Visas

TYPES OF VISAS. INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS

Visa requirement

South African nationals require Schengen visas to enter Spain even for stays of less than 90 days; to consult the list of other countries whose nationals are required to do so, click here.

However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, only the following visa applications are currently being admitted:

- Schengen Transit visas for seamen.

- Schengen Family reunification visas for EU family reunions in Spain, including unregistered couples.

- Schengen visas for participants in high-level sporting events held in Spain, with a certificate of eligibility from the High Sports Council of Spain (Consejo Superior de Deportes) at the request of the corresponding foreign Federation or of the institution which organizes the event.

- National visas for students in Spain.

- Schengen visas for special cases for family, humanitarian, force majeure or similar reasons, duly justified.

BLS application centre is temporarily closed. All the applications are presented at the premises of this consulate general.

Those who require a Schengen visa can only enter the Schengen area once the visa comes into effect. After the expiry date of the visa, the Schengen area must be exited.

The Schengen area is made up of EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovak Republic, Spain, and Sweden; as well as non-EU countries: Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

Nationals exempt from visas for stays not exceeding 90 days (i.e. exempt from a Schengen visa) must take into account that the exemption is independent of any national visa (for example, a study visa for Spain) as well as the number of entrances and exits; its validity period is added to the period granted for the visa.

Those with legal residence (South Africans or other nationalities) in Gauteng, Free State, Limpopo, North West, Mpumalanga and Kingdom of Lesotho must submit their application in Pretoria.

Airport transit visa

All Schengen states require airport transit visas for nationals from: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.

Spain also requires airport transit visas for nationals from: Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Djibouti, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, India, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Syria, Togo and Yemen, in addition to the holders of passports issued by the Palestinian Authority.

The holders of visas and residence permits issued by the following countries and territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are exempt from airport transit visas: Aruba, Curaçao, San Martín, Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba.

VISA APPLICATIONS AT THE CONSULATE

Appointment at the Consulate General

To apply at the Consulate you must book an appointment. As a general rule, the appointment takes place within 15 days from the date it was requested.

To book an appointment: click here.

NB: separate appointments must be booked for each applicant.

Fees at the Consulate General

Without prior payment of the fee(s), the application cannot be processed. The consular fees must be paid in cash directly at the offices of the consulate general when carrying out the procedure (please provide the exact amount where possible due to lack of sufficient change).

Payment to the Consulate General

EFT

Residents in Comoros, Madagascar and Mauritius can pay by bank transfer, only if they are unable to make payment through a South African representative.

The amount to be transferred must be the exact amount, in local currency (South African Rand (ZAR) and free of commission or other bank charges.

If the amount received does not correspond to the exact amount of the consular fee of the process to be carried out, it will be rejected. We therefore recommend that before making any bank transfer, you contact the CG in advance to know the exact amount to transfer as well as the correct banking details.

No request will be processed until the exact amount is received in the bank account of this Consulate General.

Photograph

It should be a recent (no older than 6 months) colour photograph of the applicant's face, 32 by 26mm, with a uniform, white and smooth background, taken from the front with the head completely uncovered and without sunglasses or any other garment that can prevent or hinder the identification of the person. (The photograph should clearly show the oval of the face and should be high resolution and on good quality photo paper).

Application

The visa application cannot be submitted by mail or electronically.

The application can be done in person, or, if the individual does not reside in Cape Town and there are difficulties of transportation that would make the trip particularly burdensome, submission can be done through a representative authorised by a Power of Attorney or equivalent. The representative must prove his/her identity, along with the Power of Attorney along with the rest of the documentation. There is no template for this Power of Attorney.

The application form cannot be completed online; it must be printed.

The form must be duly signed. If it is not signed, it cannot be processed.

Only for national visas (non-Schengen):

- A complete photocopy of all pages of the passport must be submitted along with the application.

- It is necessary to read a specific form beforehand, which you will then be required to sign and date along with the information that has been entered into the computer system once at the CG.

- Once the application has been completed, a receipt is issued with specific information that should be used to follow the course of the application, and, to collect the visa.

Outcome

No correspondence on the procedure will be registered or provided by this consulate until the deadline established for decision-making on the visa has elapsed; consult our webpage for the established time frames per visa type.

This period may be extended to a maximum of 30 calendar days in certain cases; and in special cases where additional documentation is required, this period may be extended to a maximum of 60 calendar days.

The outcome on applications for short stay (Schengen) visas is decided by the consulate general within 15 calendar days from the date of the complete application; the average turn-around time in high season (April-October) is 13 days; in low season (November-March), 6 days.

Only for national visas:

Once the outcome of the national visa has been decided, this will be updated on Consulta de trámites consulares: https://sutramiteconsular.maec.es/Home.aspx (Access using receipt); the final decision is not communicated in the aforementioned Website, but rather communicated when the visa is collected.

Once the application is complete with all the correct documentation, the average time for the national visa outcome to be decided is 3 weeks; 2 days in the case of work visas.

Collection

The representative will need to prove their identity and present the Power of Attorney.

It is important to review the visa sticker to ensure that all information is correct, and in the case of a mistake, it will be corrected immediately.

No appointment is required for collection at the consulate general of the visas applied for at the consulate general; consult this Webpage for opening hours.

Once in Spain, the applicant must go to the Oficina de Extranjería closest to their residence to resolve any problem or doubt about the visa or stay, or alternatively, the nearest corresponding consular office of their country, but not to this consulate.

Additional instructions common to all visa types

It is advisable to purchase plane tickets only once the visa has been granted, in order to avoid additional costs in the case of having to change a ticket.

A reminder that penalties or charges because of changes made by the applicant to the entry date to Spain after the application has been submitted are the responsibility of the applicant.

Data protection

For more detailed information on data protection at this consular office, consult the following link: https://sede.maec.gob.es/

TYPES OF VISAS. INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTS

All forms must be completed in Spanish.