We continuously update knowledge for the Spanish Visa Process

watersidesales
7 days ago
4 min read

At Tailor Made Healthcare Spain, the majority of our customers are prospective visa applicants.

Daily, we speak to prospective customers seeking a new life in Spain, subject to Spanish Visa approval, and we hear about many of the different scenarios and the outcomes.

We are very aware that migrating to Spain can be bureaucratic and complicated for applicants seeking a Spanish NLV, DNV, Work Visa, or even a Student Visa.

As one of the main Expat Insurance Agencies for the DKV Seguros Medical Company, we have been key to DKV Seguros understanding of the nuances between a Spanish Consulate, a BLS office's expectations, and an Embassy and even between different countries. Hence, DKV can provide a policy that ticks every criteria for the Visa-Compliant medical policy.

We are also very aware that for those seeking to register for Spanish Residencia (official Residency in Spain), there are differences in requirements between the different Provinces and Cities at the Oficinas de Estranjeros, for those seeking Residency under the UK-SPAIN Withdrawal Agreement or those who arrive more recently, looking to change from a visa to register as a Spanish Resident.

With our ongoing, daily long-term customer interaction on the subject of 'Moving to Spain', we look to keep abreast of how the system is evolving, often checking with customers where and through which agency they are applying for the visa.

Where you apply for a Spanish Visa varies between Countries.

Applying for a Spanish visa through a BLS International office versus an Embassy/Consulate involves differences in mandatory usage, fees, and service options. While BLS handles the logistics, the Embassy remains the sole decision-maker for your visa.

Welcome to the Spain Visa Application Centres +4

Key Differences

Mandatory Requirement: In most jurisdictions (like the UK or Singapore), you must use a BLS office for both short-stay (Schengen) and many long-stay visas. Direct application at an Embassy is often restricted to specific cases or regions with low applicant volume.
Fees: When applying through BLS International, you pay a service fee in addition to the standard government visa fee.
Administrative Status: A landmark 2025 ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court established that submitting documents to a BLS Center is legally equivalent to filing directly at the consulate, meaning the administrative clock for processing starts the moment you submit at BLS.
Service & Comfort: BLS offers "Value Added Services" not typically available at Embassies, such as:
- Premium Lounges: Offers priority attention and comfort but does not speed up the Embassy's actual visa decision.
- Prime Time Appointments: Allows for submissions outside of standard business hours for an extra fee.
- On-site Facilities: Includes photo booths, photocopying, and document printing.
Logistics & Timing: BLS acts as a "courier hub." Applications submitted at BLS centers far from the consulate (e.g., outside major hubs like Mumbai or Delhi) may take an additional 2–4 days to physically reach the Embassy.
Decision Power: BLS staff only check for document completeness based on a checklist; they cannot offer legal advice or influence the final outcome. For emergency travel or status updates, it is often more effective to contact the Consulate/Embassy directly.

Spanish Medical Insurance.

Nine points you must ensure a policy provides towards a visa application approval for Spain.

Of the 11 levels of DKV medical insurance, only the DKV Integral ELITE policy or the DKV Mundisalud Classic policies provide all nine required parts to qualify for the Spanish visa and residency applications:

Here are 9 requirements for visa or residency applicants when seeking medical insurance.

The Criteria for a Spanish Visa / Residency:

1. Medical network across all of Spain (accepting no upfront payment)

2. Full Primary care

3. Full Specialists

4. Hospitalisation

5. No copago (no policy excess)

6. No limitation on treatment cost

7. Annually contracted/Annually renewable

8. Spanish policy - Policy in Spanish (we provide an English translated version)

9. Policy with NO treatment waiting period (No Carencia)

All levels of our visa-approved Spanish medical policy are for a full 12 months from the date the cover commenced.

Tailor Made Healthcare Spain is the English Insurance Agency in Spain that has issued more DKV Spanish Visa-compliant medical policies than any other agent in Spain.

To find out more about Tailor Made Healthcare Spain, you can see what our customers say in their GOOGLE reviews. Go to our GOOGLE profile page to read the reviews.

You can also read more of our articles about Spanish healthcare, about Spanish private healthcare insurance and also about understanding the very different types of medical cover offered in Spain and even articles regarding how to steer away from the pitfalls that many experience with their healthcare, whether due to not speaking Spanish or completely misunderstanding which level of policy you have and how it works in practice.

Our articles on our web page tackle everything from: