Spain Visa From Philippines – How to Apply for Spanish Schengen Visa Application Requirements Guide

There are 26 Schengen countries to visit and Spain has got to be one of the most popular destinations of them all. There are cities like Barcelona and Valencia with beautiful centers just perfect for exploring. Spain’s beaches are awesome too and there are many to choose from along nearly 5000 km of coastline. Head inland for beautiful national parks and outdoor activities like hiking and horseriding. In this article, learn more about how to apply for a Spain visa from the Philippines, Spain visa appointment booking, processing time at the Spain visa application centre, flight itinerary for a Spain visa, hotel bookings for a Spain visa, Schengen travel insurance for a Spain visa application, and Spain visa application process in the Philippines.

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Spain Schengen Visas

In 2019, 1,912,500 Schengen visa applications for Spain were dealt with my embassies around the world. Of the total, 191,909 were not issued. The embassy/consulate general in Manila received 20,497 applications and rejected 1,657.

Applying for a Spain Schengen Visa from the Philippines

If you are living in the Philippines as a citizen or as someone who is legally living there with a visa, you will need a visa if you want to go to Spain.

Visas are available from the following offices:

The Embassy of Spain in Manila. Your visa application will be processed at this office as long as you live in the following areas:

1. Republic of the Philippines
2. Republic of the Marshall Islands
3. Federated States of Micronesia
4. Republic of Palau

The Consulate General of Spain in Manila. Your visa application will be processed here as long as you live in the following areas:

Both the embassy and consulate have outsourced visa applications to BLS International, so you must book your appointment and hand over your application to their office in Manila.

Visa applications take 15 calendar days to be processed although this could be extended to 45 calendar days if more information is required. You can apply up to 6 months ahead of your trip, so the earlier the better.

Types of Schengen Visas Offered at the Embassy/Consulate General of Spain in Manila

There are 3 different visas you can apply for:

1. Airport Transit visa – to pass through the international transit zone of a Spanish airport. Citizens of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka require a transit visa unless they are the holder of a Schengen visa. Visit the embassy’s website for more information
2. Uniform Schengen visa  – for tourism, business, family visits, medical treatment, studies, placements in companies or volunteer activities or other unpaid activities for a maximum of 90 days. This visa may be issued for one, two or multiple entries
3. Long-Term visa –  if you want to live, work, study or research in Spain for over 90 days. This visa is issued for one or multiple entries

Schengen Visa Application Process at BLS International in Manila

To help you apply for your visa, follow these 5 steps:

1. Step 1 – Make an appointment
2. Step 2 – Complete your application
3. Step 3 – Prepare your documents
4. Step 4 – Attend your appointment
5. Step 5 – Collect your passport

Let’s look at each one in detail!

Step 1: Make an appointment

Making appointments with the embassy, consulate or visa application centre 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!

Booking a visa appointment using our services is pretty simple! All you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps below:

1. Visit the link to schedule the visa appointment
2. Submit the appointment details, the visa you are applying for, consulate you need the appointment for, the country you need the appointment IN and make the payment
3. Receive appointment confirmation in email

You can also make an appointment on your own by following the steps below.

1. Go to BLS International’s website
2. Click on: “Book an appointment”
3. Hover over the first or second tab and click on: “Book your appointment”
4. Complete the requested information – select your center (Manila), appointment category (normal, premium or prime-time), your phone number and email address
5. Request the verification code and continue
6. Book a convenient day and time
7. Check your passport details before confirming
8. Receive confirmation of your appointment by email

Step 2: Complete your application form

The next step is to complete your application form. This can be found on BLS’ website. Click on: “Visa type” and choose the visa you are applying for:

Then, click on the “Download forms” tab and you will see the link for the application form:

Step 3: Prepare your documents

There are document checklists available on BLS International’s website which you should refer to as you prepare your documents. Different visas have different requirements, so make sure you know what you need to submit along with your application. Also, you are required to sign the checklist to confirm you have provided all the required documents, so you’ll need to print this as well.

You need to prepare original and photocopies of everything, so don’t forget to do that!

