain depends entirely on your nationality. If you are a full US citizen, then you will not need a Schengen visa. But in case you have traveled and settled in the US, then you will need to check with your nationality to see if you need a Schengen visa. Here is a list of all the nationalities that need a Schengen visa to visit Spain.
Can you apply for your visa at the Spanish embassy in Boston?
The Spanish embassy in Boston only has its jurisdiction in a few states. In case you are a US permanent resident of one of these states, the Spanish embassy in Boston is where you will need to go.
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Maine
Will you need a Spain Schengen visa if you are a US Permanent citizen?
Unfortunately, even if you are a US permanent resident, you will need a Spain Schengen visa to visit the country. Along with this, you need to ensure that your residence permit has a validity of at least 3 months post your return date from Spain.
What if you are a B1/B2 visa holder?
If you hold this visa for staying in the US, you will need to go back to your nationality to get your Spain Schengen visa for your travel.
Are you certain that you can apply for your visa in the Spanish consulate?
As mentioned above, it is mandatory that you are a US permanent resident to be able to apply for your Spain Schengen visa at the Spanish embassy. Full US citizens need not apply for a visa to visit a Schengen country.
Along with this, your main theme of traveling should be to visit Spain. In case you plan on spending more time in any other Schengen country like France, Italy, or Germany, then it is recommended that you apply for your visa from the respective country’s consulate.
Take a look at the image below for better understanding.
How to schedule an appointment with the Spanish consulate?
The Spanish consulate, similar to most other consulates, doesn’t allow a walk-in to apply for your visa. You will need to schedule an appointment with the consulate first. And this can only be done online.
To book an appointment with the Spanish consulate in Boston, go to their official website. Below is a link to the website.
In the world map shown on the website (like in the image above), click on the ‘North American continent‘. You will be redirected to another page with North America zoomed in.
With the “+” and “–” signs on the image, zoom in and out to find your desired city. You can also alternatively click on the “toggle fullscreen” option on the upper right for ease. You can find Boston on the right-hand side of the continent. It will be highlighted with the letter “C“.
Click on “Boston” and you will get a set of options to choose from.
The page you will be redirected to is predominantly in Spanish. You can change this to “English” from the options on the top of the page.
Move your cursor to “Consular Services” and you will get the option Consular Services Boston. Click on this and you will be redirected once again.
In this page, click on “Boston Visas”. You will end up on the page shown in the image below.
It is recommended that you read through the information given on the page to understand the different kinds of visas issued to travel to Spain. In case you are going to Spain for only a few days (within 90 days), then you will need a short-stay visa.
To book your appointment with the consulate, click on “Visa Appointment“. You will be redirected to the login page and it will look like the image below.
Go to the “click here” option on the page. You will be redirected to a form.
Fill in the form and click on “Next“. Complete all the application procedures that you will be taken through after this to book your appointment with the Spanish consulate.
An e-mail confirmation will be sent to you confirming the appointment date and time. Along with scheduling an appointment, you will also need to fill in the Schengen visa application form. Check the link below to find the application form for Schengen visa.
Schengen visa application form
Fill in the application form on your browser and print it out. Ensure that you sign the form and attach your photograph to the form to be submitted at the Spanish consulate for the approval of your visa.
What are the documents required for your Spain Schengen visa?
The list of all the documents you’ll need is quite long. So, ensure that you keep all these documents in place before you attend your visa approval interview at the consulate.
- Passport
- US Permanent Residence Permit
- Printed Visa application form
- Passport-sized photo
- Travel cover letter
- Flight itinerary
- Hotel accommodation
- Travel health insurance
- Proof of financial sustenance
- Other relevant documents according to your occupation
[media-downloader media_id=”1578″ image_url=”https://travelvisabookings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/download_ebook.jpg”]
You can take a look here to understand all the things you need to keep in place before you visit Spain. However, each of the documents has been discussed in detail below.
Passport: You will need to carry your original passport for your interview. The passport should have a validity of at least 3 months post your return from Spain. It should also not be issued to you more than 10 years earlier to your travel to Spain. Ensure that there are at least 2 empty pages in your passport for the stamps required for your visa.
US Permanent Residence Permit: Since you are not a full US resident, you will need to carry your residence permit to the interview as well. This document, similar to the passport, will need to be original as well. It should also be valid for at least 3 months post your return from Spain.
Photograph: You will need to carry a passport-sized photograph of yourself to the interview as well. Ensure that it is a recent one with a clear front face view and a light background. This will need to be pasted onto your visa application form. Don’t staple.
Cover Letter: This is an extremely important document and will be checked at the consulate to get a brief idea of your purpose of visiting Spain. Make sure that it mentions your flight itinerary, hotel accommodation, and also a list of all the documents that you are submitting along with your application form.
Flight itinerary and Hotel Reservations: Each of these documents are mandatory to be shown at the consulate.
What is flight itinerary? Is it accepted by the Schengen consulate?
Of course, in fact all the embassies mention the same. We have added links to the official visa pages which you can verify.
France Consulate
Your travel itinerary : you MUST BOOK your airline ticket but do not purchase until the visa has been approved.
We recommend that you do not purchase travel tickets until your visa has been approved. On the other hand, you may provide us with a reservation, a planned itinerary or an online printout of a roundtrip ticket.
