Spain is a warm country that attracts tourists from Russia with its beautiful sea, special culture, and beautiful architecture. Many seek to get here in order to spend an unforgettable vacation and learn a lot of new and interesting things.
However, as you know, Spain is a state that is part of the European Union, which means that a Schengen visa is required to cross its borders. How and where to get it? What documents for a visa to Spain need to be collected? About all this further.
What is a visa?
A visa is a document that allows a citizen of a certain state to cross the border of another country and stay on its territory for a certain period. It can be presented in the form of a small seal affixed to the page of a person’s international passport or can be pasted into it. In any case, such a document is issued for a certain period.
A Spanish visa is a small document that is pasted onto the page of a person’s passport. It looks like a single Schengen visa indicating the country for which it was issued.
Where to apply for a visa to Spain
To obtain permission to enter and stay in Spain, Russian citizens have the right to submit a request of the appropriate nature to the representative offices of the diplomatic mission of that country, located in Russian cities. They are presented in the form of the Consulate General, the embassy, as well as specialized visa centers.
Residents of Moscow can submit documents for a visa to Spain to the consulate of this state, which is located at: Stremyanny pereulok, 31/1.
Before actually contacting this representative office, it is necessary to make an appointment in advance, which is done online on the official website of the consulate.
Type B visa
This permission is a transit visa that allows a tourist to stay at the airport. It is very rarely requested by travelers, since this type of permit is only suitable for tourists who are traveling to another country with a transfer in Spain. As a rule, these are people traveling to Morocco through Barcelona Airport.
Documents for a visa to Spain category B need a little, and getting it is quite simple. First of all, a passport and a copy of it should be provided to the visa center. In addition, the representative office of the diplomatic mission will certainly require a document proving the identity of a citizen of the Russian Federation, as well as a copy of it.
The above documents should be accompanied by confirmation that the tourist does not need to stay in Spain. An example of this, as a rule, are copies of airline tickets to a third country (or confirmation of their reservation). Also, the tourist is obliged to provide a questionnaire, filled out properly.
Type C visa
This type of Schengen visa is considered the most common, as it allows you to stay on the territory of a state belonging to the European Union for no more than 30 days. As practice shows, this period is quite enough to make a tourist trip, sightseeing, as well as visit relatives.
As for the documents for issuing a visa to Spain of this type, their number is much larger than for a transit type permit.
In addition to identification documents (passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, passport), as well as their copies, the tourist is obliged to submit to the visa center a questionnaire filled out in strict accordance with the specified requirements, as well as an application that gives permission to process personal information provided to him.
The list of documents for a visa to Spain also includes two photographs of 3.5x4.5 cm in size, taken appropriately, as well as a number of certificates that confirm the solvency of a citizen. A compulsory document is medical insurance, the amount of which must be at least 30,000 euros, a certificate from the traveler's place of work, which indicates the name of the company where he conducts his career, position, as well as information regarding salaries for the last 12 months.
What documents do children need for a visa to Spain?
In the event that you plan to travel with your child, then additional papers containing information about a minor tourist must be attached to the main package of documents.
First of all, the representative of the diplomatic mission will require the original certificate of birth of the child, as well as its certified copy. In the event that the child’s departure is carried out without one parent, a written, notarized permission to leave written by the second parent is required, as well as a photocopy of all pages of his passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. The same rule applies if custody of the child is established. If, for any significant reason, the second parent is not able to grant permission (death, deprivation of parental rights, missing person), then an appropriate document (death certificate, relevant court decision, etc.) must be provided in support of this legal fact. .).
For each child, a separate tourist application form must also be filled in, which is usually what parents do. All signatures must be affixed by the adult accompanying the child.
Application Form Requirements
When considering documents for a visa at the Embassy of Spain, the commission pays particular attention to the correctness and accuracy of filling out a tourist application. There are a number of rules that must be strictly observed, otherwise the receiving party has every right to refuse to issue a Russian tourist entry permit.
What are the main requirements for this document for a visa to Spain? First of all, it should be filled as accurately as possible, in Latin block letters. This can also be done using a computer, entering all the information using the keyboard - this decision is allowed and even welcomed by the embassy.
All information presented in the questionnaire must certainly be accurate and fully consistent with all the data that is available on the pages of a person’s international passport. When filling in the data, dashes and “No” marks cannot be used - this is prohibited by the rules.
As for the information that is required in the questionnaire, personal information should include your current surname, as well as all previous ones, name, date of birth. All dates in the lines must be entered in a single format: DDMMYYYY. In the column "Country of birth" it is necessary to indicate the state indicated in the certificate. Citizens of Russia before 1991 should pay particular attention to filling out this item, since they need to put the mark not RUS, but USSR. The same goes for the line where you should indicate the current citizenship, as well as the one that was assigned at the time of birth.
Some columns should be left blank. In particular, this applies to paragraph 32, where the data of the invitants should be indicated (it is relevant only for people who make a targeted trip for treatment, family reunification, business, etc.), 34 and 35, in which the data of relatives living in the European Union (must be completed, if any).
Be sure to pay attention to the signatures that are affixed in paragraph 37 of the questionnaire - they must certainly be, since without their presence the document will not be considered. Some travel agencies recommend that the signature on the passport be completely repeated, as tourists are often refused due to a mismatch in its shape.
