4 Easy Steps to Apply for Spain Schengen Visa at Spanish Consulate in San Francisco(SFO), California
When you get to Spain, you’ll wonder why you’ve never been before. Whether you travel to the north, south, east, or west you’ll find some amazing sights and plenty of things to do. There are vibrant cities full of culture, fabulous buildings, and a lively nightlife, historic towns with out of this world architecture, and stunning islands with forests and mountains to explore. One thing’s for sure, if this is your first trip to Spain, it won’t be the last. In this article learn more about how to apply for Spain Visa at the Spanish consulate San Francisco, Spanish visa appointment booking, Processing time at the Spanish visa application center and Spain Visa Application Process at the SFO consulate.
Schengen Visa
In 2017, there were 1,624,276 Spanish Schengen visa applications and 8.27% of these were rejected. The Consulate of Spain in San Francisco dealt with just 1,455 of which 1 was not issued.
Applying for a Schengen Visa from the United States
You can apply for a Spanish Schengen visa in the United States if:
- You are a non-US citizen
- You are a permanent resident of the US
- You are not in possession of a B1/B2 visa
If you have a B1/B2 visa you are only eligible to apply for an Airport Transit visa which must be applied for in your home country.
First of all, you have to make sure you apply at the right Spanish embassy and consulates. If you live in any of the following areas, you are free to apply at the Spanish consulate in San Francisco:
Northern California (Not including the counties: Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, San Bernardino, San Diego, Ventura) These residential areas are dealt with by the Spanish consulate in Los Angeles
Alaska
Hawaii
Idaho
Montana
Nevada
Oregon
Washington
Wyoming
Guam
Types of Schengen Visas Offered at the Spanish Consulate in San Francisco
There are 2 types of Schengen visas available:
- Short stay – for trips up to a maximum of 90 days
- Long stay – for trips over 90 days
Depending on why you wish to travel to Spain, there are different categories of visas and you must apply for the correct one otherwise your application may be refused.
a) Tourist – Vacation only
b) Business – Business related to your profession
c) Au Pair – Applicants aged between 17 – 30 years of age
d) Capital Investment – Residency with €1 million invested
e) Student dependent – Students accompanied by spouse/parent
f) Entrepreneur – Entrepreneurial activities
g) Exception work – Cultural, artistic, scientific activities
h) Language assistant – Employment in schools
i) Non-Lucrative – Residency without engaging in lucrative work
j) Real Estate – Residency with €500,000 invested in real estate
k) Religious activity – Participation in the religious event
l) Retirement – Retire in Spain
m) Student – Study in Spain
n) Work – For those with a signed employment contract
o) Airport Transit Visa (ATV) – Change planes on Spanish territory
Each of these visas can be:
1) Single entry – Maximum of 1 entry during 90 day period
2) Double entry – Maximum of 2 entries during the 90 day period
3) Multiple entry – Unlimited entries during the 90 day period
Schengen Visa Application Process at the Spanish Consulate in San Francisco
Once you know which visa you need to apply for, the first step is to make an appointment.
Step 1: Make an appointment
Go to the Spanish Consulate in San Francisco’s website and you’ll see the link to follow. The consulate does not accept walk-ins, so you’ll need to make an appointment on their Bookitit system.
Click on the option for visas (visados) and it will take you to the available days and times.
If there are no available dates, please keep trying as other applicants may cancel their appointment at short notice. You must book one appointment per person.
Once you’ve made the appointment, you’ll receive confirmation by email. You should take this proof to your interview.
It’s advisable to apply for your visa well in advance of your trip. Processing times range from 2 weeks to 4 months depending on what category of visa you are applying for. You can check individual processing times on the consulate’s website. However, you can apply up to 90 days before you travel.
If you are running short of time or not sure which consulate to apply to or have no idea on how to get this done yourself then not to worry, we will make the appointment for you and manage the process end to end for a small service fee!
Step 2: Preparing your documents
Step 2 is to prepare your documents in time for your appointment. Please note that any foreign documents should be legalized. The documents required include:
1) Passport
– Valid for 3 months after the trip
– Issued within the last 10 years.
