Spanish Consulate Washington DC – 3 Easy Steps to Apply for Spain Schengen Visa

Spain is the second most visited Schengen country in the world. Millions of visitors travel there every year to enjoy what it has to offer. Fabulous cities and quaint towns, historic centers, theaters, and shopping. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it in Spain. With a great climate, traditional, not to mention delicious, food, stunning beaches, and beautiful buildings it really is a fascinating place to visit. In this article learn more about how to apply for Spain Visa at the Spanish consulate in Washington DC, Spain visa appointment booking, Processing time at the Spanish visa application center and Spanish Visa Application Process at the Washington DC consulate.

Schengen Visa

The total number of Spanish Schengen visa applications reached 1,624,276 in 2017. The number of Uniform visas not issued was 134,394. The Spanish consulate in Washington DC issued 1,792 visas and 17 were not issued, although there is no data to confirm this.

Applying for Schengen Visa from the United States

In order to apply for a Spanish Schengen visa and you are a non-US citizen, you must be either a permanent or temporary resident of the United States. If you have a B1 or B2 visa you are unable to apply for any type of visa at the Consulate General of Spain in Washington DC. You must apply in your home country.

First of all, you have to make sure you apply at the right Spanish embassy and consulate. In addition, you are only able to apply at the consulate in Washington DC if you live in their jurisdiction which comprises the following states:

– Maryland

– North Carolina

– Virginia

– Washington, DC

– West Virginia

Types of Schengen Visas Offered at the Consulate of Spain in Washington DC

The type of visa you need to apply for will depend on how long you are planning to stay in Spain.

1. Short-stay visa (Schengen visa) – for stays up to 90 days
2. Long-stay visa (National visa) – for stays over 90 days

The reason for your trip will mean that you have to apply for a specific visa. The visas available from the Spanish consulate in Washington DC are:

Short-stay (Schengen visas):

1. Tourism
2. Business
3. Visiting family or friends
4. Cultural
5. Sports
6. Official visit
7. Medical reasons
8. Study
9. Transit
10. Airport transit
11. Other

Long-stay visas (National visa):

1. Residence visa to work in Spain as an employee
2. Residence visa for investors or self-employment
3. Residence visa to reunite family members with a legal resident in Spain
4. Residence visa to reunite a family member with a citizen of Spain or an EU member
5. Student visa
6. Non-lucrative/retirement visa
7. Residence with an exemption of work permit.
8. Entrepreneur visa and visas under Law 14/2013

Visa can be:

1. Single entry – Maximum of 1 entry during the validity of the visa
2. Double entry – Maximum of 2 entries during the validity of the visa
3. Multiple entry – Unlimited entries during the validity of the visa

Schengen Visa Application Process at the Spanish Consulate in Washington DC

The process to apply for your Spanish Schengen visa is relatively straightforward. The first thing to do is to spend time looking at the consulate’s website to familiarize yourself with the requirements.

The next stage is to follow these steps one-by-one.

Step 1: Prepare your documents

This part of the process is extremely important to get right because if you forget something or your paperwork is not in order it could mean your application will be refused. Take lots of time to know what is required for the type of visa you are applying for. Originals and photocopies of everything must be presented to the consulate. Documents include:

1) Schengen or National visa application form (available on the consulate’s website)

2) Passport-type photo with a white background

3) Passport – issued within the last 10 years and valid for 3 months after return to the US

4) US Green card or valid visa – valid for re-entry to the US

5) Planned travel itinerary and round trip airline ticket reservation – must also show entry and exit points from Spain

6) Hotel reservation or a letter of invitation

7) Letter of employment – stating job title, length of employment, and salary. (For professional and business trips the letter should also state the dates and purpose of trip)

8) Last tax return (if self-employed)

9) Proof of financial sufficiency – Latest bank statement (you should have at least $90 per day in Spain)

10) Proof of health or travel accident insurance coverage in the Schengen area – stating 100% coverage for a minimum of €30,000

11) Notarized consent of parents (Minors under 18 years of age)

