Spanish Consulate San Juan, Puerto Rico – 3 Easy Steps to Apply for Spain Schengen Visa
Spain is one of the most popular destinations in Europe and every inch of the Schengen country has something exciting for its visitors to get involved with. Modern cities, buzzing at any time of the day or night. Traditional villages which are a delight to wander around. Beach resorts and islands offshore for relaxing or partying the night away. Plus, delicious tapas and paella to savor, impressive monuments and architecture and much more. Spain will let you have the most fantastic time there! In this article learn more about how to apply for Spain visa at the Spanish consulate in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Spain visa appointment booking, Processing time at the Spain visa application center, flight itinerary for Spain visa, hotel bookings for Spain visa, Schengen travel insurance for Spanish visa application, and Spain Visa Application Process at the San Juan consulate.
Applying for Spain Schengen Visa from the United States
If you are a US citizen, you do NOT need to apply for a visa to enter Spain. However, if you are a non-US citizen, you DO need a visa, but you can do this easily from the United States. Please note, if you hold a B1/B2 type visa you can ONLY apply for an Airport Transit visa and you must apply for this in your home country.
You have to make sure you apply at the right Spanish embassy and consulate. If you wish to apply at the Consulate of Spain in San Juan Puerto Rico, you must live within their jurisdiction of Puerto Rico, Islas de Culebra y Vieques, and the Virgin Islands. If you don’t live in any of these areas, you must apply to another embassy or consulate. You can check the website of the Spanish Embassy in Washington DC for further information.
The website of the consulate in San Juan, Puerto Rico is all in Spanish, so if you need the English version, you’ll need to get Google to translate the content.
Spain Schengen Visa
There were 1,624,276 Spain Schengen visa applications received during 2017. 134, 394 (8.27%) of them were not issued. The consulate in San Juan, Puerto Rico received 138 applications and 132 of them were issued.
Types of Schengen Visas Offered at the Spanish consulate in San Juan, Puerto Rico
There are 2 types of visas offered at the Consulate of Spain Puerto Rico and the one you choose will be determined by the length of your intended trip:
- Short-stay visa (Schengen visa) – up to 90 days
- Long-stay visa (National visa) – over 90 days
You then need to choose the correct category of visa based on why you wish to travel to Spain. You should make sure you apply for the right one, otherwise, this could cause delays and/or result in your application being rejected.
Visa categories include:
- Business
- Visiting family or friends
- Cultural
- Sports
- Official visit
- Medical reasons
- Study
- Transit
- Airport transit
- Residence
- Family reunion
- Employee/self-employed/temporary work
- Research
- Accreditation
Visa can be issued as:
- Single entry – Maximum of 1 entry
- Double entry – Maximum of 2 entries
- Multiple entry – Unlimited entries
Schengen Visa Application Process at the Consulate of Spain in Puerto Rico
Before you apply for your Spain visa, take a look at the consulate’s website for information on the requirements for your type of visa and how to apply etc. This will save you time when you start the procedure.
You should aim to apply at least 15 days prior to your trip. It takes around the same time to process visa applications, although it could take longer, so don’t leave it too late. You can apply up to 90 days ahead, so the earlier the better!
To help you apply, here are a series of steps for you to follow one-by-one. Hopefully, this will make things easy for you.
Step 1: Get your documents ready
The first thing you need to do is to get your documents ready for your visa application. Spend time looking at the consulate’s website. That way, you can understand what all the requirements are before you submit your file.
You must also prepare originals as well as photocopies of everything, so don’t forget to do this.
Documents to get prepared include:
- Two applications for Schengen visa
- Two National visa application forms
- Passport or travel document valid for at least three months after your trip, issued within the last ten years, and have 2 free pages
- 2 x Recent passport-size photo with a white background
- Valid visa or residence permit/card
- Proof of accommodation or a letter of invitation from a private individual
- Confirmation of the booking of an organized trip including the itinerary
- A return or round-trip ticket
- Proof of sufficient means of support (€ 90 per person per day) such as bank statements
- Invitation letter from a company or institution to take part in meetings, conferences, etc.
