Frequently asked questions

Ans: Depending on your nationality, kindly log on to the website https://sa.blsspainvisa.com to check whether you require a Visa to travel to Spain.

Ans: Yes. Once you have entered the Schengen territory, single entry visa allows the holder to circulate within the Schengen Area for a period of time. Once you leave the Schengen Area you entered the visa validity expires, even if the time period allowed to stay in the Schengen Area is not over yet.

Ans: If you plan to apply for your Schengen Visa at the Spain Visa Application Centre, you must provide proof that your main destination and the maximum period of stay in the Schengen States is Spain

If you intend to visit several Schengen States and the stays will be of equal length, you must apply at the Consulate/Visa Outsorced Company of the country whose external borders you will cross first when entering the Schengen area.

Ans: The Embassy of Spain in South Africa and the Consulate General of Spain in Cape Town issue Schengen visa for Spain which also allows the holder to travel within the Schengen territory.

Schengen visa issued by the Spanish Consulate gives access to all the 26 Schengen countries.

Ans: BLS is the outsourced partner to the Embassy of Spain in South Africa and the Consulate General of Spain in Cape Town/Pretoria. The Spain Visa Application Centre of BLS functions as a collection and processing centre which performs front desk functions and checklist management. Its goal is to guarantee a better service in response to the growing demand for Spanish visas from applicants residing in South Africa.

Ans: You can contact the Spain Visa Application Centre via the Helpline, by email or in person. Please see our contact information section for details..

Ans: Applicants are free to apply up to 180 days prior to their date of travel. However, all applications must be submitted at least 15 days prior to the proposed date of travel to accommodate any unforeseen processing delays. This period is extended to 9 months in the case of the seamen.

Ans: In most cases, you will be informed within 15 calendar days whether your application has been successful. Sometimes it can take up to 45 days in case it is necessary to make a more detailed exam of the application.

Ans: The Spain Visa Application Centre does not prepare visa applications, but accepts and processes applications in accordance with the instructions issued by the Embassy of Spain in Pretoria and the Consulate General of Spain in Cape Town.

Ans: It is recommended to book an appointment prior to your application submission. You may visit the website Book Appointment for futher information. Please note that walk ins are no longer accommodated effective June 2017.

Ans: The biometric data of persons applying for a Schengen visa is mandatory. If your finger scans have not been collected yet, personal appearances when applying for a Schengen visa is essential.

If your finger scans were collected within the last 59 months, then you won’t have to give new fingerprints for your next visa application and personal appearance is not necessary. However, you have to provide a copy of your last visa sticker. If you are not sure or do not remember whether your fingerprints have been captured for a Schengen visa within the last 59 months, you have to appear in person.

You will still have to appear in person to give your fingerprints in case the previously collected fingerprints prove to be of insufficient quality.

Personal appearances and fingerprint scan is not necessary for children under the age of 12.

Applicants can have their applications submitted by representation by providing a Power Of Attorney. Please note that this can only be done provided that the applicant has their biometric data, i.e. fingerprints, photograph’s etc. taken before. If not, the applicant must attend the visa application centre and apply in person.

Ans:Applicants need to book appointment first on BLS website https://sa.blsspainvisa.com/ or by calling BLS Helpline +27105002032 in order to submit their visa applications at BLS application centre during the specified submission timings. Applicants will be asked to take a token at the entrance and be seated in the waiting area (You can approach our Submission Counters when your token number is displayed). Our officers at the counter will collect your visa application form to check that the documents are complete and your photograph meets the required specifications. Your passport will be checked for validity empty pages and previous travel information. Your fees will be collected and the documents you submit will be checked in the manner in which they are required by the Consulate of Spain. You will be issued a receipt for the fees paid and given an acknowledgement for the submission of your passport.

Ans:The Spain Visa Application Centre is not authorized to advise/recommend any visa type to a prospective applicant. The applicant will have to find out the visa category he/she is eligible for based on the purpose of travel. Please check in our WEB page.

The Spain Visa Application Centre does not evaluate the contents of the documentation produced by the applicants neither gives advice on those contents, which are the only responsibility of the applicant.

Ans: If your application is not accompanied by the documents that are requested by the Embassy of Spain in South Africa and the Consulate General of Spain in Manila, you will be asked if you wish to proceed with the application without all the requested documents. Should you consent to this, your application will be registered in our system and accepted for further processing. Kindly take note that submission of incomplete applications will lead to processing delays.

Ans: Once your application has been registered in our system, you will be issued a receipt for the fees you have paid and it would be possible to track your visa at Track your application

Ans: Every visa application needs to be accompanied by a visa fee for the amount applicable to your chosen visa category. https://sa.blsspainvisa.com/short_term_visa.php

Payments can only be done at the visa application centre and the acceptable methods of payments are debit or credit card only.

Ans: Once the application has been processed by the Spain Embassy/ Consulate General and your passport has been returned to the Visa application centre,,you will need to bring your receipt and acceptance proof with you for collection of your passport. For Passback (return of passport) timings, please visit the Contact us page..

Ans: You can send a representative with an authorisation letter and proof of his and your identity, together with the receipt.

Ans: The Spain Visa Application Centre can courier your application to you as long as the physical address provided by you is serviceable by our courier partners. You may request the courier service availed to you during the submission of your visa application at the centre or by calling our Helpline +27105002032

Ans: Mistakes may happen (Date of entry in the Schengen space, name, surname, etc), so it's very important that you check your visa as soon as you receive your passport so that it can be amended before your trip.