Travel reservation to and from schengen area, not a ticket. Note: Make travel reservation which you can cancel
Flight (roundtrip)/travel reservations and full itinerary (if several Schengen States will be visited or if the trip covers several Schengen States and non-Schengen countries) with the name of passenger and one copy
Round trip ticket/reservation, originating in this jurisdiction to Europe (and ultimately to Italy) and back, including internal entry and exit points of travel i.e. EURORAIL tickets, car rental, internal flights. The names on reservations have to reflect the names on passports.
We can provide you with flight itineraries which is accepted by not only for Schengen visa but for all visas. We have customers using the same flight itinerary for Malaysia visa, Singapore visa, India visa, UK visa etc.
In fact the European union visa requirements for visa states the same.
As per the official document,
Round trip reservation or itinerary with dates and flight numbers specifying entry and exit from Schengen state.Schengen authorities accept the itinerary when applying for the visa but request the original air ticket when visa is collected.
That is why we have 100% visa acceptance rate although some of our customer have been requested to provide “additional documents”,none of their visa has been rejected for providing fake documents.
With 80% of our customers being return customers or companies which process visas for their employees/clients, our approach is the best approach if you want to ensure the safety of your visa.
This is our orders screen for this month. Most of the orders have been placed by repeat customers.
The best part about our service is along with getting a flight reservation without payment, you can also get confirmed hotel bookings, personal cover letter, leave/no objection letter for your visa consulates.
Travel health insurance: In case you suffer a calamity in Spain, it is extremely important that you are covered for the expenses. Which is why you will need a travel health insurance as well.
Proof of sustenance: You can provide your bank statements, credit card statements, and travel cards for this.
Other documents: You will need to carry a couple more documents according to your occupation in the United States.
- Self-employed: If you are self-employed in America, you will need to carry your company’s license, the company’s bank statements, and your IT return form.
- Employed: If you are employed, carry a leave permission, employment contract, and IT return documents.
- Foreign student: If you have moved to America to study, you will need to carry your leave permission from your university, and also a valid I-20 form.
- Retired: Carry the pension statements from the previous 6 months.
What happens during your interview for the Spain Schengen visa?
On the day of your interview, you will need to be on time. If you are more than 10 minutes late, the Spanish consulate will be unable to process your application.
Your appointment letter will first be verified, after which, you will get a token. After this, you will be asked to submit your documents. Ensure that all the papers are in place before you submit your form. All the information mentioned in your form and documents will be entered into the consulate’s system. You will get a printed copy of this to verify if all the information has been entered correctly.
Make the payment for your visa and collect the receipt. Keep this receipt handy as you will need to show this while collecting your visa. You will also need to submit your biometrics, which should not take more than 10-15 minutes.
This completes the process of your visa application.
Should you really make your flight and hotel bookings before your visa gets approved?
Although the consulate asks for these documents, it is not a great idea to book your flight and hotel accommodations before your visa gets approved. Spain has a high visa rejection rate (8%), and in case your visa application gets rejected, you might end up losing a lot of money.
Instead, you can opt for temporary bookings to get your visa approved. Travel Visa Bookings can get your flight and hotel bookings at affordable prices.
Want temporary flight, hotel or insurance for your Schengen visa appointment?
What are the benefits of making flight and hotel bookings from Travel Visa Bookings?
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What are the prices that you need to pay?
Depending on the duration of your travel, the cost of getting a visa will vary. This is indicated in the image above.
In case you are looking for a short-stay visa (less than 90 days), then the image below is what you need to look at. The image also lists all the expenses you will incur if you want temporary bookings along with a travel health insurance.
Can I apply for the visa or appointment via post or telephone?
No, you can’t. You will need to apply for the appointment online only. Along with that, you will personally need to go to the embassy to ensure that your visa application is processed.
Can I carry a photocopy of my passport or my residence permit?
You will need to present your original passport and residence permit at the consulate. Make sure that each of them has a validity of at least 3 months from the date of your return to the US from Spain.
What if I am a minor?
If you are a minor traveling to Spain, you will need a consent letter from your parents. You will also need to submit a copy of your parent’s passports.
If your child is traveling with you, carry your child’s birth certificate. If you are a single parent or have the full custody of your child, then you will need to also carry a family court order permitting the travel.
I don’t have much account balance but my relative is funding the trip
In this case, your relative will need to sign an official affidavit of support. Your relative can get this document in any one of the local alien offices in Spain.
When will my visa get approved?
Most of the times, your visa will get approved in 15 days. This can in some rare cases also extend up to 30 days. But if the consulate requests you to provide any additional or special documents, the approval might take up to 60 days as well.
What is the validity of my visa?
Your visa will only be valid for the days mentioned in your travel itinerary. So, before applying for your visa, ensure that you have additional 5-10 days in your itinerary. This way, you will not be in a rush to leave the country and you can see all the places you planned on visiting.
Spanish Consulate in Boston
Telephone:
+1-617-536-2506
+1-617-536-2527
Fax:
(+1) 617 536 85 12
E-mail:
cog.boston@maec.es
Address:
31 St. James Avenue, Suite 905
Boston, MA 02116
United States
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