How do I get a Spain visa appointment in the UK?

Book with BLS International for the centre that matches your consulate: 20 St Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AG; Unit 1, 205 Chapel Street, Salford M3 5PF; or 6 Dock Place, Suite 1A, Edinburgh EH6 6LU. The London consulate says an appointment is necessary, applications are made in person, and you must prove you live in the consular district.

How long does a Spain visa take from the UK?

The London consulate says a decision is due within 15 calendar days from the day after submission, extendable to 45 days if an interview or more documents are needed. You apply between 6 months and 15 days before travel.

Can children skip the BLS appointment?

No. BLS says every applicant must attend in person, including children under 12, and postal applications are not accepted. Children under 12 do not give fingerprints for EES registration at the border.

Do I need ETIAS with a Spain visa?

No. ETIAS is a separate travel authorisation for visa-free visitors only; people who need a Schengen visa do not apply for ETIAS. ETIAS is not yet operating and is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026, with a fee of EUR 20.

Will my phone data work in Spain and across the border?

Slashtel's Europe+ eSIM works in all 29 Schengen countries, plus the UK and Turkey, so data keeps working when you cross a border. It is data only, with no local phone number and no calls or SMS, so keep your home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes and turn off data roaming on it.

Spain Visa from UK: Consulates, Fees and Documents

Q: Do I need a Spain Schengen visa from the UK if I already hold a UK residence permit?

A UK residence permit does not replace a Schengen visa. The Edinburgh consulate checklist asks for a UK residence permit or UK visa valid at least 30 days beyond your return to the UK as a supporting document, and holders of UK visit visas cannot apply through the consulate.

Q: What Spain visa documents should I prepare?

A passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months beyond departure, with two blank pages; a completed application form; an ICAO standard photo; travel medical insurance with minimum cover of EUR 30,000; and supporting documents on the purpose of the trip, your money, your accommodation and your plan to return home. The Edinburgh checklist also asks for UK bank statements covering the last 3 months showing GBP 96 per person per day of stay, with a minimum of GBP 867 per person, and screenshots are not accepted.

Q: How does the 90/180 rule work across Spain and the rest of Schengen?

On each day of a stay, count back 180 days; the days spent in the Schengen area in that window must not exceed 90. The day of entry and the day of exit both count as days of stay, and all Schengen countries share one allowance. Days spent in the UK do not count.

You apply for a Spain visa from the UK at the Spanish consulate general that covers where you live, and you lodge the application in person at a BLS International centre in London, Manchester or Edinburgh. Book the appointment first, apply between 6 months and 15 days before travel, and expect a decision within 15 calendar days.

Who needs a Spain visa in the UK

If you are a UK resident who is not a British or EU citizen, you may need a Spain Schengen visa before you travel. The key test is your UK immigration status: the Edinburgh consulate checklist asks for a UK residence permit or UK visa valid at least 30 days beyond your return to the UK, and says holders of UK visit visas cannot apply through the consulate.

A Schengen short-stay visa allows a visit of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. A single-entry visa allows one entry, a multiple-entry visa allows several visits while it is valid, and an airport transit visa only covers the international transit area of an airport.

Spain is one of 29 Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Bulgaria and Romania became full members on 1 January 2025. Cyprus and Ireland are EU countries that are not in the Schengen area.

Apply at the consulate of the country you intend to visit. If you visit more than one country, apply to the country where you will spend the longest time, the main destination. If the stays are equal, apply to the country you will enter first. As a general rule, apply in the country where you legally live. Our Schengen visa guide covers the wider rules, and the Schengen visa from the UK guide looks at the UK side.

Which Spanish consulate covers you

Spain has three consulates general in the UK that handle visas, and your place of residence decides which one you use. BLS says your application will not be accepted if your place of residence is outside the consular jurisdiction you book for, so check the map before you book anything.

The Consulate General of Spain in London covers Greater London, South West England, South East England, the East of England and British Overseas Territories such as Gibraltar, Bermuda and the Falkland Islands.

The Consulate General of Spain in Manchester covers all of Wales, the Isle of Man, the North West except Cumbria, Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands and the West Midlands.

The Consulate General of Spain in Edinburgh covers Scotland, Northern Ireland, Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and the Tees Valley (Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton on Tees, Hartlepool, Darlington and Middlesbrough).

The London consulate says an appointment is necessary and must be booked with BLS International, applications are made in person, and you must prove you live in the consular district. If you are in Cumbria, note that it sits with Edinburgh, not Manchester.

Where to apply and book

Spanish visa applications in the UK are submitted at BLS International centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. You book the appointment with BLS, not the consulate, and every applicant must attend in person, including children under 12. Postal applications are not accepted.

The three centres:

20 St Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AG
Unit 1, 205 Chapel Street, Salford M3 5PF (Manchester)
6 Dock Place, Suite 1A, Edinburgh EH6 6LU

Steps for the Spain visa appointment UK applicants book:

Confirm which consulate covers your address.
Book a BLS International appointment for that consulate's centre.
Complete the application form and gather the documents listed below.
Attend in person with your passport and documents. Fingerprints are taken when you apply, with some exemptions, and a consulate may ask for more documents.
Keep the receipt so you can track the application.

