Registration and receipt of a tourist Spanish visa

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Spain enters Schengen

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Spain is one of the most popular destinations for our tourists. To visit the country, Russian citizens must apply for Schengen. Considering the large number of people wishing to relax in the resorts of the Costa Dorada, Costa Brava and Mallorca, the issuance of entry documents has long been on stream - visa centers (the link between the applicant and the embassy) operate in 28 cities of the Russian Federation. The process of submitting papers is simplified and standardized as much as possible, so anyone can get the coveted stamp on their own, without the services of intermediaries, by paying service and consular fees.

Tourist visa to Spain: general information

• Regular visa cost
  35

  €

• Express visa

  70

  Read also:  Registration of temporary residence permit for citizens of Ukraine. Registration and receipt of RVP for Ukrainians RVP for citizens of the LPR

  €

• Visa fees

  ~1070

  R

Types of visas

Most Russians come to Spain as tourists. Someone is going to visit, on a business trip, to study or work. All these cases require the issuance of different types of visas.

• A tourist Schengen visa type C gives the right to stay in the country for no more than 90 days and is suitable not only for tourists. It is also issued for transit purposes, short-term business trips, visits to friends/relatives, training courses, conferences, sporting events, and participation in exchange programs. The only difference is in the list of documents.
• National category D - for Russians who have more serious purposes for traveling to Spain: work, study at a local university, marriage with a citizen of the country. It is authorized to be issued only at the embassy or consulate general.

Types and features

Depending on the situation, a tourist visa to Spain for Russians can be of several types. If you are planning a trip in transit to third countries, you will need a transit option. In cases where the time spent at the airport does not exceed 24 hours, you can do without obtaining visa documents.

The situation is different when planning a trip to visit cities in Spain. In this case, you must apply for a Schengen visa type C, valid for 90 days of stay within six months.

Schengen is issued to solve the following problems:

• visiting friends, family and loved ones;
• short business trips;
• training courses;
• attending conferences;
• participation in sporting events, etc.

You can apply for a tourist visa to Spain in all cases where the traveler only needs 90 days to complete his business. Otherwise, you will need a national visa (type D), which requires more time and a more serious approach to collecting documents.

Depending on the circumstances, a tourist can receive a single, double or multiple entry visa. In the latter case, the number of trips is not limited, but the total period of stay is still limited to three months within 180 days.

Applying for a visa yourself

Before visiting the visa center with a pre-collected package of documents, you need to sign up through the website and print out a confirmation letter. Waiting in line, receiving and checking papers by employees lasts no more than 30 minutes, if everything is in order and nothing needs to be corrected. The procedure for taking biometric data takes additional time: fingerprinting and digital photography. Afterwards, the applicant is given a registration number, which can be used to track the readiness of the visa on the website. Usually the result is known after 3-5 days, sometimes you have to wait up to 10 days.

If another person will pick up a passport with a completed visa, he must have a notarized power of attorney from the owner of the document. The passport can also be delivered by courier to the desired address (paid service).

The Consulate General of Spain also accepts documents for Schengen by appointment through the visa center website. In this case, you will not need to pay a service fee, but you will have to wait a couple of weeks for your visa. Usually they act through the consulate when re-applying after a refusal.

The number of refusals to issue Spanish Schengen visas to Russian citizens does not exceed 5–6%.

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Spain resumed issuing visas to Russians

The Spanish visa center in Moscow has resumed issuing Schengen visas category C by appointment, according to the institution’s website.

Entry documents will be valid from June 1. True, for now only holders of visas of any Schengen country for a period of 2, 3 and 5 years, which expired in 2018 - 2021, can count on receiving them, and from June 1 - those who had a visa for a year.

As for the validity period of the document, it will be calculated based on the data of the previous visa and the correctness of its use.

Applications are promised to be considered within 10 working days, but the period can be extended to 30 days if additional verification of the provided documentation is necessary.

Let us remind you that travel restrictions continue to apply in Spain until May 31, but the country hopes to open its borders in the near future, and, according to the latest data, not from June, but from May 20, said the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism of Spain Reyes Maroto , media reports. She said the "review" of the European Union's Article 912, which has blocked non-essential travel from outside the EU for almost a year, is "progressing rapidly", largely due to the launch of a "green passport" system in June. Citizens of which “third countries” will be the first to be able to go on holiday to Spain is not yet clear, but the fact that Moscow has begun issuing Spanish visas inspires optimism.

On May 12, Maroto also presented an international campaign for the summer of 2021 with the goal of attracting approximately 40-45 million foreign tourists, which is half as much as in the pre-crisis 2021, when the country was visited by almost 84 million guests, Milenio writes. According to the minister, everything will depend on the pace of vaccination. It is expected that 70% of Spanish citizens will be vaccinated by the end of August.