Documents include:

1. Application form – fully completed and signed
2. One (1) recent passport-sized photo with white background which you should paste onto the application form
3. Passport  – valid for a minimum of 3 months after your trip
4. Copy of the data page of passport and all previous visas and stamps
5. Previous passports
6. Letter explaining the purpose of your trip
7. For spouses of  Spanish/EU nationals – marriage certificate (issued not more than 6 months ago) issued by the Filipino authorities (PSA) Minors – birth certificate issued by the PSA
8. Proof of economic means – bank certificate, bank books for the last 6 months and ITR
9. If staying in a private residence, invited by a relative/friend – invitation letter issued by the Spanish police and/or sponsor’s passport and/or D.N.I., or residence card and registration of residency (“empadronamiento”)
10. If employed – certificate of employment and authorization for leave of absence
11. If self‐employed – business permit, registration, company ITR
12. For non‐Filipino applicants – your ACR, ICR and re‐entry permit
13. Airline reservation and hotels – detailed itinerary and confirmed hotel reservations
14. Travel health insurance – minimum coverage of 30,000 Euros, must be recognized in all Schengen States and valid for the duration of the intended stay
15. For business visa – invitation letter in Spanish from the company in Spain,  letter from your company containing all details about the trip – purpose, length of stay, who is paying for the trip etc
16. Brown envelope – with your name, contact number written in bold in the upper left corner

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 4: Attend your appointment

On the day of your appointment, arrive before your scheduled time to avoid having to make a new appointment and remember to take your application form, passport and all of your supporting documents including the document checklist.

During your appointment, you may be asked questions about your application. This is so the visa office has everything they need to make a fair decision. Just answer any questions honestly and be clear.

Common questions include:

1. Have you been to the Schengen Area before?
2. What are you going to do in Spain?
3. Where will you be staying in Spain?
4. What do you do in the Philippines?
5. Are you traveling alone?

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 fee for your visa. You can pay in cash only. There is also a service fee, charged by BLS International which you must pay as well as your visa fee. These fees won’t be refunded, whatever the outcome of your application.

You will also provide biometric data which is a scan of your fingerprints and a photograph. This information will be stored on the Visa Information System (VIS) for immigration purposes. If you have provided this data within the last 5 years, it can be reused and you will not have to provide new data.

Step 5: Collect your passport

To find out what stage your application is at, go to BLS’ website and click on: “Track application”:

You can either collect your passport from BLS International’s office in Manila or have it mailed back to you via courier. If you are collecting your passport make sure you take your receipt and proof of acceptance.

There are 2 decisions:

1. Approved – if your visa has been approved, you will find it inside your passport
2. Rejected – if your visa has been rejected, you will be notified of the reason and you have the right to appeal the decision. See the embassy’s website for more information

Common rejection reasons include:

1. No proof of residence – whether you are a Filipino citizen or you are living in the Philippines legally, you must provide proof of your residency status
2. No proof of employment – you must provide documents to prove your employment status (see above)
3. Passport is valid for 1 month after your return to the Philippines – your passport should be valid for 3 months after your trip. If not, you must get a new one before applying for your visa
4. You have provided false documents – if you do not have all of the required documents, do not provide false ones as this could affect your chances of traveling to the Schengen Area. It is best to speak to BLS or the embassy/consulate general for advice

Contact details for BLS International in Manila:

Address: Spain Visa Application Centre, Unit 1903, 19th Floor, Philippine AXA Life Centre, Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City, Philippines

Telephone: +632 8816 2177

Email: info.mnl@blshelpline.com

Hours: Passport Collection Time: 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm (Monday to Friday); Submission Time: 8.00 am to 11.00 am (Monday to Thursday) and 8.00 am to 9.00 am (Friday)

Contact details for the Consulate General of Spain in Manila:

Address: 5th Floor, A.C.T. Tower. 135 Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenue, 1227 Makati City, Metro Manila

Telephone: 818 3561, 818 3581, 759 2970, 759 2971

Email: con.manila@maec.es

Contact details for the Embassy of Spain in Manila:

Address: 27th Floor, BDO Equitable Tower, 8751 Paseo de Roxas, 1226 Makati City, Metro Manila

Telephone: (+63 2) 8817 99 97/8817 66 76

Email: emb.manila@maec.es  

Conclusion

To apply for your Spain Schengen visa from the Philippines, follow these 5 steps:

1. Make an appointment
2. Complete your application form
3. Prepare your documents
4. Attend your appointment
5. Receive your visa

The next step will be preparing for your fabulous trip 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 , 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 Schengen Visa from Philippines

How to Apply for Austria Schengen Visa from Philippines

How to Apply for Belgium Schengen Visa from Philippines

How to Apply for Czech Republic Schengen Visa from Philippines