Submit the application no earlier than 6 months before the trip and at least 15 days before it. The London consulate says you apply between 6 months and 15 days before travel.

Fees and service charges

The Schengen visa fee is EUR 90 for adults and EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 12. The fee can be waived for some categories of applicant, and the visa application centre may charge its own service fee on top of the official amount.

Budget for two separate payments: the visa fee itself and the BLS service fee. The fee waiver applies to specific categories of applicant, so check whether yours is one of them before you pay.

Children under 6 are outside the EUR 45 band. Everyone else, including children under 12, still needs to attend in person at the centre, so plan the trip for the whole family rather than sending one adult with the paperwork.

Keep the payment receipts with your documents. If the consulate asks for more documents and the decision is extended, you should not be asked to pay the visa fee again for the same application.

Documents for a Spain visa

The Spain visa documents UK applicants must bring start with a passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months beyond departure, with two blank pages. Add a completed application form, an ICAO standard photo, travel medical insurance and supporting documents on the purpose of the trip, your money, your accommodation and your plan to return home.

The Edinburgh consulate checklist adds two UK specific items:

A UK residence permit or UK visa valid at least 30 days beyond your return to the UK. Holders of UK visit visas cannot apply through the consulate.
UK bank statements covering the last 3 months showing GBP 96 per person per day of stay, with a minimum of GBP 867 per person. Screenshots are not accepted.

If you apply through the London or Manchester consulate, check that consulate's own checklist, because these two items come from the Edinburgh list.

Travel medical insurance for a Schengen visa must cover emergency medical care, hospital treatment and repatriation, including in case of death, be valid in all Schengen countries for the whole stay, and have minimum cover of EUR 30,000.

Fingerprints are taken when you apply, with some exemptions. A consulate may ask for more documents, so bring copies of anything you might need to prove your ties to the UK.

Processing time

The London consulate says a decision is due within 15 calendar days from the day after submission. This can be extended to 45 days if an interview or more documents are needed, so do not book a tight turnaround.

Because you can apply from 6 months before travel, the safe approach is to lodge the application well before the 15 day minimum. The earliest you can apply is 6 months before the trip and the latest is 15 days before it.

If the consulate asks for an interview or extra documents, the clock can run to 45 days. Keep your phone and email reachable after the appointment, and check the BLS tracking rather than assuming silence means refusal.

Once approved, check the visa sticker before you leave the centre: the validity dates, the number of entries and the days allowed should match your plans.

The 90/180 rule in Spain and the rest of Schengen

The 90/180-day rule is a moving window: on each day of a stay, count back 180 days, and the days spent in the Schengen area in that window must not exceed 90. The day of entry and the day of exit both count as days of stay, and all Schengen countries share one allowance.

Days spent in the UK do not count towards the 90 days, and time spent under a residence permit or long-stay visa from a Schengen country is not counted either. After 90 days in a row outside the Schengen area, a new stay of up to 90 days is possible.

Two systems now track this:

The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU nationals on a short stay at the external Schengen border: passport details, fingerprints, a facial image and the date and place of each entry and exit. It started on 12 October 2025, has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, and replaces passport stamping. It detects people who stay longer than allowed. Registration is free and there is nothing to apply for in advance. Children under 12 do not give fingerprints, and holders of a long-stay visa or residence permit from an EES country are not registered.
ETIAS is a separate travel authorisation for visa-free visitors only. People who need a Schengen visa do not apply for ETIAS. It is not yet operating and is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026, with a fee of EUR 20.

Run your dates through the Schengen calculator before booking flights, and read more on EES.

Data in Spain

A Spain visa gets you to the border, but your phone needs data for maps, tickets and bank codes once you land. Slashtel's Europe+ eSIM works in all 29 Schengen countries, plus the UK and Turkey, so data keeps working when you cross a border.

Slashtel eSIMs are data only: no local phone number and no calls or SMS. WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data. Keep your home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes, and turn off data roaming on it to avoid roaming charges.

How it works:

Buy online with an email address and a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Someone else can buy it and enter the traveller's email, so the QR code goes straight to the person who will use it.
Validity starts when the eSIM first connects at the destination, so it can be bought and installed at home before the flight.
The network is chosen automatically and cannot be picked by hand.
More data can be added to the same eSIM later, with no new QR code.
The phone must be unlocked and eSIM compatible.

See the Europe eSIM page, size a plan with the data calculator, and read calls, texts and OTPs on a data eSIM. Slashtel also sells mobile top-ups to more than 100 countries, delivered in minutes, which keep a prepaid home line active. Support is on WhatsApp and email, 7 days a week. More on Spain.

See Spain eSIM plans.

Sources

Checked 25 October 2026. Rules and dates can change, so check the official pages before you rely on them.