- Document proving the existence of commercial, industrial relations, etc.
- Entry tickets to trade fairs, congresses, conventions, etc.
- Invitations, tickets, bookings or programs stating the name of the host organization, duration, and purpose of the visit
- Certificate of enrollment on training courses
- Certificates related to the courses to be attended
- Schengen Medical insurance for a minimum of €30,000 to cover medical expenses and/or repatriation
- Proof of employment stating job title, length of employment, salary, and vacation period/last 2 wage slips and W2 forms; last tax return and corporate bank statements/business certificate/license (if self-employed); proof of pension income (if retired)
- Parental consent, notarized (Minors under 18 years of age)
- Birth and/or marriage certificate (with Apostille certification)
- Proof of family ties
- Medical certificate (translated into Spanish)
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 2: Submit your application to the consulate
There is no need to have a pre-arranged appointment at the Spanish consulate in San Juan Puerto Rico. You simply have to turn up and submit your documents during their office hours.
Remember to take all your paperwork with you. If you hand over an incomplete application, it could lead to your visa application being refused. Dress the part too – turning up dressed too casually says a lot about you!
The person who looks at your application is within their rights to question you further regarding your application. They could ask visa interview questions such as:
- Are you traveling alone to the Schengen area?
- Is this your first time to Spain?
- Do you enjoy any scholarship?
- Do you have any children?
- Do you have any family members living in Spain?
Don’t jeopardize your Schengen visa interview at the last minute. Use this comprehensive and thorough visa interview guide to crack the visa interview!
You will also pay the relevant fee when you submit your application. You can pay by money order payable to the Consulate of Spain in Puerto Rico.
Spain Schengen Visa Fee
Type of visa | Fee |
General visa fee for non-US nationals | $68 |
For children 6-12 years old | $40 |
Visas fee for nationals of Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Moldavia, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine | $40 |
Student visa | $160 |
Work permit | $190 |
Work permit for investors/self-employed | $270 |
Non Profit Residence/Retired | $140 |
When the consulate has reached a decision about your visa, they will notify you and you can collect it from their office.
There are 2 outcomes:
- Approved – your visa has been approved and you will find it inside your passport
- Rejected – your visa has NOT been approved
Visa applications get rejected for a variety of reasons, such as:
- Documents are not notarized
- Passport is damaged
- You have applied to the wrong visa office
- You have failed to provide an invitation letter
If your passport is damaged, for example, it has loose or missing pages, you must obtain a new one before applying for your visa. You must apply at the correct visa office. Each one has its own consular district that it deals with, so check which one you need to submit your application to. You need to provide all the necessary documents for your visa application, including invitation letters, and certain documents should be notarized.
Contact details for the Spanish consulate in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Address: Edificio Mercantil Plaza, Piso 11 Oficina 1101 Av.Ponce de León s/n, Hato Rey – Puerto Rico 00918
Email: Cog.SanJuandePuertoRico@maec.es
Tel: (787) 758-6090/6142/6279
Fax: (787) 763 01 90
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8.30 am – 1.30 pm
Conclusion
There are just three easy steps to apply for your Spain Schengen visa:
- Get your paperwork ready
- Submit your application to the consulate
- Receive your visa
Then, all you have to do is start to prepare for your exciting 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 , Book Visa Appointment, Travel Guides, Visa Interview Guides and many more. To learn more about how we can help you with our visa services, please feel free to contact us today.
See Also
How To Apply for Spain Schengen Visa at Spanish Consulate in Boston, Massachusetts
How To Apply for Spain Schengen Visa at Spanish Consulate in Chicago, Illinois
How To Apply for Spain Schengen Visa at Spanish Consulate in Houston, Texas
How To Apply for Spain Schengen Visa at Spanish Consulate in Los Angeles, California
How To Apply for Spain Schengen Visa at Spanish Consulate in NYC, New York
How To Apply for Spain Schengen Visa at Spanish Consulate in San Francisco, California
How To Apply for Spain Schengen Visa at Spanish Consulate in Washington D.C.
How To Apply for Spain Schengen Visa at Spanish Consulate in Miami, Florida