The Schengen visa

A Schengen C visa costs a €90 consular fee, and the decision takes 15 calendar days, in some cases up to 45. You do not choose the country you apply to; your route does: the application is handled by the country you are travelling to or where you will spend the most days. According to European Commission statistics for 2025, Spanish consulates worldwide received 1,713,550 applications — second in Schengen after France — and refused 14.6% of them. Below: where to apply, how much it costs, processing times, documents, grounds for refusal and what has changed with the EES system.

What a Schengen visa is

A Schengen visa gives you the right to enter the countries of the Schengen area and move between them without border checks. The area includes 29 countries. The main limit is no more than 90 days in any 180-day period: you can stay in the area longer only on a national visa or a residence card, and that is where moving to Spain as a procedure begins.

A separate issue is how to prove the actual date of entry from which these 90 days are counted. If you enter from another Schengen country there will be no stamp in your passport, and you will have to record the date yourself — by filing a declaración de entrada (declaration of entry) within three days of arrival.

Types of visa

• A — airport transit. Valid only in the international transit area of an airport; you cannot leave for the city on it.
• C — short stay. Up to 90 days in any 180-day period, single or multiple entry, valid for up to 5 years.
• D — national. Issued for living in the country that issued it, on a specific ground: study, work, residence. On arrival it is exchanged for a residence card. The grounds for Spain are collected in our overview of residence permits in Spain.

If your destination is Spain, the application procedure, timelines and typical refusals are covered separately in our article on the Spanish visa.

Working in Spain: which visa you need

A Schengen visa, like a visa-free stay, gives no right to work in Spain, not even remotely for a Spanish client. To work, you need a national visa or a residence permit on a specific ground, and the route depends on where your income comes from.

• You already work remotely for an employer or clients outside Spain: the digital nomad visa, with income from €2,849 a month.
• A Spanish company has offered you a job: the employer applies for your residence and work permit. With a university degree and a senior role, the faster route is the highly qualified professional permit or EU Blue Card.
• You already live in Spain on another permit and have found a job: you switch permits, see modifying a residence permit to employment.

All grounds side by side, with income requirements and processing times, are in our overview of residence permits in Spain.

Which country to apply to

The country you apply to is set by Article 5 of the EU Visa Code (Regulation 810/2009):

• if there is one destination country, its consulate;
• if there are several, the country of main destination: where you will spend the most days or where the main purpose of the trip is carried out;
• if the main destination cannot be determined, the country whose external border you will cross to enter Schengen.

You apply at the consulate or visa centre covering the place where you legally reside (Article 6).

If you live outside your country of nationality, you apply where you are legally resident: on a residence permit, a long-stay visa or another status. A tourist or short-term visitor can apply in a third country only by way of exception — if they explain why they are not applying where they live and the consulate accepts the explanation (Article 6(2)). Spain has no consulate of its own in Armenia or Belarus: according to the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, these countries fall within the consular district of a Spanish consulate general in another country. There is, however, a Spanish visa centre in Yerevan that accepts documents and forwards them to the consulate: who may apply there and on what terms is covered in Schengen visa in Yerevan. In Kazakhstan there is a Spanish consulate in Astana — in 2025 it received 25,020 applications and refused 6.4%. The European Commission counts such applications by country of application, not by nationality.

The advice to “apply where it is easier” does not work. An application lodged with the wrong country is returned by the consulate together with the visa fee, but the visa centre’s service fee is lost. If you declare a route you will not follow, the consulate may refuse: the purpose of the trip is not justified or your statements are not considered reliable (Article 32). A visa already issued can be annulled if the conditions for issuing it were not met from the outset (Article 34). At the same time, trips to other Schengen countries on the visa you received are not considered misuse if the first trip was to the declared country.

How much it costs

• Consular fee — €90 for adults and children from 12, €45 for children aged 6 to 12 (Article 16 of the Visa Code; amounts in force since 11 June 2024).
• Free for children under 6, school pupils and students travelling to study, researchers, and participants under 25 in events organised by non-profit organisations.
• Service fee of the visa centre, if you apply through one, on top of the consular fee. The Visa Code caps the service fee at half the consular fee, i.e. €45.

Both fees are paid when you apply and are not refunded afterwards. The consular fee is refunded only if the application was lodged with the wrong consulate or was not admitted. Intermediaries charge separately for preparing documents; this is not a mandatory payment, and you can apply yourself.

Processing times

• The consulate decides within 15 calendar days of receiving a complete application; in individual cases the period is extended to 45 days (Article 23).
• You can apply no earlier than 6 months before the trip and, as a rule, no later than 15 days before it.
• Most of the time is usually spent waiting for an appointment, so look for a slot early.
• The Visa Code allows urgent applications only in justified cases, and the consulate decides.

How to apply

You apply at the Spanish consulate covering your place of legal residence or at the Spanish visa centre that accepts documents on its behalf, as a rule by appointment. Fingerprints are taken at the first application; if they were entered in the visa system less than 59 months ago, they are copied. Children under 12 do not give fingerprints.

