Spain Visa from the UK: Appointments, Checklist & Fees

Do UK residents need a visa for Spain?

British, Irish and EU citizens do not need a visa to visit Spain. Most other UK residents do: if your nationality needs a Schengen visa, holding Indefinite Leave to Remain, a Skilled Worker, Student or family visa does not change that, and you apply from the UK before you travel.

A Spain visa lets you stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period across mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, and travel in the other 28 Schengen countries. Spanish consulates in the UK deal with people legally resident here. The London consulate says tourists and visitors cannot apply from the UK, and the Edinburgh checklist says holders of UK visit visas are not eligible; see Schengen visas on a UK visitor visa.

Your UK status is proved with the printed GOV.UK “prove your status” page and a share code, not a BRP. How long your UK permission must run after the trip depends on the consulate: Manchester asks for at least 90 days beyond your return, Edinburgh at least 30 days, and the London checklist sets no figure, so leave a comfortable margin. Our guides to eVisa share codes and UK visa validity cover the detail.

ETIAS, the €20 travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors such as British citizens, has no launch date and does not replace a visa. The Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, so non-EU travellers, British citizens included, register fingerprints and a photo at their first border crossing; see our EES and ETIAS guide. Nationality-specific advice is in our guides for Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian and Bangladeshi nationals.

Spain visa appointments in the UK

Every Spain application in the UK is submitted in person at a BLS International centre, and your home address decides which one. There are three, each linked to its own Spanish Consulate General, which then decides your visa.

Important: It is where you live, not where you work or what is easiest to reach, that counts. BLS states that your application will not be accepted if you live outside the consulate’s area. Bring proof of address, such as a council tax bill or tenancy agreement, that matches your form.

London

BLS London is at 20 St Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AG, near Holborn Circus. Submissions run 08:30-13:30, Monday to Friday. Chancery Lane (Central line), City Thameslink and Farringdon (Elizabeth line and Thameslink) are all within walking distance. Do not drive: the centre is inside the Congestion Charge zone and parking is scarce. London covers the largest population of the three areas, so book as early as your travel window allows. Centre email: [email protected].

Manchester

BLS Manchester is actually in Salford: Unit 1, 205 Chapel Street, Salford M3 5PF, just across the River Irwell from Manchester city centre. Submissions run 08:30-13:30. Salford Central is the nearest station and Manchester Victoria is walkable. The area stretches from Anglesey to Lincolnshire, so applicants from Cardiff, Swansea, Hull or Lincoln should choose a late-morning slot. The boundaries people get wrong: Birmingham and the whole Midlands are Manchester, not London; Cumbria is Edinburgh, not Manchester; North Yorkshire and Lincolnshire stay with Manchester. Centre email: [email protected].

Edinburgh

BLS Edinburgh is at 6 Dock Place, Suite 1A (first floor), Edinburgh EH6 6LU, in Leith, north of the city centre. Submissions close earlier, running 08:30-12:30, Monday to Friday. The tram runs to Leith from both the airport and the city centre. Applicants from Belfast often fly in on the day; those from Inverness, Orkney, Shetland or the Western Isles may need to arrive the night before. Book the BLS slot first, then buy flights or ferry tickets, because a cheap fare often cannot be changed. Centre email: [email protected].

Booking and the day itself

You book on the official BLS system, reached from uk.blsspainvisa.com, in your own name with your own email address. Choose your centre, the visa category and the number of applicants; BLS requires one application per person, and every applicant, children included, attends in person (BLS London also sells an optional mobile biometric visit to your home or office, listed at £175 per applicant for groups of up to four). BLS lists no charge for the booking itself. The BLS helpline is +44 20 3807 0750 (09:00-17:00, Monday to Friday), and the same site lets you reprint or cancel an appointment and track your application. Slots vary through the year; check at different times of day, as cancelled slots can reappear.

On the day, arrive a little early and travel light; BLS publishes security rules for its centres, so read them before you go. You hand over your documents, give fingerprints (not needed for children under 12 or anyone who gave them in the last 59 months) and pay by cash, debit or credit card. BLS says all fees are non-refundable. Your passport stays with your application while the consulate decides. BLS states that passports are returned by next-day Special Delivery at £29.99 per application, and its FAQ describes courier as the only return method, so budget for it and confirm the arrangement at your centre.

Note: We do not book, hold or supply Spain visa appointments, and nobody can legitimately do so. Extras such as courier return, SMS updates or the Premium Lounge are sold by BLS, not by us. We explain how the BLS system works, help you complete the booking in your own name and make sure your file is ready. Our UK appointment guide compares the providers.

Spain visa document checklist for UK residents

A Spain file has to prove three things: the trip is what you say it is, you can pay for it under Spain’s own funds rule, and you will return to the UK. Each consulate publishes its own checklist, and they differ, so use the one for your centre. Bring originals plus a set of photocopies in checklist order; Manchester asks for two sets per person, an original and a copy.

