Spain attracts different categories of travelers with its festivity, wealth, beauty, diversity. It is difficult to name one specific reason why this small pretty piece of land is so interesting for tourists. Spain is proudly proud of its rich cultural heritage. For many centuries, it was the state on the territory of the Iberian Peninsula that moved European and world history. The temperamental Spaniards became so crowded on their pretty territory that they began the era of great geographical discoveries. Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Cervantes, Banderas, Gaudi, Iglesias - all of them were born in Spain. The museum program of this country is recognized as one of the most interesting in the world.
Also, Spain is the world capital of football, bullfighting, flamenco, delicious prosciutto ham and breathtaking wines. Spanish Canaries and Tenerife are Europe's leading beach tourist destinations. Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia impress with their cultural and architectural heritage. The well-known Ibiza is the main European party mecca.
Spain knows what to offer to shoppers. This is the world capital of the most popular mass-market brands: Pull & Bear, Zara, Stradivarius, MANGO, Oysho, Massimo Dutti. And the largest and cheapest Spanish shopping villages are dazzling fashionistas from all over the world.
What visa do I need to apply for entry to Spain?
To enter the territory of Spain a Schengen visa is required, which allows tourists to look at the sunny Pyrenees as part of a tour of Europe. A Spanish visa to St. Petersburg is issued according to the standard protocol common to all Schengen states.
It is important to understand that an entry document is not a sophisticated way of torturing tourists, it is not a new way for Europeans to protect themselves from unwanted guests from third world countries. Most European countries are more than hospitable to tourists or guests who come to their territory, integrate into their culture and generously replenish their GDP by purchasing goods and services. But Europe is very attractive to crowds of emigrants and illegal workers. Therefore, a Spanish visa to St. Petersburg is not a documentary fad of a Western country, but a necessary necessity, which was created in order to suspend and refine a huge flow of travelers.
Ways to apply for a visa to Spain
You can get a long-awaited stamp that allows you to travel around Europe unlimitedly in several ways: on your own at the consulate or visa center, at a travel agency or using the services of specialized companies.
There is no single correct way. For weekly trips for the purpose of a beach holiday with the purchase of a standard tour package, the Spanish visa (St. Petersburg) is also issued at the agency where the tour is purchased. To independently draw up this document is more time consuming. But in this case, the traveler gets the opportunity to make a multiple visa for a more flexible and longer period. For residents of large cities, such as St. Petersburg, where there are embassies or consulates of most countries of the Schengen agreement, this is the best option.
Visa to Spain through intermediaries
Specialized intermediary firms often provide such services. However, in this case, a Spanish visa in St. Petersburg will cost much more. This option is suitable only for very busy people. It should also be noted that tour operators generally do not charge a fee for applying for a visa from customers who buy the entire tour package from them. But in this case, the document is drawn up exclusively for the tour period itself, not a day more. But if a client applies to a travel agency in order to obtain consulting or intermediary services for obtaining a visa without buying a tour, the company has every right to take its modest (or immodest) commission.
Nowadays, in almost any small town there are travel agencies, but there are only consulates or embassies in large ones. So, you should use the services of intermediaries if they have an authoritative reputation and provide the opportunity to apply for a visa without having to submit a package of documents by the applicant himself. In this case, it will be much more advisable to pay a commission to the intermediary company than to spend time and money on a trip to the embassy and back. In addition, this must be done twice: the first time to submit documents, and the second - to pick up a passport with a visa stamp.
Which embassy to apply for a Spanish visa?
It should be noted that only officially registered residents of St. Petersburg and the surrounding areas can obtain a Spanish visa (St. Petersburg). This rule applies throughout the country for all types of Schengen visas. The registration of a citizen is solely relevant, and not his actual place of residence. There is a zoning map where each region of Russia is attached to an embassy, consulate or visa center. It is impossible to choose a place for filing documents on your own.
For residents of St. Petersburg and the district, it should be remembered that in this city there is also a consulate general at the address: 191028, ul. Furshtatskaya 9. There is also a visa center in Spain: ul. Bolshaya Raznochinnaya, 16/7.
How to get a Spanish visa on your own in St. Petersburg?
What do you need to get admission to this state? For residents of large cities, such as St. Petersburg, where there are embassies of almost all countries, the easiest and most useful way to get a long-awaited pass to the territory of Schengen Paradise is to make a Spanish visa to St. Petersburg on your own.