Documents

• an application form with accurate information;
• a 3.5 × 4.5 cm photograph taken within the last six months, glued to the form;
• an international passport valid for at least 3 months after you leave Schengen, issued within the last 10 years, with at least two blank pages; copies of pages with previous visas and old passports with visas, if you have them;
• medical insurance of at least €30,000, valid in all Schengen countries for the whole trip; for a multiple-entry visa, for the first trip, with a signed undertaking in the form to take out insurance for later trips. How the market works and what is covered is explained in our article on insurance in Spain;
• proof of the purpose of the trip and accommodation: a booking, itinerary, tickets;
• proof of funds: a bank statement and a letter from your employer;
• the consular and service fees.

Check the current list on the visa centre’s website before applying. If a mandatory item is missing — the form, passport, photo, fingerprints or fee — the application is not admitted and is returned; that is not a refusal. If supporting documents are missing, the consulate may request them, or may refuse, finding the purpose of the trip or the funds unproven.

EES and ETIAS

The Entry/Exit System (EES) operates at Schengen’s external borders: instead of passport stamps it records dates of entry and exit, fingerprints and a photo, and according to the European Commission it has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. ETIAS is a separate travel authorisation for nationals of visa-exempt countries. People travelling on a Schengen visa do not need ETIAS. At the border you may also be asked to show funds for the trip, which are tied to the minimum wage: in 2026, about €122 per day.

Read next

Castellón de la Plana: a complete guide to the Spanish city

20.04.2025

Why you may be refused

The grounds for refusal are listed in Article 32 of the Visa Code. The most common are:

• the passport does not meet the requirements: valid for less than three months after departure, issued more than 10 years ago or without two blank pages;
• the purpose and conditions of the trip are not justified, or the route and accommodation details contradict each other;
• funds for the trip and return are not proven;
• the applicant has already spent 90 days in Schengen in the current 180-day period;
• there is an entry ban in the Schengen Information System, or the applicant is considered a threat to public policy and security;
• there are reasonable doubts about the authenticity of documents, the reliability of statements or the intention to leave before the visa expires.

What to do if you are refused

In a refusal the consulate states the reason using the standard form in Annex VI of the EU Visa Code (Regulation 810/2009): for example, incomplete documents, an unproven purpose of travel, insufficient funds or doubts about your intention to return. A refusal in itself does not mean an entry ban: you can reapply after correcting what the form points to, or appeal the decision — the appeal procedure and deadline are stated in the refusal itself. If you were refused a national visa or a residence permit rather than a tourist visa, the procedure is different — see our guide to a residence permit refusal in Spain.

Can you get a Schengen visa with a criminal record?

The Visa Code contains no specific ban for people with a criminal record. A visa is refused if the applicant is considered a threat to public policy or internal security, in particular if Schengen databases contain an entry ban (Article 32). The decision is made case by case: what matters is the nature and age of the conviction and whether there is an entry ban.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Schengen visa cost in 2026?

The consular fee is €90 for adults and children from 12 and €45 for children aged 6 to 12; children under 6 pay nothing.

Can I apply to another Schengen country where visas are easier to get?

No. You apply to the country of main or sole destination (Article 5 of the Visa Code). An application lodged with the wrong country is returned, and declaring a false route can lead to refusal or annulment of the visa.

Can I apply for a Schengen visa in Armenia or Kazakhstan?

Yes, if you are legally resident there: you apply where you legally reside (Article 6 of the Visa Code). A tourist can apply in a third country only by way of exception, if the consulate accepts the justification. For Spain, residents of Kazakhstan apply to the consulate in Astana; Spain has no consulate of its own in Armenia or Belarus. There is also a Spanish visa centre in Yerevan that accepts documents and forwards them to the consulate.

How long does a Schengen visa application take?

15 calendar days from lodging a complete application, up to 45 days in individual cases. You can apply no earlier than 6 months before the trip.

How often does Spain refuse Schengen visas?

According to European Commission data for 2025, Spain refused 14.6% of the 1,713,550 applications lodged at its consulates worldwide.

Do I need ETIAS if I travel on a Schengen visa?

No. ETIAS is for nationals of visa-exempt countries. Travellers on a Schengen visa do not need it, but they are registered at the border by the Entry/Exit System (EES). Holders of Schengen residence permits are not registered: how a digital nomad permit replaces the visa is explained in our guide to the digital nomad permit instead of a Schengen visa.

How long must my passport be valid for a Schengen visa?

At least 3 months after the date you leave Schengen. The passport must have been issued within the last 10 years and have at least two blank pages.

How long can you stay in Spain on a tourist visa?

No more than 90 days in any 180-day period (Article 6 of the Schengen Borders Code) and no longer than the period stated on the visa. Overstaying in Spain is punished with a fine of €501 to €10,000 or, instead of a fine, expulsion with an entry ban of up to five years.