How to Apply for a Tourist Short Term Travel Visa to Spain

If you are traveling to any of the EU (called Schengen) countries listed here, which includes Spain, you will be entered into the digital EES (Entry/Exit System). This is for short stay visitors staying for up to 90 days within any 180 day consecutive period. In other words, most tourists. The EES collects your travel document info (passport), date and place(s) of entry/exit, facial image and fingerprints and if you were refused entry. If you refuse to provide this data, you don’t get in. No exceptions, even for rich people! Maybe the President, but I doubt it. You can read all about it here; https://travel-europe.europa.eu/pub. Additionally, a great online source for knowing what type of Visa you need and applying online is here: https://www.visahq.com/

A grid of country flags and names of European countries including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

Beginning sometime around the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027 these same EU Schengen countries above will implement the ETIAS system (European Travel Information and Authorization System). You will have to apply online BEFORE your trip to the EU, here https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias. Your airline, cruise line or phone line will most likely inform you of this, I hope! It is is an entry requirement for visa-exempt nationals travelling to these countries linked to your passport and is valid for 3 years or your passport expires, whichever comes first. It is for short stay visitors staying for up to 90 days within any 180 day consecutive period. In other words, most tourists. It costs 20 Euros to fill in online and is typically processed within minutes. You will receive an email confirmation when its filed, and another when its approved. If not, uh-oh, it could take up to 30 days if they need more info or invite you in for an interview.

  • Apply for an ETIAS travel authorization well in advance – before you buy your ticket or book your accommodation

  • Make sure your passport details correspond to those in your ETIAS authorization – you will be refused boarding and entry at the border if they do not match

  • Make sure your ETIAS travel authorization is still valid

  • Check how long you can stay in the European countries requiring ETIAS

  • Make sure your passport is valid for three months after your intended departure from the European countries requiring ETIAS - you will be refused entry at the border if it is not (exceptions apply).