Schengen Visa

February 10, 2026

General information

The Schengen visa is issued to third-country nationals listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 . This visa allows the holder to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days (in any 180-day period) for the purposes of tourism, business, visiting family, medical treatment, studies, training placements, volunteer activities, other non-gainful activities and transit through the territory and airports.

The 29 Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

The main destination of the applicant´s trip must be Spain
If the applicant is visiting several Schengen countries (tours, cruises) but do not have a main destination , the application must be present at the Consulate of the country of the first entry as long as the spend of days in each country will be the same amount.
The Consulate of Spain in Chicago will consider applications for residents in this jurisdiction: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Applications are in person by appointment only.

For visas request an appointment through this website: https://usa.blsspainvisa.com/chicago/

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

1. Schengen visa application form. The applicant must complete and sign an official application form, filling in each of its sections. If the applicant is a minor, one of their parents must sign the application

2. Photo has to be glued to the application form. An updated, passport-size, color photograph, taken against a light background, facing forward, without dark or reflective glasses, or any garments concealing the oval of the face. Photographs of toddlers and babies must not show any part of the adult holding them

3. Valid, unexpired passport. Original and copy of the page or pages of the passport that contain biometric data and previous Schengen visas. The passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the planned departure date from the Schengen territory. It must also contain at least two blank pages. Passports issued more than 10 years ago will not be accepted.

4. Proof of residence in the consular jurisdiction: State ID, Driver´s License or Student ID.

5. Proof of legal residence in the United States. Residence Card (Green Card) or residence visa valid in the US (B1/B2 tourist visa holders must apply in their home country).

6. Travel medical insurance.The insurance must cover the costs of repatriation for medical reasons or death, as well as for urgent healthcare and/or emergency hospital treatment for the entire stay and throughout the Schengen area. Coverage must be of at least €30,000 or its equivalent in local currency. If the application is for a multiple entry visa, the medical insurance must be valid for the first planned entry. The applicant must undertake to purchase insurance for future trips.

7. Visa fee. The visa fee will be paid upon submitting the application. Different fees are applied for others nationalities. Please visit our website to check the complete most recent visa fees.. Children aged 5 and under are exempt from the fee. Different fees are applied for nationals of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Cabo Verde and Russia, pursuant to the respective Visa Facilitation Agreements formalized with these countries.

8. Documents corroborating the purpose of travel and the specifics of the stay, that the visa applicant has sufficient financial means, as well as the intention of the visa applicant to leave the Schengen area before the visa expires.

Letter from the applicant's employer on letterhead and original signature (electronic signature is acceptable), with the following information: type of work performed, seniority, and annual salary. Complete bank account statements (all pages) for the last 3 months.

For Minors under 18 traveling alone or with only one of the parents, add:

Minor’s birth certificate, in English or Spanish, or translated into English or Spanish. Original and photocopy.
- If the minor is travelling with only one parent/legal guardian:
- If the minor is traveling unaccompanied (without parents/legal guardians):

When necessary to assess the application, the Consular Office may request additional documents or data and may also ask the applicant to come in for a personal interview.

PROCEDURE

Who can apply for a visa: Third-country nationals residing in the consular district who are travelling to Spain as their only or main destination.
Place of submission: Applications must be submitted in person by appotiment at BLS International Office, located at 121 W Wacker Dr. Suite 1307, Chicago, IL. . Appointments must be requested through the following link: https://usa.blsspainvisa.com/chicago/index.php
Visa application period: Visa applications must be submitted between 6 months and 20 days before the scheduled date of travel. Seafarers may apply for the visa up to 9 months before the date of travel.

Biometric data capturing: The applicant's facial image and fingerprints will be captured during the visa application procedure. Applicants under 12 and applicants whose fingerprints have been taken in the last 59 months are exempt from fingerprint taking. However, in the latter case, if the applicant's prints are of poor quality, the Consular Office will request that they come back in to have their fingerprints retaken.

Rectifying the application: The Consular Office may ask the applicant to submit any missing documents, or to provide additional documents or data that are necessary for a decision regarding the application. The applicant may also be called in for a personal interview.

Decision period: The legal period for reaching a decision is of 15 calendar days as of the day after the application submission date, but this period may be extended to 45 calendar days if an interview or additional documents are requested.
Visa applications submitted by nationals of certain States require consultation with the central authorities that could affect the duration of the visa procedure.

Return of passport and other documentation. BLS International will inform the applicant regarding the procedure for the return of the passport and any other original documentation.

Permission granted by the visa: A visa does not automatically entitle someone to enter the Schengen area. The traveller must meet all legal entry requirements (see section "Conditions for entry into Spain").

Visa refusal: Visa refusals will always be notified in writing, setting forth the grounds on which the decision adopted was based.

Appeals: If a visa is refused, the applicant may submit an appeal for reconsideration to this Consular Office within 1 month of the day following the date on which notification of the refusal is received. An application for judicial review may also be filed with the High Court Justice of Madrid within the 2-month period beginning the day after the date on which the applicant receives notification of the visa refusal or of the dismissal of the reconsideration appeal.

Data protection

The processing of personal data of visa applicants is done in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation.

Persons wishing to exercise their rights of access, rectification and erasure of their personal data in the Visa Information System (VIS) may do so by addressing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation
Inspección General de Servicios
Postal address: Plaza de la Provincia, 1, Madrid, España
Email: dpd@maec.es

The following forms may be used to do so:

Right of access (Spanish-English version)
Right to rectification (Spanish-English version)
Right to erasure (Spanish-English version)

Persons whose visa application has been refused because they are banned from entering the Schengen area may exercise their rights of access, rectification and erasure of their personal data in the Schengen Information System (SIS) by addressing the Ministry of the Interior.

To obtain more information on your rights and duties and on how to exercise your rights of access, rectification and erasure of data included in the SIS, please refer to the website of the Spanish Data Protection Agency.

Basic legislation

Community Code on Visas

Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code).

Regulation (EU) 2019/1155 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 amending Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 establishing a Community Code on Visas (Visa Code).

Schengen Visa

PROCEDURE

​Data protection​

​Basic legislation

Data protection

Basic legislation