People residing in China who wish to travel to Spain must be in possession of a visa, unless they are nationals from countries which are not included in the list of countries with the obligation to carry a visa in order to cross external borders for stays in the Schengen Area of no more than three months (90 days) in a period of six months (180 days) from the date of entry into the Schengen Area.

Schengen visa is valid for: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

General Information

From 12 October 2015 onwards, all applicants must come in person to the nearest Spain Visa Application Centre in their residence city. In the following 59 months, applicants who want to apply Schengen visa again will not be required to submit their biometric data again, as the data will be stored in the system during this period. After 5 years, the applicants will be required to give their biometric data again.

Exception from the biometrics data capture:

• Minors under the age of 12
• Persons who cannot give fingerprints due to being physically impossible (However, if the person whose fingers are partially intact, the fingerprints should be captured).

In Beijing Jurisdiction, visa applications which are applicable to the above-mentioned biometrics exempted situation could be submitted either in person or by sending an authorized third person. The completed authorization letter signed by the applicant along with the original and copy of the representative's ID card needs to be presented at application submission counter.

Visa applications in any case should be submitted in person in Application Centre which belongs to Shanghai Jurisdiction.

In Guangzhou Jurisdiction, visa applications which are applicable to the above-mentioned biometrics exempted situation could be submitted either in person or by sending an authorized third person. Otherwise, visa applications should be submitted in person. The completed authorization letter (for individual representative) / authorization letter ( for agents) signed by the applicant along with a copy of the representative's ID card needs to be presented at application submission counter.

As per the latest instruction from Spanish Consulate in Guangzhou, Non-ADS applicants are required to complete a questionnaire and all applicants are required to complete a declaration form. This applies to all applications submitted at Guangzhou, Changsha, Shenzhen, Fuzhou and Kunming Visa Application Centres.

After submission, applicants can authorize a representative/agent to collect the applications. The acknowledgement receipt issued by Application Centre, and the completed authorization letter signed by the applicant along with a copy of the representative's ID card needs to be presented at the passport collection counter.

Applicants should submit their applications to the relevant Visa Application Centres respectively according to their Hukou (Family Book).

Beijing Jurisdiction:

All provinces in the People's Republic of China, except the provinces which belong to the Shanghai and Guangzhou Jurisdictions.

Shanghai Jurisdiction:

Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi

Guangzhou Jurisdiction:

Guangdong, Fujian, Guizhou, Hainan, Hunan, Yunnan and Guangxi (Hukou or residential certificate belong to Guangzhou jurisdiction)

Applications can be submitted no more than 90 days before the start of the intended visit. It is recommended to submit applications not later than 15 working days before the start of the intended visit.

The Consulate reserves the right to call applicants in for a personal interview at a later time. Likewise, the Consulate reserves the right to request additional documents not contained in the harmonized list of documents, when necessary.

The submission of all the requested documents does not guarantee automatic issuance of the visa. Visa refusals will be notified in writing. Applicants may lodge an appeal against the refusal decision.

Applicants should check the issued visa upon Collection, especially their personal data and dates. Once accepted, it is assumed that the content of the visa is correct.

Required documents for all visa categories

Please note the following essentials must be met by all applicants submitting their applications for visa.

A valid passport: it must be valid at least 3 months after the intended date of departure of the Schengen area. The applicants in Guangzhou Jurisdiction only need to provide a copy of passport data page, as well as the copies of Schengen, USA, UK and Canada visas. Please note that 2 blank pages and a photocopy of all the pages are needed. If you do not have 2 blank pages, a new passport must be obtained before submitting the application.

• Visa application form correctly filled with capital letters.
• One recent colour photograph, between 26-35mm wide and 32-45mm long, white background.
• Travel insurance, documents stating financial means and purpose of the trip, flight reservation and accommodation details
• Fees must be paid in RMB (check VISA FEE for details)