Rohit Gupta

A blog by @rohit7gupta

Made with in India

Getting a Spanish student visa

04 Nov 2018 Madrid, Spain

This post presents the working process to get a Spanish Visa to live in Spain as a student applying from Delhi in the end of 2018. I hope it helps people who need information and reduces confusion. I control my subjectivity/rant, I will write it as a science experiment. This is the best case scenario.

AIM: To receive a Residence VISA that enables me to travel to Spain (for more than 90 days) as a student/academic intern in Spanish university.

Documents Required (Order is important):

  1. Appointment to the consulate
  2. Valid Passport
  3. Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)

  4. Original documents in Spanish from the university with stamp and envelope posted to you from Spain

    • Enrolment form
    • Student accommodation certificate
    • Student enrolment certificate
    • Program details document
  5. Medical Certificate
  6. Documents of existence : Birth Certificate, Degrees, PAN Card
  7. Documents of economic validity: Loan papers, Bank statements, Income tax return, PAN Card
  8. VISA fees as a DD with “Embassy of Spain” written on it.
  9. Medical Insurance during the stay
  10. National Visa Form filled with blue pen, picture pasted and photocopied
  11. Apostille of Hague stamp on PCC and Medical certificate
  12. Photocopy of all pages in passport
  13. Cover Letter

Pre-requisite Skills: Good purpose of going to Spain, patience, support from university, and time management

Process

  1. When you get acceptance, leave everything and just call these guys on 0124-4556710. Book an appointment. It will usually be like 1-3 months ahead but that is why this is the first step. The whole process of getting other documents will take about 20 days. So, book the date accordingly.
  2. Send mail to the university to post/courier all documents on their letter head in Spanish, signed and stamped. They should be in the university envelope.

  3. Now dust off the passport and see if it is valid and then get ready to get a PCC. PCC is a document that just does the Police verification part of passport issuance once more and makes sure you stay where you say you stay and there are no criminal cases against you.

    • Book appointment at PSK and pay online .
    • Go to PSK with required documents like your original passport and adhaar card
    • Submit docs and do whatever they ask.
    • Wait for police visit
    • Be at home when police comes
    • Keep a Adhaar copy ready
    • Wait for the SMS from PSK to collect PCC (5-10 days)
    • Go and get PCC- 2 copies, signed by passport officer

  4. Go to the doctor and get yourself checked up. If doctor is satisfied, ask him to give a medical certificate on his letter pad with his registration number, name, address and phone visible. It should have this line, exactly -

    _____ is not suffering from any disease that can have repercussions any on the public health in accordance with the International Sanitary Act 2005.

  5. Wait for PCC and in the meantime, you can start filling the National VISA form. The instructions are given here as well .

  6. Your PCC has arrived and you have the medical certificate. It is now time to get Apostille stamps. Most people may forget this step altogether. This is the most monetized process by agents and hence, prices vary from 4000 - 2000 INR. I read the guidelines and figured out it should not cost more than 1500 INR. Apostille is basically making your documents valid in countries who are on the convention. It is like VISA for your documents or international notary. I got it done from a shop in Arunachal Bhavan in Barakhamba Road. I found the place while I had a long discussion with another agent who was charging a lot and I just walked around and found it on Google Maps. He takes a day to do everything. There is a coffee shop nearby. Do not drink coffee there, its very bad.

  7. Now you should have docs from university, Apostille (PCC, Medical Certificate), Appointment email printout, National Visa form filled with blue pen and photo stuck on it. Now it is time to spend some more money and know about it.

    • Buy an travel insurance policy of value more than $30,000. I prefer policybazaar . (15 mins)
    • Get a DD/Banker’s Cheque made physically in the branch of your choice (3-4 hours)
    • Get bank statements and Income Tax return (1-2 days)
    • You should be able to prove that you have enough money to stay in Spain apart from the university fee. It is around 450 EUR/month. I feel this is better than the german approach of opening up a block account.

  8. Fill the VISA form completely and get it checked by a well meaning friend. Photocopy everything. Forget about saving paper at the moment. Put in a glimpse of your CV as well, to redundantly prove your eligibility to the VISA. PS: You do not need translations of documents for student visa process. It is now exempted. I have saved you 5000 INR at this step and about 7000 INR in total now. Say thanks by telling others as well :)

  9. Carry all documents you have ever produced with you to the consulate. They can sometimes ask, its normal. Do not forget writing a cover letter explaining your state and purpose. To be super-nice, arrange all documents in this order. Be prepared to wait in a queue and face Indians already looking at you in an alienated sense. Get used to the feeling. Absorb it. Ignore it and act in an opposite way. The guards will help you. They are the kindest folks. If it is humid, carry water and some mosquito repellent gel.

  10. Enter the embassy and wait for your turn. As you wait, reflect on the reasons to go to Spain. Now, when your turn it is, be honest and confident. They will take your passport and call/email you in a month. Keep the counter copy of the form safely.

  11. After a month, go to the embassy. They ask you to come once in the morning to see your face. Then they call you again in 3-4 hours. I wish I could write “why” somewhere. Now, come again after loitering in CP, if you can watch a play or two, and then you get your VISA.

Precautions

  1. Never trust any agent. National VISA is issued by the embassy only.
  2. Get Apostille from a recognized place only. Like all things in life, there are fake stamps too.
  3. Carry all documents, you miss something and then you may miss the appointment.
  4. Try meditation everyday.

Observations

In this experiment, we observed that in-spite of the seemingly easy way to get a VISA, it is not very easy. The VISA guidelines do not seem to be very clear on ground. The problem is not by the embassy but the diverse range of information stimuli the user experiences. The experimenters observed that a positive result is possible.

Result

Through proper grit and determination, one can get National Visa to do internship in Spain.

Hope it helps! Wishing luck :)

Cheers,

Rohit


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