The details that matter most for Spain:

• Accommodation for every night. London accepts a hotel booking, a property lease, a carta de invitación issued by the Spanish police, or a private invitation statement signed at the Spanish Consulate. Edinburgh also lists a letter, passport and last year’s IBI property tax receipt from a non-resident owner who invites you to their property in Spain. A missing last night before an early flight is a classic gap.
• The carta de invitación. If you will stay in a private home, your host requests this at the police station for their registered address in Spain. The host must be a Spanish national, an EU citizen or a foreigner legally resident in Spain, and pays the fee on form 790, code 012. Manchester states that a letter your host writes themselves will not be accepted. Police appointments in busy cities can be weeks away, so ask your host to start as soon as dates are fixed.
• Travel tickets. Manchester asks for tickets or e-ticket confirmations issued by the carrier and says reservations and travel-agency documents alone are not accepted. If you drive, Edinburgh’s checklist wants your licence, car insurance and V5 (or rental papers), the ferry or Eurotunnel ticket and, if someone else is driving, a letter from them and a copy of their passport.
• Insurance. At least €30,000 for emergency medical care, hospital and repatriation, valid in every Schengen state for every day. Edinburgh asks for the policy wording itself, showing the medical cover, repatriation and that every Schengen country is included. The GHIC is not travel insurance.
• Translations. The London checklists say documents issued outside the UK and EU, such as a birth certificate from India or Nigeria, must be legalised or apostilled, and translated into Spanish by a sworn translator if not in English or Spanish.
• Consistency. Flights, bookings, insurance and the carta must show the same dates as your form.

Employed

A dated, signed letter from your employer stating your role, salary and start date, ideally confirming your approved leave, plus three months of payslips matching the salary credits on your statements. Manchester is strict: the letter must be an original with a hand signature, under 30 days old and addressed to the Spanish Consulate in Manchester. Our employer letter guide has a template structure.

Self-employed

London asks for a trade licence, an accountant’s letter and proof of last year’s tax. In UK terms: a Companies House record or HMRC sole-trader registration, your SA302 and tax year overview, and three months of business statements. See our self-employed guide.

Students

A recent, signed letter from your school, college or university confirming your course and dates. If you are travelling during term, add a note from your department authorising the absence. Funds can be your own earnings, a scholarship with its award letter, or a parent’s sponsorship. Check the end date on your eVisa against your return date and your consulate’s rule above: Student permission can end only a few months after the course does.

Retired

Pension award letters or annual statements, and bank statements showing the pension arriving each month.

Sponsored

If a spouse, parent or host pays, the sponsor provides a letter of support, three months of their bank statements, a copy of their passport and proof of your relationship. London’s checklist mentions a notarised sponsorship letter; Edinburgh asks for the sponsor’s statement to be signed at BLS. See invitation and sponsor letters.

Children

Each child needs their own form, photo and appointment. Bring the birth or adoption certificate and copies of the parents’ passports. If a parent is not travelling, add their notarised authorisation, and a court order or equivalent where one parent has sole custody. Edinburgh wants the original passports of both parents (or certified copies) and says a notarised authorisation must be legalised and translated. Each consulate’s list for children differs, so check yours. Our children’s guide has the full list.

How much money do you need for a Spain visa?

Spain sets a fixed formula: 10% of the gross monthly Spanish minimum wage (SMI) per person for each day, with a minimum of 90% of the SMI per person however short the trip. The rule comes from Order PRE/1282/2007. Royal Decree 126/2026 set the 2026 SMI at €1,221, giving €122.10 a day and a floor of €1,098.90. The London consulate’s checklists turn this into £107 a day with a £960 minimum per person.

A couple on a 14-day holiday needs €3,418.80 between them; two adults and a child on the same trip, €5,128.20. The other consulates publish older or different sterling figures: Edinburgh’s 2025 checklist says £100 a day with a £905 minimum, and the BLS Manchester page says £800 plus £80 a day from the ninth day. Aim to clear the London figure comfortably wherever you apply.

Treat it as spending money on top of flights and hotels already paid. Three months of steady income and normal spending beat a balance topped up by an unexplained deposit; Manchester also wants a closing balance no more than a week old, and Edinburgh accepts statements printed from online banking but not screenshots. See our bank statements guide.

Spain visa fees from the UK

You pay the €90 visa fee (€45 for children aged 6 to 11, free under 6) in pounds at the consulate’s rate, plus a BLS service charge, both at the centre on the day. Neither is refunded if the visa is refused.

The BLS figures are those shown on its UK pages in October 2026; confirm them when you book. Premium services do not speed up the consulate’s decision. The service charge is per application, so a family of four (two adults, an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old) pays £197.50 in visa fees plus four service charges of £14.85.

Under the Visa Code, the fee is waived for children under 6, students and accompanying teachers on study or educational trips, researchers, and representatives of non-profit organisations aged 25 or under attending events. Family members of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens covered by free movement apply free of charge, though the London checklist notes that BLS may still charge its service fee. The London consulate says family members of British citizens qualify only if they lived in another EU country under free movement law before 31 December 2020. Compare other countries in our Schengen fee guide.

How long does a Spain visa take from the UK?

The legal deadline is 15 calendar days from the day after you apply, extendable to 45 if the consulate needs an interview or more documents. You can apply up to six months ahead and no later than 15 days before travel.

