IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Spanish Government has signed a contract with an external company (BLS International) for processing visas for Spanish Consular Offices in the United States.
IT IS MANDATORY TO REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT
For SCHENGEN (Tourism) VISAS must request an appointment through this website: https://usa.blsspainvisa.com/chicago/index.php
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 27 Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, 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.
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. Must present one of the following documents:
7.
. Present the payment the day of your interview.
Different fees are applied for others nationalities. Please visit our website to check the complete most recent visa
Fees 2024
8. Round trip ticket reservations; Printout of the Round Trip Flights reservation showing:
- Arrival and departure from the Schengen area
- Departure and arrival to the United States of America
- For travel-tours or cruise, include the complete itinerary trip (cities, hotels) issued by the Travel Agent.
9. For Business trip: Invitation letter from the Spanish company or local company indicating: Contact person and Address in Spain as well as purpose of the visit and expenses coverage.
10. Accommodation: Present one of the following:
For Minors under 18 traveling alone or with only one of the parents, add:
- Notarized, written authorization of parents/custodians to travel abroad.
- Original and copy of the minor's Birth Certificate.
- At least one parent must be present ; the absent parent must give notarized authorization to apply in his/her behalf.
Relatives of European Union citizens. : Applications are in person by appointment only. Request an appointment through this website: https://usa.blsspainvisa.com/chicago/index.php
A Schengen visa is issued free of charge for these applicants who must provide ALL of the following:
- The applicant must present points 1 to 5 describe above
- Spouse of the EU citizen should present original and copy of marriage certificate (issued in the last 6 months), and duly translated into Spanish .
- Round Trip Flight reservation of the applicant/s and the EU spouse/children travelling together.
- Original and one photocopy of EU citizen's passport.
- Children of the EU citizen should present a birth certificate.
- Dependant relatives in the ascending line should present the documents proving the relationship, original and copy and duly translated into Spanish .
The Consular Office may request additional documents or data.
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:
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).