Confirmation of financial solvency
In order for a state that is part of the European Union to allow entry into its territory and temporary residence on it, it is necessary to confirm its financial viability, information about which should be provided in the number of documents for a Schengen visa.
Entrance to Spain is allowed only if the person is able to make settlements for at least $ 60 per day - this is the level set for this state. How to confirm this? Many tourists prefer to enclose copies of bank statements with a certain amount on the list of documents for a visa to Spain. Also, for this purpose, an income statement for the last 6 months or a document confirming the fact of a person conducting entrepreneurial activity is ideal. It should also be understood that this type of document for a visa to Spain should be submitted only if the personal data of the person who submits the request to the diplomatic mission is marked on it.
In the absence of such a document, the tourist has the right to provide a sponsorship letter from a solvent person who has a decent income. It must be written in the appropriate form, indicating that the person assumes the responsibility for financing the trip. Ideally, if the sponsor is a relative of the tourist - in this case, it would be appropriate to determine the degree of relationship by documentary evidence.
Photo Requirements
Among the documents for obtaining a visa to Spain are two photos that are taken in strict accordance with the requirements. As a rule, representatives of diplomatic missions take their study very seriously.
In order for the submitted request not to be rejected due to the mismatch of the photo provided, it is worth contacting a professional photo shop to create it, since a card made at home and printed on the printer will not work.
Among the basic requirements for a photo, its size is indicated - 3.5x4.5 cm. You also need to pay attention to the fact that it should be printed on matte paper and made on a light (not white) background. As for the appearance of the person applying for permission to enter the EU countries, he must be strict, the person should not have any accessories, too bright makeup and long hair covering most of the face - this should be taken care of in advance and prick them .
Among the main requirements for the photo, it is also said that the face on it should occupy a large part of the allocated area and be about 32-36 mm in size.
Biometrics
The list of documents required for a visa to Spain also contains biometric analysis data. The biometrics procedure is carried out once for persons who plan to visit the European Union. Children who have not reached the age of 12, as well as all other persons who do not have the physical ability to pass it (lack of fingers, hands, etc.) can be exempted from it.
The biometrics procedure involves fingerprinting, as well as the creation of a high-quality digital photo of a person's face. It is carried out on special equipment that is available at each representative office of the Spanish diplomatic mission in Russia, as well as in visa centers.
Additional documents
What documents are needed for a visa to Spain for those who have a special purpose of travel? Such groups of persons must attach additional documents confirming the special purpose of the trip to the standard package of papers.
Persons who plan to carry out treatment in Spain with documents for a visa at the consulate must be provided with a medical report on the presence of a certain disease, as well as an official letter from the country's clinic stating that it will undergo surgery or therapy, indicating the timing of the procedures.
In the event that a person makes a business trip to the country, he is obliged to provide an official letter of invitation from a business partner who is in Spain. It must be drawn up on the official letterhead of the company indicating all its details.
Persons who wish to obtain a national visa (D) must provide a list of documents that confirms the need for their long-term stay in the EU. As a rule, the need to obtain this type of permit arises for people who plan to work in Spain, study or have real estate in the state.
In the event that a tourist wants to get an education in Spain, he is obliged to provide an official letter from the educational institution, the content of which will say that a separate place has been reserved for him. Existing students and students can provide a student card or an order for admission to the university.
For people working in Spain, a prerequisite is the provision of a labor agreement with an employer from that country. In the event that it is not already available, you can attach an official letter from a Spanish company indicating the guarantee that the person will be hired.
Cost
When applying for a visa to Spain, citizens of Russia must remember that in order to obtain permission to enter, a visa fee must be paid. Its size depends on which region the tourist is from. So, for citizens of the CIS countries the cost of a visa is from 100 to 110 euros, but the Russians are an exception - for them the document is issued a little cheaper - for 70-80 euros. As for children under the age of 6, they are granted a visa free of charge.
In addition to the main visa fee at the time of applying for a visa to Spain on your own, the tourist must pay the service fee, which is charged for processing the information provided. Its size is the same for obtaining a Schengen visa to any EU country and is 12 euros.
Payment of the above amounts is made at the cash desk of the visa center in national currency (at the current official rate). In the event that the tourist receives a negative response in granting him permission to enter and stay in Spain, the amount of fees will not be returned to him.
If a refusal was received
It often happens that a tourist who wants to get a visa to Spain, when submitting a full package of documents and paying all necessary fees, is refused to provide it. This often happens and, as a rule, there are substantial grounds for this. Among the most common reasons for refusal, the most common are the incorrectness of filling out a tourist questionnaire, as well as the failure to provide any document. With this reason for refusal, a person can correct the defects and resend his request.
A different situation arises when a person has a criminal record, can bring danger to the European Union with his visit, or is a citizen of the countries of the North Caucasus — such groups of people receive refusals that cannot be disputed.
How long does a visa take
It takes a different amount of time to review the submitted application. As a rule, it all depends on what type of visa is requested and where the documents were submitted. As practice shows, requests submitted to visa centers are considered within 10 business days. If you want to speed up this process, you can pay extra 20 euros and get a response within three days.
In the event that a request for permission is submitted to the consulate, it is considered within 3-5 days (in normal mode).