In practice BLS warns of longer waits. The London tourist page says peak-season processing currently takes at least four weeks, and the Manchester page says decisions can take 6-8 weeks, longer in peak season. Some nationalities also need a consultation with other Schengen states, which adds time. Add a few days for your passport to come back, and do not book non-refundable travel until it does.

For Easter and summer, aim for the early end of each range. There is no paid express decision: BLS says emergency processing is considered only in extreme medical circumstances, at the consulate’s discretion. More in our processing time guide.

Spain visa types for UK residents

Most UK residents need a short-stay Schengen (type C) visa, and the purpose of the trip decides the extra evidence. The fee, appointment and 90/180-day limit are the same for each.

Tourist. Holidays in mainland Spain, the Balearics or the Canaries, with hotel or holiday-let bookings for every night and a realistic one-page itinerary. Show how you move between places, such as the AVE from Madrid to Seville or the ferry from Barcelona to Palma. Ten days covering six cities looks written for the application, not the holiday.

Family or friends visit. Staying in someone’s home needs the police carta de invitación, a copy of your host’s passport or Spanish identity document, and proof of relationship: birth certificates for parents, children and siblings, a marriage certificate for in-laws, photos and messages for friends. If your relative is an EU citizen and you are their family member travelling with or joining them, the free EU family member visa may apply. See our family visit guide.

Business. Meetings, negotiations, site visits, trade fairs and conferences, not paid work or hands-on service delivery. The London checklist asks for an invitation in Spanish from the Spanish company stating purpose and duration, and adds that sworn translation and legalisation are required for documents. For fairs such as FITUR in Madrid or Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, add the organiser’s registration confirmation. Regular visitors can ask for multiple entry. See our business visa guide and, for teams, our corporate service.

Students travelling on holiday. UK Student visa holders apply like any tourist, paying the full fee; the waiver covers only study or educational trips. See Schengen visas for students in the UK.

Transit. An airport transit visa is needed only by certain nationalities changing planes in Spain.

Stays over 90 days, such as a year abroad, work or a move to Spain, need a Spanish national (type D) visa, a separate process.

Spain-specific tips

These are the points that most often trip up UK applicants with the Spanish consulates.

• Gibraltar, Morocco and Andorra. Morocco and Andorra are outside Schengen, so a ferry from Tarifa to Tangier or a drive into Andorra uses up a single-entry visa. Ask for multiple entries and name the excursion in your cover letter. Since 15 July 2026 the UK-EU agreement on Gibraltar has applied provisionally and Gibraltar’s entry rules align with Schengen; check the Gibraltar Borders and Coastguard Agency’s guidance first.
• Use your consulate’s checklist. London, Manchester and Edinburgh ask for different things, from carrier-issued tickets in Manchester to sponsor statements signed at BLS in Edinburgh.
• Start the carta early. It is the slowest document in most Spain files, because it depends on a police appointment in Spain and then the post.
• Edinburgh’s 12:30 close. A delayed early flight from Belfast or train from Newcastle has less time to recover than in London or Manchester.
• Salford, not Piccadilly. Use postcode M3 5PF in journey planners; a “Manchester” search can send you to the wrong side of the river.
• Share code timing. Codes last 90 days. Generate one shortly before your appointment, not when you start gathering documents.
• Main destination. Seven nights in Lisbon and three in Seville means applying to Portugal; a Barcelona-to-Nice trip with more nights in France means France. See which country to apply to.

Why Spain visas are refused (and how to avoid it)

Spain refusals commonly come from Spain’s own funds and accommodation rules, or from evidence that does not hang together, rather than from ineligibility. The common causes are:

• Funds below Spain’s daily rule (£107 a day, minimum £960, on London’s checklist) per traveller, or a balance boosted by an unexplained lump sum
• A private stay supported only by a host’s own letter instead of a police carta de invitación
• Dates that differ between the form, flights, insurance and bookings, or bookings cancelled after the appointment
• More nights planned in another Schengen country than in Spain
• UK permission ending too soon after the trip, or an employer letter that misses the salary, role or start date
• Insurance below €30,000, not valid across Schengen or not covering every day

If you are refused, the decision sets out the grounds. You can lodge a recurso de reposición (an appeal for reconsideration) with the consulate that refused you within one month of notification. It must be written in Spanish and include your details, the decision you challenge, your reasons, and a signature and contact details; the London consulate says appeals sent by email are not valid. You can file it yourself or through a representative; the London consulate accepts it at its visa department (20 Draycott Place, London SW3 2RZ, Monday to Thursday 09:30-14:30) and asks for a copy of the refusal letter, a covering letter with your grounds, copies of your passport and UK status, and supporting documents. The consulate has one month to decide, and silence counts as dismissal. The court route is the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid, with all documents translated into Spanish; Spanish law gives two months for this, and it normally needs a Spanish lawyer and takes many months.

If evidence was missing or weak, reapplying is usually faster. There is no waiting period, but you pay the fees again, return to the same BLS centre and should mention the earlier refusal honestly, as it is recorded in the Visa Information System. Our refusal guide explains every ground.