Spain has committed to opening up, marketing itself to the world as a “safe destination,” Maroto said. At the same time, she stressed that Spain remains competitive and cited data from Expedia, which shows that in July the number of inquiries and bookings to Spain increased by 90%, reports Europapress.

The marketing campaign, titled "You Deserve Spain", targets markets in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Poland and Sweden. These countries accounted for more than 65% of the tourist flow to the kingdom in 2021.

The campaign will last 10 weeks and will begin on May 17, and will take place mainly on social networks, as well as in print media and through outdoor advertising.

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Documents for a visa to Spain

Required documents to obtain Schengen category C:

1. Application form
   Filled out in English or Spanish, and signed personally by the applicant (a sample is available on the official website of the visa center);
2. International passport
   Must be valid for at least 3 months after the end of the trip, with at least two blank pages;
3. Two photographs
   Color, 3.5 x 4.5 cm (see photo requirements below);
4. Photocopy of passport
   All pages of internal and foreign passports (even blank ones), two spreads per page, for a total of 4 spreads per sheet;
5. Photocopy of the second or old passport
   Photocopies of all pages of the second or old passport containing marks, seals or visas of any countries;
6. Certificate from the employer
   indicating the position, length of service in the company, income and the fact that the trip coincides with the next paid vacation; those working in an individual entrepreneur/personal legal entity need to attach a copy of the certificate of registration of the enterprise and its tax registration;
7. Confirmation of financial solvency
   For the duration of the trip (based on a minimum of 73.59 EUR per day per person, but not less than 661.50 EUR per person for the entire duration of the trip): traveler's checks, bank account statement or certificate of currency purchase;
8. Health insurance policy
   Valid throughout the Schengen area and for the entire duration of stay. Insurance coverage must be at least 30,000 EUR;
9. Additionally,
   for persons who have not previously had Schengen visas in their passports, it is advisable to provide additional documents on financial well-being: a copy of the certificate of ownership of real estate, car, etc.;
10. A copy of a
    round-trip air ticket or confirmation of air ticket reservation;
11. Hotel reservation
    Confirmation of residence in Spain: hotel reservation - original or fax with the stamp and signature of the responsible person or a printout from the Internet indicating the reservation number and the fact of payment for the order; rental agreement for a villa/house or apartment;

In the case of a private visit, you must provide an original notarized invitation from a private person with personal data of the inviter and invitee, dates and purposes of the trip, and address in Spain. As well as originals or copies of documents confirming relationship, a certificate of registration of the inviter and a copy of his passport or residence permit.

In addition to the listed documents, students must receive a certificate from the educational institution and a copy of their student ID. For pensioners - a copy of the pension certificate. And also for all of them and those who are not working - an application for sponsorship, a certificate from the sponsor’s work, a copy of his internal passport and a document confirming the degree of relationship.

For a visa officer, one of the main points is the financial viability of the tourist, confirmed by documents. Unemployed people can provide a letter from the bank, signed and stamped, indicating the existence of a deposit through which funds flow.

Traveling with children

Persons under 18 years of age will need to provide: a copy of the birth certificate, two photographs, a notarized permission for the child to leave from the second parent (if the child is traveling with one of them). If a minor child is traveling without parents, accompanied by a third party, it is necessary to provide copies of all pages of the Russian passport of the parent/parents, a notarized power of attorney (with an apostille!) for the export of the child and a copy thereof. In the absence of parents (parent), photocopies of the death certificate and the single mother's book are provided.

Important: the power of attorney must be completely filled out in Russian (even the name of the hotel).

Children included in the parent's passport are also included in their visa. In this case, the designation “+ 1X” is placed next to the parent’s surname (the number indicates the number of children entered in the passport and traveling during the validity period of this visa).

The surname in the tourist’s international passport must strictly correspond to the surname in the general passport. Marriage certificates and other documents confirming a change of surname are not valid in this case.

Photo requirements

The photograph must be in color, on a white background and contain only the face, neck and upper shoulders. Photos taken no earlier than 6 months at the time of submitting documents are accepted. Processing in computer programs is not permitted. It is also important that the photo does not contain shadows, glare, stripes, or foreign objects.

If a person wears a headdress for religious reasons, then the latter should not cover the forehead, mouth, chin, cheeks, or eyes. The same goes for glasses. It is important that they do not change their appearance due to a too pretentious frame or shape (only transparent glasses are allowed).

The photo is taken from the front, a slight smile is acceptable. Dimensions: 3.5x4.5 cm, the head should occupy 70-80% of the image (approximately 3 cm).