It is worth noting that rumors about mythical barriers in applying for a visa to Spain are very carefully supported by agencies, travel agencies and other offices that offer assistance services in resolving all formalities. For their services, such organizations charge an immodest commission (from 50 to 700 €).
In reality, the traveler himself must collect the entire package of required documents, and the aforementioned intermediaries provide more consulting services, point out some shortcomings in the paperwork, fill out a visa application form, and in some cases submit a package, which is not the case with living conditions in a city where there is an embassy so useful. All ghostly reinforced concrete visa guarantees based on fabulous ties or other garters in embassies are fictitious. There are no such powerful mediators that can influence the decision of the consul. If the applicant himself has compiled the correct package of documents, and there are no problems with the law in the Schengen territory, he has every chance of obtaining the long-awaited permission on his own.
And if documents for a Spanish visa (St. Petersburg) are drawn up correctly, but contain fictitious, untruthful information, then their assistance will not be helped by the help of the most reputable companies. The fact is that embassies are real islands of a foreign state with its norms, laws and legal rules, and within the framework of foreign missions, the purely Russian tradition of solving problems using powerful connections is not practiced.
Therefore, the applicant should find the official website of the embassy and draw on this resource all the necessary information. There you can sign up for an interview and submit documents, re-read all the requirements for collecting a package of documents.
Package of documents for obtaining a visa to Spain
To all tourists who need Spanish visa (St. Petersburg), the consulate puts forward mandatory requirements for a set of necessary documents:
- Visa application form filled out and signed personally by the applicant.
- Original passport. The document must be valid for at least three months after returning to their homeland, have at least two blank pages for gluing a visa. Plus, there should be photocopies of all pages of the passport.
- Color photo size 3.5 x 4.5 cm not older than 1 year. The picture should be taken on a light background in business clothes.
- Photocopies of all pages of a civilian internal passport (including blank!).
- Photocopies of all pages of previous passports where there are visas and stamps of previously visited states.
Documents confirming the solvency of the applicant
- For private entrepreneurs - a copy of the certificate of registration of the company and its tax registration.
- For all workers - a certificate from the place of work, in which the amount of wages must be indicated by month. The document should indicate that the employee is granted paid leave for the duration of the trip, and his position is retained after returning.
- For housewives, students, unemployed - a notarized agreement on financing the trip by a spouse or relative, plus a certificate from the sponsor's place of work.
- Bank statement of the presence on it of the amount required for the trip: at least 65 euros (you can provide statements from several bank accounts). Traveller's checks and currency cards are also taken into account.
Documents confirming the purpose of the trip
- For tourists - confirmation of the reservation of a hotel or apartment, copies of airline tickets in both directions.
- For guest travelers, an invitation from a relative or an official call.
- Copy of invitation to study, medical examination, etc.
- A copy of the medical insurance policy with a coverage of at least 30 thousand euros. The insurance company must operate throughout Schengen.
- Signed agreement on consent to the processing of personal data.
How much does a Spanish visa cost?
A Schengen visa costs 35 euros, regardless of category. This is a mandatory consular fee. When planning the costs of applying for a visa to Spain, you should consider many nuances.
Firstly, if a visa is issued through a company, then this organization takes a certain amount for its services (from 10% to infinity).
Secondly, for those tourists who first need a Spanish visa in St. Petersburg, the visa center charges 20 euros for their services. Such branches were opened at the embassies relatively recently. Almost all of them exist as an accredited intermediary between the consul and the applicant, such a kind of buffer. But experienced tourists for repeated visas mostly turn directly to secretaries at embassies, bypassing the costs of visa center services.
Thirdly, the collection of documents itself requires some costs, mostly quite modest.
What categories of travelers are exempt from consular fees?
According to the rules of the Schengen Agreement, the following categories of travelers are kindly exempted from paying the visa fee:
- Children under 18 years old.
- Students of a stationary form of education under the age of 21 years. They should provide a university certificate and a copy of their student ID.
- Senior citizens. They need to submit a copy of the pension certificate.
These categories of travelers can apply for a visa without paying a visa fee of 35 euros, but they are also required to pay for the services of a visa center or intermediary firms. Preferential travelers must, among other things, submit travel documents on general terms.
How long does a Spanish visa apply for in St. Petersburg?
The standard period from the moment of the interview at the embassy to the receipt of the visa stamp is 7 working days. It should be noted that in some cases (in the summer season, New Year period) this period can be extended up to 10-14 days. Please note that the embassy is also closed on public holidays in Russia and Spain. And finally, it should be noted that there is an urgent visa, which is issued within three or four business days and costs 70 euros.