Spain in the Schengen area
Entry documents, borders and short-stay rules
Documents to enter Spain
What you show at the border depends on your citizenship, not on which Schengen country you enter — arriving in Spain opens the whole area.
EU, EEA & Swiss citizens
Cross with a passport or national ID card. Free movement: the 90/180 limit doesn’t apply to you.
Visa-exempt visitors
Enter with a passport (valid 3+ months beyond departure, issued within 10 years) for up to 90 days in any 180. EES registers you biometrically at the border; the ETIAS authorisation comes next.
Visa-required passports
Apply for a uniform short-stay (type C) Schengen visa before travelling — one visa covers Spain and every other member.
Borders of Spain
Internal Schengen borders have no systematic checks; external ones are fully controlled with EES registration.
Visas Spain's consulates issued in 2025
In 2025, consulates run by Spain across 107 countries and 156 posts received 1,713,550 short-stay visa applications. 1,396,760 visas were issued and 18.5% of applications were refused. These are the totals for Spain's own consulates worldwide, counted by the office that handled each application — not by where applicants come from.
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