ETIAS Visa Waiver for Spain
In this article
Spain is officially known as The Kingdom of Spain and has Madrid as its capital city.
It is located in the Southwestern part of Europe. Some part of the country has its
border in the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Sea borders Spain from the South
to the East. On the Northside, it is bordered by France, South by Gibraltar, and West
by the Atlantic Ocean and Portugal. It has several small islands on that end of the country.
The Kingdom of Spain is a member of the Schengen zone. The Schengen zone is a collection of
26 ETIAS countries with free borders for the easier passage of
people, goods, and services. With this agreement, citizens can easily move across the
boundaries of countries without a visa.
Some non-European citizens are permitted to enter the Schengen zone without a visa because
their country has a visa liberalization agreement with the Schengen zone. However, starting
at the end of 2022, they would be required to provide an ETIAS visa waiver before entering the
Schengen zone. ETIAS means Electronic Travel Information and Authorization System.
Citizens of countries without a visa liberalization agreement with the Schengen zone must
provide a visa for entry into the Schengen zone.
Spain Visa and Entry Requirements
The Electronic Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) will be a requirement
for non-European citizens whose countries have a visa liberalization agreement with
the European Union from the end of 2022. The ETIAS is a visa waiver program made available
for easy travel for eligible citizens.
Citizens of countries without a visa liberalization agreement will be required to
apply for ETIAS visa to enter the Schengen zone.
Different visa options are available, depending on your purpose for traveling to Spain.
Schengen, short-stay, long-term, and study visas are a few visa types available for
entering Spain.
Visa application requirements are general, some of which include visa application fee,
passport-size photographs, valid passport or any other equivalent travel document, proof
of accommodation, travel insurance, and travel itinerary. Applicants should take these
documents to the consulate or embassy on the appointed day of the interview. Ensure you
fill out all required information and submit it to the consulate personally. Only
individuals with disabilities and minors below 18 years are allowed to come with someone.
Who Needs a Schengen Visa to Enter Spain?
As stated earlier, the Schengen zone consists of 26 countries with open borders. There
are two broad groups of individuals who require a Schengen Visa to Enter Spain.
- Deportees and applicants whose visa has been rejected from the Schengen zone in times past and come from countries with a visa liberalization agreement.
- Citizens of countries without a visa liberalization consensus with the member states of the Schengen Area and the European Union.
North Macedonia,
Serbia,
Georgia,
Montenegro,
Moldova,
Bosnia,
Albania, and
Ukraine are some of the countries
that have a visa liberalization consensus with the European Union.
Countries without the liberalization consensus must have a Schengen Visa. Some of these
countries include Papua New Guinea, Afghanistan, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic,
Lesotho, South Sudan, Dominican Republic, North Korea, Equatorial Guinea, and Vietnam.
Visitors who fall into any of the two categories can obtain their Schengen Visa at
the consulate. After getting their visa, they can freely visit any of the 26 countries
that are members of the Schengen zone since they all have open borders within themselves.
What Documents Are Required when Applying for a Spain Schengen Visa?
The visa policy in Spain is similar to that of the other 25 countries in the Schengen
zone, allowing you to access all Schengen zones. Travel documents and documents reveal
your identity and personal information. The request for personal information is to
ascertain that you do not pose any risk to the Schengen area.
To apply for a Schengen Visa for entry into Spain and the other Schengen area member
states, you would need to provide the following
ETIAS requirements:
- Medical insurance
- Birth certificate
- A completely filled-out and signed visa application form
- A cover letter that clearly states your reason for entry into Spain and the Schengen zone
- Biometric data, preferably your fingerprints
- Proof of return, like a return ticket or an onward ticket
- Proof of accommodation in Spain
- A detailed round-trip itinerary showing all of your activities during your stay in Spain, including your entry and expected exit dates.
- Previous Schengen visas, if available.
- Proof of finances to ensure you have enough money to cater for the trip.
- A valid passport with at least three months validity after departure from Spain. It should also have at least two pages blank.
- Two recent and identical passport-size photographs sized 3.5 by 4.5 cm showing all of your facial features.
These documents should be handy and, where applicable, make photocopies of the documents.
Travelling To Spain
In Southern Europe, Spain is the largest country, with a landmass of 314,401 km².
Spain shares a large percentage of its border with the Mediterranean Sea and the
Atlantic Ocean. It shares a border with Portugal and France on the areas not surrounded
by water.
Spain welcomes about 83 million documented tourists annually, most of which arrive
by air. Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport is the busiest airport in Spain; in 2019
alone, it welcomed about 60 million visitors. Arriving by road, rail and sea are other
options. Visitors from Portugal and France can enter Spain by road since there are no border
checks. There are also high-speed trains that connect Spain to other parts of the Schengen
zone.
Arriving by sea is also a possibility. Visitors from the
United Kingdom, Morocco, Algeria, and
Italy can travel to Spain by a water vessel like a cruise ship or a ferry. It takes
an average of 20 hours to arrive in Spain by sea from these locations.
Europe’s Travel Authorisation for Spain
The ETIAS visa waiver will swing into action by the end of 2022 and will serve as a
form of border control. The border control for non-European citizens from countries
with a visa liberalization agreement with the European Union.
The ETIAS visa waiver allows eligible applicants to visit the Schengen zone for a
maximum of 90 days every six months. It has a validity period of 3 years before they
need to renew it. It will serve as a mode of delineation between low-risk applicants
and high-risk applicants.
Conclusively, Spain is a beautiful place, receiving about 83 million visitors a year.
It has numerous beautiful coastlines available for the perfect summer vacation.
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