How to apply for a Spain Schengen visa from the UAE

Where you apply

Apply to Spain if it is your main destination: where you stay longest or, with equal stays, where you first enter the Schengen Area. BLS International runs two centres, and sends the applications from both to the embassy in Abu Dhabi the next working day:

• Dubai: I Rise Tower, 27th floor, Barsha Heights (Tecom). A paid Premium Lounge is on the 9th floor of the same tower.
• Abu Dhabi: Tamouh Tower, 13th floor, Marina Square, Al Reem Island.

Both take applications Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 15:00, with paid “Prime Time” submission from 15:00 to 17:00. Everyone aged 12 and over must come in person to give fingerprints. Spouses of EU and EEA citizens now need an appointment as well; BLS no longer takes them as walk-ins.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fill in the application form

   Download the Schengen application form, in English or Spanish, from BLS's tourist visa page, fill it in, then sign and date it. For a minor, both parents sign the form and the checklist.
2. 2

   Book at BLS International

   On BLS's Spain site for the UAE, for Dubai or Abu Dhabi. A booking cannot be rescheduled: you cancel it and book again, and the BLS fee paid online is not refunded, including for a no-show.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Against the embassy's tourist checklist, which BLS publishes; the main UAE-specific points are below.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   Between six months and 15 days before you travel, as the embassy asks. Bring the signed form and the documents, give fingerprints, and pay the visa fee in cash or by card.
5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   The embassy's legal deadline is 15 calendar days, extendable to 45 if it asks for an interview or more documents. Your receipt carries a code for tracking the file online; the checklist says the embassy gives no status updates by phone or email.

Documents

The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:

• Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
• UAE residence visa and Emirates ID, valid beyond your return.
• The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
• Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
• Recent bank statements, and a salary certificate or employer letter if you are employed.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, the embassy's tourist checklist for the UAE asks for:

• A UAE residence visa valid at least one month after the requested visa expires, and copies of the UAE residence permits issued to you in the last five years (not for under-18s).
• An original letter in English from your sponsor. An employer gives your position, start date in the UAE and the purpose of the trip, with a salary certificate, signed with the signatory's full name, position and Emirates ID copy. The self-sponsored bring a trade licence officially translated into English or Spanish; family-sponsored applicants an original NOC.
• Up-to-date personal bank statements for the last three months. Dependants add the sponsor's original statements showing the salary transfers; the embassy does not accept internet extracts.
• Medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover including repatriation; insurance attached to a credit card is not accepted.
• Proof of accommodation: a hotel booking, a lease or property deed, or for a private stay a “carta de invitación” stamped by the Spanish police.
• A signed letter setting out your itinerary, a return ticket booking, and copies of previous Schengen, US, UK, Canadian and Japanese visas.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90; BLS lists AED 388, cash or card at the centre (BLS International, November 2026)

Children aged 6 to 11

€45 (AED 194 on BLS’s table)

BLS service fee

AED 73 including VAT (BLS International, November 2026)

Prime Time / Premium Lounge

Optional, AED 262.50 / AED 450 (BLS International, November 2026)

Processing

15 calendar days, up to 45, according to the embassy; BLS says at least three weeks

The embassy's Schengen page still gives the old fee of €80 (€40 for children); the current fee set by the European Commission is €90. BLS charges it in dirhams at the current exchange rate, so the AED amount can change without notice.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Spain in the UAE received 30,265 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 10.2% of all those lodged in the UAE, and the 3rd most of any Schengen country. They refused 14.1% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UAE the rate was 24.2%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

30,265

Rank in the UAE

3rd of 27 Schengen countries

Refused

14.1%

All Schengen countries in the UAE

24.2% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so in the UAE they come mostly from residents of other nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.

What applicants reported

Not enough applicants in the UAE have reported a Spain visa yet to show their own figures; these are the 268 reports from every origin. The median time from appointment to passport back was 17 days.

Reports

268

Appointment to passport back (median)

17 days; typically 11–26 days

Approved

98% of 268 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

6 months

Multiple entry

87%

See every Spain report · how the statistics work

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date at BLS International: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear.

These are the ways to get a date:

Every route we do track is on the UAE appointment board.

Questions

Who takes Spanish visa applications in the UAE?

BLS International, not VFS Global. It runs Spain visa application centres in Dubai (I Rise Tower, Barsha Heights) and Abu Dhabi (Tamouh Tower, Al Reem Island) and sends every application to the Embassy of Spain in Abu Dhabi, which decides.

Can I reschedule a BLS Spain appointment in the UAE?

No. BLS says a booked appointment cannot be rescheduled: you cancel it and book a new one, and the BLS fee paid online is not refunded.

How long must my UAE residence visa be valid for a Spanish visa?

The embassy’s tourist checklist asks for a residence visa valid at least one month after the requested visa expires, plus copies of the UAE residence permits issued to you in the last five years.

How long does a Spanish visa take from the UAE?

The embassy’s legal deadline is 15 calendar days, extendable to 45 if it needs an interview or more documents. BLS says to allow at least three weeks after you submit.

What is the refusal rate for Spain Schengen visas in the UAE?

In 2025, the consulates of Spain in the UAE refused 14.1% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 24.2% across all Schengen countries in the UAE, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 30,265 applications, the 3rd most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Embassy of Spain in the UAE: Schengen visa
• BLS International: Spain visa in the UAE (booking rules)
• BLS International Spain, UAE: tourist visa, fees and processing time
• Embassy of Spain / BLS International: tourist visa checklist for the UAE (PDF)
• BLS International Spain, UAE: centres and opening hours
• BLS International Spain, UAE: additional services
• EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
• European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
• European Commission: Schengen visa statistics for consulates, 2025 (2025-consulates-schengen-visa-statistics.xlsx)

Rules and fees are set by the consulates and VFS Global and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Route status and our prices on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with VFS Global or any embassy, consulate or government.