The Visa Process

Now that I’ve accepted the position in Madrid and I’m waiting to find out where in Madrid I’ll be placed, it’s time to work on getting my visa. This is a whole different ball game from what I’ve done in the past. In 2009, when I studied in Germany for a semester, I went over as a tourist (no paperwork in the US required) and had to apply for my residence permit within a few weeks of arrival – which my program (American Junior Year at Heidelberg University) took care of for me. In 2010, when I studied in Spain for a semester, I had to get a short term student visa (under 180 days). My study abroad program (IES Abroad) gave me all the information I needed, and I was able to mail my application materials to a lawyer in New York who did everything for me. It was great.

This time, however, I’m on my own. First things first: I needed to find out which consulate I belong to. The ministry provided a nifty application manual that includes that for me. I am going through the Spanish Consulate in New York as a resident of Pennsylvania. This is important, because my experience with getting a student visa for this program is potentially vastly different from someone who is going to the same consulate as I am but lives in a different state, as well as from someone who has to go to a different consulate entirely.

For whatever reason, the first time (and several times after that), I could only find the Spanish version of the New York Consulate’s website, so my checklist and everything else is in Spanish. I used Google to find the page, which was nice at first, but about a week ago, the Google link started giving me a 404 Error, every single time I tried to visit it. That didn’t work. Luckily, someone in the Facebook group posted this link to the Spanish Consulate in New York and it works very well.

So, what exactly do I need for my visa?

• An appointment! I made it through this website.
• 2 National Visa Application Forms
• A passport*
• Driver’s License/State ID Card
• 2 passport-type photos
• Carta de nombramiento – This is your school placement letter, which I am still waiting on. The auxiliares placed in Andalucía have been lucky enough to be getting theirs about 10 days after being placed, but those of us in Madrid are still waiting. This also includes your proof of health insurance and proof of financial means as required for the visa.
• A money order for $160.
• Medical certificate (does not need to be notarized)
• Pennsylvania State background check, notarized, and bearing the Apostille of the Hague (cost me $25)
• Self-addressed, prepaid UPS label for my passport to be returned to me
• 1 copy of all of the above

*I already have a valid passport. You need to make sure yours is valid for six months after your planned departure from Spain to the US.

None of the documents need to be translated into Spanish for the NY Consulate.

I made my appointment at the consulate for the second week of July, and I just have to sit back and hope at this point that my carta de nombramiento arrives before then. If not, then I’ll have to reschedule the appointment – as well as my hotel reservation – which could make things a bit tight time-wise. The available time slots for visa appointments in New York are all before noon from Monday to Thursday. That’s great, because those are the exact times of my classes with my munchkins. (That was sarcasm.)

Other steps I’ve already taken include my medical certificate and background check. For the medical certificate, I scheduled a physical and brought a letter with me for them to type on their own letterhead. It also has to be signed by a doctor, which was a bit of a hassle for me since I usually see a nurse practitioner. My doctor’s office wasn’t happy about it (they argued with me that a signature is a signature!), but I have email proof from the consulate that it needs to be a doctor’s signature, and they finally acquiesced.

The background check was, unsurprisingly, even more of a hassle. I was able to get a Pennsylvania State Background Check, since that’s the only state I’ve resided in the past five years. If you’ve lived in more than one state, you can either get state checks from each state, or you can get an FBI check. The Pennsylvania one cost me $10 by credit card, I did everything online… and then I was able to print it out instantaneously. It was a pretty sweet deal. After that, though, it got a bit more complicated. I went to a family friend who happens to be a notary public, but I know that there’s a free notary in the office of my congressman, as well. My notary sent me away without a notarization the first time because she said there wasn’t anything for her to notarize. I called the PA State Department and was told that I need to add a statement saying that it is a true and correct document and sign that, and that is what she should notarize. I did that, and the next step was to send it off to the state capital for the Apostille of the Hague – basically an additional certification that will let Spain recognize it as a proper document. Here are the instructions for getting an Apostille in Pennsylvania, and it cost me $15 by check.

I’m still waiting for my background check to be sent back to me. I’ve got the visa applications to fill out and the fee to pay, and I need to get passport photos taken and then make copies of everything. Other than that and the return postage, all I have to do is wait for my carta de nombramiento to arrive!

Edit: I’ve had my appointment, and you can read about that part of the process here!