How to apply for a Spain Schengen visa from the UK

Where you apply

Apply to Spain if it is your main destination. Unlike most Schengen countries, Spain splits the UK into three consular districts, and you must apply at the BLS centre of yours: BLS says an application is not accepted if your place of residence is outside the consulate's district, and each consulate asks for proof that you live in it.

• London: Greater London, the South East, the South West and the East of England, plus the Channel Islands and the British Overseas Territories. BLS centre at 20 St Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AG; submissions 08:30 to 13:30.
• Manchester: Wales, the Isle of Man, the North West except Cumbria, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the East and West Midlands. BLS centre at Unit 1, 205 Chapel Street, Salford M3 5PF; submissions 08:30 to 13:30.
• Edinburgh: Scotland, Northern Ireland, and in England Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and the Tees Valley. BLS centre at 6 Dock Place, Suite 1A, Edinburgh EH6 6LU; submissions 08:30 to 12:30.

Everyone applies in person, children included, and applications by post are not accepted. Fingerprints are taken from age 12 and are not taken again if you gave them in the last 59 months.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fill in the application form

   Download the Schengen form, in English or Spanish, from BLS's tourist visa page, fill in every section and sign it. For a minor, a parent signs.
2. 2

   Book at the BLS centre for your district

   Choose your county on BLS's UK site, which takes you to the right centre, and book there. The consulates take applications between six months and 15 days before you travel.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Against the consulate's tourism checklist, which BLS publishes; the UK-specific points are below. Bring photocopies, as documents are not returned.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   Hand in the signed form, passport and documents, give fingerprints, and pay the visa fee and BLS's service fee in cash or by card. BLS sends the file to the consulate the next working day.
5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   The consulates' legal deadline is 15 calendar days, extendable to 45 if they ask for an interview or more documents. BLS says that in peak season it takes up to four weeks. You can track the file on BLS's site.

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.
• Proof of your UK immigration status, such as your eVisa and a share code, 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 letter from your employer or proof of studies or self-employment.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, the London consulate's tourism checklist asks for:

• Proof of residence in the UK: a printout of your immigration status from GOV.UK, with a share code.
• A no-objection letter, dated and signed by your employer, school or university.
• Proof of funds of £107 per person per day of stay, with a minimum of £960 per person whatever the length of the trip: for example three months of up-to-date bank statements, or a notarised sponsorship letter.
• A return ticket booking, by air, rail, coach or sea.
• Proof of accommodation: a hotel booking, a lease, or for a private stay a “carta de invitación” from the Spanish police or an invitation statement signed at the Spanish consulate.
• For minors, a copy of the birth certificate and of the parents' passports. A minor travelling with one parent also needs the notarised consent of the parent who is not travelling, and one travelling without parents the notarised consent of both; where one parent has sole custody, the court or official document proving it.

Documents not issued in the UK or the EU must be legalised or apostilled, and translated into Spanish by a sworn translator unless they are in English or Spanish.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90; BLS lists £79, cash or card at the centre (BLS International, November 2026)

Children aged 6 to 11

€45 (£39.50 on BLS’s list)

BLS service fee

£14.85 including VAT, per application (BLS International, November 2026)

Premium Lounge

Optional, £100 (BLS International, November 2026)

Processing

15 calendar days, up to 45, according to the consulates; BLS says up to four weeks in peak season

The London consulate's Schengen page still gives the old fee of €80 (€40 for children); the Edinburgh consulate's page gives the current €90. The fee is paid in pounds, so the sterling amount follows the exchange rate. BLS says all fees are non-refundable, including after a refusal.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Spain in the UK received 138,195 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 27.0% of all those lodged in the UK, and the 1st most of any Schengen country. They refused 6.0% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UK the rate was 10.5%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

138,195

Rank in the UK

1st of 28 Schengen countries

Refused

6.0%

All Schengen countries in the UK

10.5% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so these are residents of the UK of many 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

262 applicants in the United Kingdom have reported their Spain visa to Visa Catcher's statistics. The median time from appointment to passport back was 17 days.

Reports

262

Appointment to passport back (median)

17 days; typically 11–26 days

Approved

98% of 262 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

6 months

Multiple entry

88%

See every Spain report from the United Kingdom · how the statistics work

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date with 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, including ours:

Each Spain route we track has its own page, and every route is on the UK appointment board page. For how the booking systems work, see how to book a Schengen visa appointment in the UK.

• Spain visa appointment, London
• Spain visa appointment, Manchester
• Spain visa appointment, Edinburgh

Questions

Which Spanish consulate do I apply to from the UK?

The one for where you live. London covers Greater London, the South East, the South West and the East of England; Manchester covers Wales, the Isle of Man, the North West except Cumbria, Yorkshire and the Humber and the Midlands; Edinburgh covers Scotland, Northern Ireland, Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and the Tees Valley. You apply at the BLS International centre in the same city.

Can I apply at a different BLS Spain centre from the one for my area?

No. BLS says an application is not accepted if your place of residence is outside the consulate’s district, and the consulates ask for proof of residence in their district.

How much money do I need to show for a Spanish visa from the UK?

The London consulate’s tourism checklist asks for £107 per person per day of stay, with a minimum of £960 per person whatever the length of the trip, shown for example by three months of up-to-date bank statements.

How early can I apply for a Spanish visa from the UK?

Up to six months before you travel, and no later than 15 days before, according to the Spanish consulates in the UK.

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

In 2025, the consulates of Spain in the UK refused 6.0% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 10.5% across all Schengen countries in the UK, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 138,195 applications, the 1st most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Consulate General of Spain in London: Schengen visas
• Consulate General of Spain in Edinburgh: Schengen visas
• Consulate General of Spain in Manchester: Schengen visas
• Embassy of Spain in London: the Consulates General and their districts
• BLS International: Spain visa in the UK (choose your centre)
• BLS International Spain, London: booking and fraud warning
• BLS International Spain, London: tourist visa, service fee and processing
• Consulate General of Spain in London / BLS International: tourism visa checklist (PDF)
• BLS International Spain, UK: Schengen visa fees in pounds (PDF)
• BLS International Spain, London: FAQ
• BLS International Spain, London: 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 their visa centres and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Our coverage, prices and release statistics on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with any visa centre, embassy, consulate or government.