Schengen visas

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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 or volunteer activities that last under 3 months, or for other non-gainful activities. It also allows transit through the territory and airports. A Schengen visa allows the holder to travel to any of the Schengen States and to transit through their territory, but it does not automatically entitle them to enter the Schengen area. The border authorities can refuse entry if the visa holder does not provide proof of the purpose and specifics of the trip, or if any of the other entry requirements are not met.

The Consulate General of Spain in Toronto will process the Schengen visa applications submitted by applicants living in the consular jurisdiction by appointment only. Book your appoint​ment HERE. ​Each applicant must have an individual appointment.  If you are a permanent resident in Canada and you are a holder of a blue Canadian Travel Document, you do need to apply for a Schengen visa.​

Please note that the previous link is the only official way to book an appointment. you do not need to pay anything to obtain an appointment. In additi​on, the applicants of Schengen visas or tourist visas living in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories or Yukon can also process their visa applications at the Consulate General of Switzerland in Vancouver. More information HERE.​​​

​Required documents 

1. A passport with at least two empty pages (Original and copy). The passport should have been issued within the last 10 years. The passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the date on which you intend to leave the Schengen territory, or, in the case of multiple journeys, the date on which you intend to leave after the last stay
   
2. A visa application form completed and signed​. Any person appearing in your travel document must complete a separate application form. The visa application form for a child under 18 must be signed by a parent or guardian.
   
3. A recent passport-size identity photo.
   
4. A visa fee to be paid when you submit your application. CHECK THE VI​SA FEE ​H​ERE. Remember that fees must be paid in cash, certified cheque or money order payable to the Consulate General of Spain in Toronto when you come to your appointment. The Consulate will not provide change, please bring the exact amount. 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. 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. 
6. Any document supporting your status in Canada (PR card, any other residence permit…) (Original and copy). That document must give you right to reenter in Canada at least 3 months after your departure from the Schengen zone.
7. Various documents relating to the purpose of your stay, evidence of means of support during your stay and your accommodation. These documents are as follows:

​Your detailed hotel reservation with the complete address for all Schengen countries. If you are part of a tour or cruise, include a letter from your travel agent stating a complete itinerary of cities and hotels. If you are going to stay with a friend or relative in Spain, he must obtain an Original Local Police invitation and send it to you. Tell her/him to contact a Comisaría de Poli​cía in Spain.

​- Proof of financial means: bank statements, letter from your bank with your personal information on it and work contract or employment letter, title deeds or any proof of income. You must prove funds at least in the equivalent to 1458 CAD; If you are going to stay more than 9 days in Spain, increase that amount in the equivalent of 162 CAD for each additional day. 

If your parents or partner is going to cover the costs, you must submit a notarized letter signed by them indicating their consent and a copy of their bank statement for the last three months. Proof of relationship will be required. Documents from outside of Canada must be legalized/apostilled and translated to English or Spanish.


- Planned itinerary/printout of a roundtrip airline ticket: You need to produce a reservation of your ticket; however, we highly recommend buying the tickets once your visa has been approved or you have a secured appointment.

- Documentation proving the reason why you want to travel to Spain or the Schengen area. For instance, if you are going for business, an invitation from the enterprise that you are going to visit; if you are going to study, a letter of admission from an academic institution; if you are a sportsman or an artist and you are going to perform in Spain, a document proving it; if you are going to lecture or make research, a letter from the institution you are going to visit. If you are a tourist o visiting friends or relatives and you have the other documents, you do not need this letter.​

8. Proof of residence in the consular district such a driver's license or any other government-issued identification document.
   
   
9. If the applicant is a minor you must  submit:
   

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​ 

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. If the applicant is a minor, the application must be submitted by their legal representatives. 

• Place of submission: Applications must be submitted in person at the Consular Office. The Consulate General of Spain in Toronto will process the Schengen visa applications submitted by applicants living in the consular jurisdiction in person by appointment only. Book your appointment HERE. In additi​on, the applicants of Schengen visas or tourist visas living in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories or Yukon can also process their visa applications at the Consulate General of Switzerland in Vancouver. More information HERE.​
  

• 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: passport and other documents related to your visa application must be pick up by the applicant or by an authorized  representative (no appointmet required), monday to friday from 1pm to 2:30 pm at:
  

​2 Bloor Street East, 

Suite 1201,

Toronto, ON  M4W 1A8

CANADÁ

• 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. 

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).

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