Applying for a visa can be a stressful task and there is little help out there for you. So many websites claim you’ll need different things, leaving you confused. That led me to directly call the Spanish Consulate in Washington, D.C., to which the person who answered my call to tell me “you only need what it says on the website” (multiple times …). Make sure to check with your local consulate to find out the exact details for what your consulate wants. This was my experience with the Spanish Consulate in Washington, D.C.
It’s important to begin working on all your documentation for a visa ASAP. Even though you can start applying for the visa three months out, it’s best to start gathering everything you need four or five months in advance. I had no idea the Spanish government wanted so much information out of me.To prevent the frustration and waste so much time and money, follow some of my tips.
- First things first, you’ll need to fill out the basic application for the visa. Seems simple, huh? I thought so, too, until I printed out the document and had no idea what some of the boxes wanted. Search for a sample of the filled-out application. If you are applying for a Spanish visa, this website helped me out a lot. The application fee for the student visa was $160, which I paid in cash.
- If you don’t already have a passport, make sure to apply for one as soon as possible. On top of having a passport, you’ll also need to get one passport-sized picture. I personally went to Walgreens and they had me in and out in fifteen minutes and it only cost about $12.
- Make sure you have all the proper documents for your acceptance and financial capability. In my acceptance letter, it says I’ll be properly covered and will be getting paid a small fee each month, but my dad also went to the bank to prove they have enough money to back me up in case of emergencies. If you do that, it must be notarized. (UPDATE: After my consulate visit, the acceptance letter was sufficient.) Also, the website asks for proof of insurance, but the consulate did not ask for this document. Bring it just in case though.
- Then if you’re like me and are staying longer than 180 days ( ~ six months), you’ll need some extra documentation. You’ll need an FBI background check. I first applied directly to the FBI offices, only to find one late night that I sent a personal check and they don’t accept personal checks. Leaving me in a panic and no one to contact, I ended up deciding to go through an FBI channeler. They are more expensive, much they are much faster, and from my experience, the people on the phone lines were extremely helpful. I got my FBI report back two weeks to the day that I sent it off to the channeler.I went through National Background Check, Inc. based out of Ohio. It cost $50, plus another $5 for them to mail me back my results. You must be careful when choosing a company because many of them do not allow you to get an Apostle on them (which you MUST need to apply for a visa). After you receive your results, you’ll need to get the Apostille of the Hague certificate with it. The only place you can get it is from the US Department of State Authentifications. Make sure you aren’t like my incident and check out this website for the CORRECT details. The Apostille cost $8, which we were able to pay with credit card.
- For those of us staying over 180 days, you’ll also need to get a medical check. You’ll just need a note from your doctor saying you’re healthy and are not at risk of spreading disease in another country. My clinic was very confused by this, but just ask your doctor for a general health statement on the hospital or doctor letterhead. For both this and the FBI background check, I was told I needed to get the documents translated into Spanish; however, after my call with the consulate, they told me I did not need to get the items translated. Make sure to check with your embassy though!
- MAKE SURE YOU MAKE COPIES OF EVERYTHING. You don’t want something getting lost, so just make copies of everything. I’ve organized all my documents into a folder and copied everything, just in case there is an error.
You may be asking “why me?!” when you feel the stress of applying for a visa. I don’t see why it’s so difficult for me to enter a country when I’ve done nothing wrong, but alas, I must do what I have to do to live my dreams.
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