How to apply for Spain Schengen visa from India

Most Indians who are planning to visit Spain will need a visa to do so. If you are looking to apply for a visa to Spain in India, you should strongly consider a Schengen visa, which will allow you to visit Spain as well as the rest of the 26 countries in the Schengen area. Indians who receive a Spanish Schengen visa will be able to spend up to 90 days in Spain. In addition, they will be able to travel outside of Spain throughout neighboring France and elsewhere in Europe. Today’s blog will help you figure out how to obtain a Spain Schengen visa from India. Learn the ins and outs of the Schengen Spain visa application process, including where to apply for your visa, how much it will cost, and for the answer to the question “how can Indians apply for a long-term visa to Spain,” among many others!

How to apply for Spain Schengen visa from India

• 1. Determine when to travel (when to apply) 
  • The first step of the Spain visa application process for Indian applicants involves determining dates of travel. Indians who are applying for a Schengen visa should therefore try to plan ahead a bit, so that they receive a visa before they need to travel to Spain. 
  • While you do not have to know the exact dates of your Spanish trip, you should think about when you want to travel so that you’re not applying too late (keep in mind that you will need to submit your application no earlier than 15 weekdays before you intend to travel, and not more than three months before). 
• 2. Determine what “type” of Schengen visa you need
  • When you apply for your Spain visa from India, you will need to select the “type” of Schengen visa that you need. 
  • The Schengen visa type you select should reflect your primary reason for making the trip. For example, if you are traveling to Spain purely for touristic reasons (such as to experience a culinary tour of the Basque region, go museum-hopping around Madrid, or visit the beaches of Barcelona) you should apply for a Schengen Tourist visa to Spain. Alternatively, if you are traveling because you have business in the country, you should apply for a Schengen Business visa to Spain. 
  • The entire list of available Schengen visa types is accessible here.
• 3. Determine what “entry category” of Schengen visa you need
  • After you select your visa “type” you will need to select your visa entry category. The visa entry category that you select will determine the number of times you can enter, exit, and re-enter Spain (and the Schengen area in general). 
  • If you are planning on entering Spain and remaining in the Schengen area until your visa expires, you may be satisfied with a single-entry Schengen visa to Spain. However, keep in mind that if you obtain this visa, you will not be able to re-enter Spain once you exit it (even if your visa has yet to expire when you seek to re-enter). 
  • If you want a bit more flexibility when it comes to traveling in and out of the Schengen area, you might consider applying for a double entry visa, as this will allow you to re-enter Spain one time if you leave it. For example, if you have a double-entry Spanish visa, you could theoretically fly into Madrid from New Delhi, spend a month in Spain, return to India, and then re-enter Spain one final time. In this scenario, if you leave Spain after your second entry, you will not be allowed back in—even if you still have time left on your visa. 
  • Finally, applicants who intend to travel back and forth between India and Spain throughout their Schengen visa validity period should pursue a multiple-entry Schengen visa, which will allow them to enter, exit, and re-enter the Schengen area as many times as they want (so long as there visa remains valid). 
• 4. Determine where to apply for Spain visa from India 
  • Would-be travelers to the Schengen area who are wondering where to apply for the Spain visa in India should identify the nearest Spanish consulate, embassy, or visa application center responsible for processing Schengen visas—this is the entity they will apply through. 
  • Where to apply for the Schengen Spain visa in India depends on where you are located. Indians can typically apply through the Spanish Embassy in New Delhi or through centers located in major cities including Ahmedabad, Bangaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, or Mumbai. 
• 5. Gather your required documents and materials
  • Spain visa requirements for India citizens and residents applying to the Schengen area include the submission of the following documents:
    • Indian passport.
    • Passport photos (2).
    • Schengen visa application form. 
    • Proof of accommodation (i.e. that you have a place to stay once you arrive in Spain).
    • Proof of finances (i.e. that you have enough money to afford your trip and time in Spain).
    • Proof of travel medical insurance.
    • Proof of return (i.e. that you will leave the country when it is time for you to do so). 
  • Schengen visa requirements for India citizens also include the submission of the following materials:
    • Spain visa fees India applicants (80 EUR for most applicants).
    • Biometric information (photos and fingerprints). 
  • In addition to the above documents, you will need to submit whichever supplemental documents correspond to the specific type of visa you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for a “Visiting Family and Friends” visa to Spain, you will have to supply an invitation letter from the person you are visiting in Spain. 
  • For a complete list of Spain visa requirements for India citizens and residents, click here.
  • Please note that any documents you submit as part of your Schengen visa requirements will likely only be accepted if they are written in either Spanish or English (or another European language). Alternatively, you may submit documents in a different language, provided you submit them alongside official translations (into those two languages).
  •  For example, if you attempt to submit an invitation letter as part of your supplemental documents for a “Visiting Family and Friends” Schengen visa to Spain, and it is written in Hindi, you may have to include a translation of that letter into Spanish. 
  • For more information on the language requirements for Spanish Schengen visa applications from India, please contact us here. 
• 6. Access your Schengen visa application
  • Access the universal Schengen form (which is also the Spain visa application form) here.
  • Download, fill out, print out, and sign the above form, which you will submit (alongside the rest of your required documents and materials) at your Schengen visa appointment. 
• 7. Schedule your Schengen visa appointment
  • You will have to make a Schengen visa appointment at the Spanish consulate, embassy, or visa application center that you are applying through in India. The appointment fulfills the requirement that you apply for your visa in person (a requirement that applies with few exceptions to all Indian visa applicants). 
  • Please note that Indians who are applying through the Spanish Embassy in New Delhi traditionally must make appointment a month in advance of traveling to Spain. 
  • Contact the specific entity you are applying through to find out if you need an appointment. For help with this, contact us here.
• 8. Attend your Schengen visa appointment 
  • When you apply for a visa to Spain in India, you will have to go in-person to a visa appointment at your application destination. 
  • At your appointment, you will formally submit your Spain visa application form, have your biometric information collected, and attend a brief interview. 
  • Additionally, those who have not already paid their Spain visa fees for Indian applicants will do so at this appointment. Certain applicants, including most Indian students, will be exempt from fees (or subject to reduced ones). For more information on what you will have to pay, click here.
  • If you travel frequently between India and Spain, you may be able to avoid having to appear for an in-person interview if you have submitted your biometric information on a previous Schengen visa application (i.e. within the past five years of applying for your most recent Spanish visa). However, this is rare, as almost all Indians—regardless of the frequency of their Schengen travel—are asked to attend an in-person appointment at the embassy, consulate, or center they are applying through. 
• 9. Await your decision 
  • Indian applicants can expect to receive their Schengen visa to Spain around two weeks after formally applying. Some applications, however, can take between 30-60 days to be processed. 
  • If you are rejected for a Spanish Schengen visa from India, you are entitled to appeal the decision. For a general overview of the Schengen visa appeal process, click here.

How can Indians apply for a long-term visa to Spain? For the answer to this question, and for general information about traveling to the Schengen area from India, contact us here.