Required documents
1. Schengen visa application form . Duly completed (full postal address, email address and telephone should not be omitted), dated and signed in blue ink by the applicant.
2. One photograph not older than 6 months of the applicant, 35-45 mm and on a white background, should be affixed on the application form.
3. Proof of residence in the consular district.
4. Payment of the visa fee. Consult the visa fees here.
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.
5. Passport of the applicant with at least two blank pages, valid for at least three months after the duration of the anticipated stay and issued in the last ten (10) years. Old passports can also be included. If there is any visa refusal in the latest 2 years, please provide the refusal notice or a written explanation about the reasons.
6. One copy of the pages of the passport with biographic data (in the case of an Indian passport, at the beginning and the end).
7. Seaman's passbook (continuous certificate of discharge in India).
8. Proof of travel insurance with a minimum coverage of 30,000 Euros to cover any expense which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment. The insurance must be valid throughout the territory of the Schengen States and during the entire period of stay.
9. Letter of employment.
10. Flight bookings. It is advisable not to buy the air ticket until the visa has been granted.
11. If the applicant is not a national of India, evidence of his/her legal residence in India (residence permit).
12. A letter of invitation from the Spanish maritime agency (ship owner, agent or consignee of the ship) with the following information should be included:
· name and surname of the seaman
· date and place of birth
· nationality, passport number, date of issue and period of validity
· seaman's passbook number, date of issue and period of validity
· job position on the ship on which he will board (if there are various seamen this information should be included in a list, signed and stamped and attached to the letter of invitation)
· date and port of entry in Spain
· name of ship
· flag of ship
· port of boarding in Spain
· duration of the stay on board
· port of disembarkation
· date of return to the country of origin
· travel itinerary to Spain and return to country of origin
· name and address of the agency responsible for the crew member in country of origin as well as agency responsible for the crew member in Schengen State.
The applicant should take the adequate steps to ensure that the Embassy receives the Schengen application form for crew members who need a visa (Annex IX of the Regulation (EC) 810/2009) issued, filled and stamped by the competent Spanish seaport authorities.
Procedure
This Consular Office is competent to accept visa applications from third-country nationals residing in the consular district who are travelling to Spain as their only or main destination.
· Who can apply for a visa: Applications must be submitted in person.
· Place of submission: Applications must be submitted through BLS https://blsspainvisa .com/
· Visa application period: Visa applications must be submitted between 6 months and 15 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: The Consular Office or Visa Application Centre 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. The appeal application must be submitted along with all the required documentation to justify the grant of visa at any BLS centre without prior appointment. 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.
Complaints or suggestions about the service received or about the visa application procedure can be submitted online through this website. They may also be submitted in writing at this Consular Office.
Data protection
The processing of personal data of visa applicants is done in accordance with the General Data Pr otection 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).