12) Birth and/or marriage certificate (must state “Apostille of the Hague Convention” or be legalized)

13) Police record certificate (translated into Spanish and must hear Hague Apostille)

14) Work permit and/or proof of residence/self-employment authorization

15) Notarized passport and Spanish residence permit

16) Document proving family ties

17) Medical certificate (translated into Spanish)

18) Details of events/activities (translated into Spanish)

19) Notarized letter of intention

20) Letter of acceptance/enrolment

21) Self-addressed, pre-paid US express mail envelope

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:

1. Visit the Visa Reservation website to choose the right package
2. Submit the travel details and make the payment online
3. Receive flight itinerary in email

Step 2: Submitting your application to the consulate

The Spanish consulate in Washington DC does not offer appointments to submit your application.

You must take all the required documents to the consulate no earlier than 90 days before your departure date. Applications will be received on a first come first served basis, so it’s important to allow plenty of time for them to be accepted and processed. Anytime between 3-12 weeks prior to your trip is ideal. Depending on the type of visa application and your reason for traveling to Spain, there are different processing times. For example:

1. Tourist – 1-2 weeks
2. Employment – 2-7 days
3. Study – up to 6 weeks
4. Retirement – 3-5 weeks
5. Investors/self-employment – 2-3 months
6. Family reasons – 2-4 weeks
7. Residence for scientific/academic purposes – 3-5 weeks

Individual processing times can be found on the consulate’s website.

Although there is no need to schedule an appointment when applying for your Spanish Schengen visa at the consulate in Washington DC, it’s still important to take the submission of your documents seriously.

Making appointments with the embassy or visa application center is generally free and can be done yourself. However, 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 for a small service fee!

Remember to take all the required documentation. If there is anything missing you will be sent away to provide everything that is needed and this will delay your application.

Dress the part, and if you are asked any additional questions answer them honestly and give them the information they require. Typical Schengen visa interview questions could include:

1. Have you ever traveled to a Schengen country before?
2. Are you married?
3. Who lives with you now and what do they do?
4. Will you do business in the Schengen area?
5. Why do you think we should give you a visa to study in the Schengen area?

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 free when you submit your application. Depending on the type of visa you are applying for, there may be a different fee applicable. Check the consulate’s website for which fee applies to you. Also, certain types of visas attract an additional fee of $13 for the residency permit. You can pay the fee by cash, but you must make sure it is the exact amount. You also have the option of paying by money order payable to General Consulate of Spain, Washington DC.

Schengen Visa Fee

Step 3: Receiving your visa

When your passport is ready to be collected, you will be notified and you have the choice of collecting it from the consulate or having it mailed back to you if you provided a self-addressed, pre-paid envelope with your application. The consulate in Washington does not offer a tracking service and the tracking of your mailed passport must be done by you.

All being well, your visa should be affixed to your passport, but if it is refused there will be a reason for it and you will be notified by standardized form what the reason is. If your application is refused, you have the right to appeal it within 2 months. Visa refusal reasons include:

1. Past criminality
2. Passport invalidity
3. No travel itineraries
4. No signatures
5. Insufficient funds
6. Purpose of the trip not clear

To avoid your application being refused, make sure all your paperwork and documents are up to date, submit everything that is required for your application, including having sufficient proof that you can afford the trip, and make sure you haven’t engaged in anything untoward in the past. Also, make your intention for travel known to the visa official.

Contact detail for the Consulate of Spain in Washington DC

Address: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037

Email: cog.washington@maec.es

 Tel: 202 728 2330/202 452 0100

Fax: 202 833 5670

Hours:

Monday to Thursday, 9.00 am – 1.00 pm

Fridays -Closed

Conclusion

To sum up, there are 3 easy steps to follow when applying for your Spanish Schengen visa. The most important one is to make sure you have all the necessary documents. After that, take them to the consulate in Washington DC to be reviewed. The last stage is to wait to be notified of the decision. Hopefully, you’ll receive your visa with plenty of time to spare before you jet off to Spain.

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.

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 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