Visa validity period

The same requirements apply throughout Europe - according to Schengen type C, you are allowed to stay in the country for no more than 90 days in six months. If the passport is “clean”, then the first visa is issued for 3 months. Spain is distinguished by its loyalty towards tourists from Russia who visit the country many times. If your passport already has Spanish Schengen, then the next one will be given for 6 months, the third for a year, the 4th for 2 years. If you have Schengen visas from other European countries, you may be able to approve a visa for six months or a year. But even with a long-term multiple visa, a foreigner has the right to spend no more than 90 days in Spain in six months, but the number of border crossings is not limited.

If you already have one Spanish Schengen, the next one will be given for 6 months, the third - for a year, the 4th - for 2 years.

Reasons for refusal of a Spanish visa

Spain is one of the few countries that annually attracts tourists from Russia. Even despite the recent economic crisis, more than 100 thousand Russians visited the country in 2021.

The Spanish government is trying to put forward less rigid limits on the access regime. Adding to the country's convenient location, Spain often turns into a starting point for the European Tour.

In general, foreigners do not have problems obtaining tourist visas to Spain. Moreover, Spain is one of those countries that can issue a multiple visa for a longer period.

And yet, from time to time the consulate refuses entry to foreigners. As practice shows, most often this happens due to the lack of any documents. Or if an employee identifies false information about the purpose of the trip and the conditions of stay.

The applicant has the right to refute the decision of the visa department by filing an appeal with the consulate no later than 1 month from the date of receipt of the refusal. If you are refused again within the next 2 months, you can appeal to the Supreme Court of Spain.

Here are some reasons for common failures:

1. Violation of the entry sequence. The first transit must be through the country that issued the visa.
2. Having a “clean” passport without any visa marks. Typically, officers pay close attention to the owners of such documents, checking the person’s financial viability. This is especially true for citizens of the North Caucasus region (Dagestan, Chechen Republic, Balkaria, etc.).
3. Having a passport with a refusal from the consulate of another Schengen Community member country.
4. Violation of Spanish legal regulations.

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A tourist visa has several refusal categories, each of which has its own code. Thus, complete failure is indicated by the symbol C1. The applicant's call for an interview is marked with code C2, and code C3 indicates an incomplete set of documents or the absence of important information in the application form.

Do not forget that consulate employees are quite good specialists in psychology and have a keen sense of falsehood. If your intentions are pure and you have taken a responsible approach to collecting documents, then 2021 will be remembered for a long time by you as an unforgettable vacation in sunny Spain.

More information about the reasons for refusal to issue a Schengen visa to Spain can be found by following this link.

You can also read the article “Customs rules of Spain: what you can and cannot import and export from the country” on our website.

Refusal

It is believed that it is easy to obtain a Spanish visa, but there are also refusals. The reasons are trivial: an incorrectly completed application form, an incomplete list of papers, information about the applicant that does not correspond to the reality, violation of the period of stay in the country on a previous visa (applies to the entire Schengen zone), any suspicious data that may alert the visa officer. In any case, documents can be resubmitted directly to the embassy.

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Embassy and consulates of Spain in Russia

Embassy of Spain in Moscow

Consulate General of Spain in Moscow

Consulate General of Spain in St. Petersburg

Visa center in Moscow

Visa Application Center in St. Petersburg

Spain visa centers in the Russian Federation

Moscow

• Located at: Kaluzhskaya Square, building 1, building 2, 2nd floor.
• Open every day except weekends and holidays from 9:00 to 16:00.
• Call: +7 499 703‑18-41.

• Individual applicants should contact the address: st. Letnikovskaya, 11/10, building 1.
• Open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Phone: ++7.

Saint Petersburg

• Located at: st. Bolshaya Raznochinnaya, 16/7, near the Chkalovskaya metro station.
• Open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 16:00.
• Call: +7 812 612‑20-03.

Answers to questions about applying for a visa to Spain

• Will there be problems if I fly through the Czech Republic on a Spanish visa?
• How to apply for a visa to Spain for a Russian citizen living abroad
• How soon can you reapply for a Spanish visa after a refusal?
• What documents are needed to travel with a child to Spain?
• Is it possible to apply for a visa to Spain without personal presence?
• Is it possible to get a Schengen visa if your previous passport is lost?
• Do I need a Spanish visa for a transit flight through Madrid?
• Do I need to cancel a Schengen visa if the trip does not take place?
• Does a child with American and Russian passports need to obtain a visa to Spain?
• What to include in your visa application when traveling to Spain to visit friends

Ask your question

Where to submit documents (at the visa center and at the consulate)

In Russia, several organizations accept documents for a Schengen visa to Spain:

Consulate General of Spain in Moscow and St. Petersburg;

travel agencies and tour operators with valid accreditation;

visa services in major cities and regional centers of the country.

In the first case, prior registration by phone is required. In the last two, online registration is possible on the official website of the selected company.