Hi everyone, I'm writing this post on the Spanish visa process. This post is meant to be realistic NOT discouraging, so I will say that if you are planning on studying abroad in Spain that being on top of the visa process and starting early is a must!
As soon as you are committed to studying in Spain, go onto the Spanish Consulate website and start trying to get an appointment. They are usually booked out months in advance (i'm talking anywhere from 2-4 months in advance, that is why you must not leave this until the last minute). You may not see an availability for the time frame you want, don't panic! Check back daily for cancellations as they happen all the time. Since we are in Hawaii, our consulate is based in San Francisco. I have done the Spanish Visa process three times and each time the rules have changed, but the most recent time I was there for a Visa, it was required that you present yourself in person for both the application AND to pick it up about 4 weeks later. That being said, check the website prior to booking flights and confirm that you have to be present for the pickup. In the past I have brought a prepaid express envelope with my address on it and a return trip was not necessary as they shipped it to my house.
Once you have an appointment, you can start collecting all the necessary documentation needed to get your visa. I personally prefer to start many months in advance so that I have plenty of time to fix things if something goes wrong, and that way I don't need to stress about meeting the deadline at the very end. For example, last year my consular appointment was in May and I started collecting all my documents in February. You can find the student visa requirements on the consulate website. Note that many of the documents need to be notarized or the consulate will not accept them. A super useful piece of advice is that when at the San Francisco consulate, if they tell you that you are missing a notarization, ask to leave and go across the street to the postal office. The lady who runs it is authorized to notarize and that way you can quickly go back to the consulate and not lose your appointment or your visa.
I would say that perhaps the most daunting document you have to get your hands on is the criminal background check. You have two options, receiving one from the Department of Law Enforcement OR receiving a background check through the FBI. I have found that it is easiest to get the FBI background check and I have always gone through a third party in downtown Honolulu who will take your prints, send off your information, and have it signed and mailed back to you. You have to pay a fee but they take most of the work out of it for you so I would say its worth it.
Lastly, when presenting at the consulate, it is very important that you present the documents in the correct order as listed on the visa requirements or they will send you to sit back down and reorganize it all. Make sure you do this before your appointment. I also always made copies of all my documents and kept them in a separate folder just in case.
I will also add that if you plan on staying in Spain for the year and not just the semester, once you arrive in Spain you will have to make an appointment with a police station which will give you a student visa residency card. The visa that the consulate in the US gives you is only good for 180 days. Don't stress though this part is easy.
I know this was a lot of information and probably intimidating, but its really doable as long as you give yourself enough time to get everything done! I am more than happy to help anyone currently going through the visa process who has questions or needs advice. Feel free to ask the study abroad office for my information :) Once you get to Spain you will realize that this visa process was worth it!
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