– 2 free pages
2) Fully completed and signed Schengen Visa application form
3) US permanent residence card of valid US long-term visa with I-20/IAP-66
– Valid for a minimum of three months from the expiration date of your visa
4) 2 recent photos
– Passport-size, 2×2 in
– White background
5) Proof of lodging
– Original local police invitation letter
– Details hotel reservation
– Cruise/tour itinerary
– Latest credit card statement and/or bank statement
7) Signed verification of employment
– Employed: Employer letter and/or proof of business
– Self-employed: Business license
– Students: Certificate of attendance/Proof of financial means
– Retired: Pension certificate
8) Proof of intended roundtrip flight itinerary
9) Health and/or travel medical insurance
– 30,000 cover for medical emergencies and repatriation
10) Authorization letter with parental permission to travel (Minors under 18 years of age)
11) Birth and/or marriage certificate
– Must state “Apostille of the Hague Convention” or be legalized
12) Police record certificate
– Issued by state police/FBI
– Translated into Spanish
– Not older than 3 months
13) Letter from Spanish Immigration with the approval of residency visa/work permit
14) Confirmation of investment/type of business
15) Proof of family ties
16) Medical certificate
– Translated in Spanish
– Must state “Apostille of the Hague Convention” or be legalized
17) Proof of participation
18) Certificate of real estate ownership
19) Acceptance/enrolment letter
20) Forms EX01/M790/C052
If you’re planning to obtain your flight reservation for visa without paying for the ticket, all you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps below:
- Visit the Visa Reservation website to choose the right package
- Submit the travel details and make the payment online
- Receive flight itinerary in email
Step 3: The Schengen visa interview
When the day arrives for your appointment, go to the Spanish Consulate in San Francisco in person and arrive early. This way, you’ll be able to relax beforehand and make sure you have everything with you. If you fail to provide all the documents the appointment will be cancelled. Remember to also take proof of your appointment as you’ll need to present this at the consulate.
Your intention should be to present yourself as someone who has genuine reasons for traveling to Spain. Dressing formally will also make a good impression.
You must provide originals documents and you should photocopy everything. The Spanish consulate in San Francisco requires copies and it’s a good idea to make an extra copy for yourself because your documentation will not be returned to you
You may also be required to provide biometric data which includes a photo and fingerprints.
Schengen visa fees:
| Visa Type | Fee |
| Schengen tourist, business visa | $71 $41 for children between the age of 6 and 12 Free for Children under the age of 6 |
| Student visa | $160 |
| Work residence visa | $190 |
| Retirement, family, work permit exception, religious, non-lucrative visa | $140 |
| Self-employed visa | $270 |
The required payment can only be made by cash or money order made payable to the Consulate General of Spain. This fee is non-refundable, even if your application is refused.
When the interview begins, the visa official will start to review your documents. Don’t be surprised if they ask you further questions or ask you to provide more paperwork. All you need to do is comply with their requests and answer the questions to the best of your ability and be honest.
Some of the most common questions are:
- Is this your first trip to the Schengen area?
- What do you know about Spain?
- What is the purpose of your trip?
- Do you have any family members living in Spain?
- Who will pay for your trip?
Step 4: Receiving your visa
The Spanish consulate in San Francisco cannot provide you with updates on the progress of your application, so please do not telephone or email them regarding this. However, you can check the status by going to the homepage: https://sutramiteconsular.maec.es/
You need to choose “Acceso por Resguardo” and input your unique reference number which you’ll find under the barcode on your visa receipt. If it says “Resuelto” it means your visa is ready and you can go to the consulate from the next working day to collect it.
Hopefully, your visa will be accepted, however, there is a chance it could be refused for any number of reasons:
- A false travel document was produced
- The justification for purpose of the stay wasn’t clear
- Alert for refusal of entry to Schengen area
- Proof of adequate travel insurance was not provided
- Insufficient means of subsistence
- Unacceptable documents
To have the best chance of a successful application, make sure your paperwork is legitimate and you have it all in order, completed and signed. If your visa application is rejected you will be told why it was refused and you have the right to appeal the decision within 2 months.
Contact detail for the Spanish Consulate in San Francisco
Address: 1405 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
Email: cog.sanfrancisco.vis@maec.es
Tel: 415-922-2995/2996
Fax: 415-931-9706
Hours:
Monday to Friday, 9.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. for interviews
Monday to Friday, 1.00p.m. – 2.00 p.m. for visa collection
Conclusion
When you apply for your Spanish Schengen visa at the Consulate General of Spain in San Francisco, these 4 steps are simple and straightforward. All you need to do is to follow them exactly, submit your paperwork, and make a good impression at the same time. Hopefully, you’ll soon have your visa in your hand and you’ll be one step closer to your Spanish trip.
At Visa Reservation, we strive to simplify the visa process by providing free visa consultations, cover letter templates and no objection letter templates for our clients from US, UK, Canada, Philippines, India, China, UAE, Europe, Nigeria and globally. We also offer flight itinerary for visa, travel medical insurance, hotel reservations for visa and much more. To learn more about how we can help you with our visa services, please feel free to contact us today.
