One of the most difficult and frustrating aspects of preparing to study abroad in Spain is applying for a student visa. Many participants have to travel several hours to appear in person at their local Spanish consulate to submit their paperwork and each consulate’s application requirements can vary.
To help streamline these applications and serve the greatest number of students, several Spanish consulates allow API to submit student visa applications as a group and permit an API employee to appear in person rather than each individual student. But, in order to allow sufficient time to issue the visas and to reserve appointment times later in the semester for individual applicants, many of the consulates assign batch-processing appointments early in the fall application season. This can sometimes cause API Visa Processing application deadlines to fall before the regular API program application deadline. Therefore, students who want to take advantage of the Visa Processing Service are encouraged to apply to their chosen program ASAP. Eligible applicants with in-progress API applications or who have been accepted to their API program will receive weekly email reminders with visa processing instructions. If you have not received this email or would like more information about the API Visa Processing Service, please contact [email protected]
AY/Fall 2018 API Visa Processing Deadlines:
Chicago: May 4th
Boston: May 7th
New York: June 1st
Los Angeles: June 18th
Miami: June 18th
San Francisco: June 18th
*As of January 2018, the New York Consulate will no longer allow students to apply independently through their consulate. Students falling under the New York Consulate’s jurisdiction will need to apply directly through API or their home university, if available.
To find out which consulate you are eligible to apply through, refer to this page of Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation’s website: http://www.exteriores.gob.es/embajadas/washington/es/Paginas/inicio.aspx
Students may apply at consulates that serve their permanent or school address, so some participants may have a choice between 2 consulates.
For any student not eligible for API Visa Processing or who chooses to apply in person independently, API Program Coordinators are happy to answer questions about the application process. If you are electing to go independently, make your appointment today, as appointment slots fill up quickly! Instructions can be found in the “Visa Information Form” in student’s online accounts once accepted into a program.
Contact the API office at 512-600-8900 with any further questions!
Note: API Visa Processing is only available to students accepted into an API program. Once a passport is submitted to a Spanish consulate, it may take 4-8 weeks for the visa to be issued. Therefore, students should not schedule any international travel before the API program start date if they wish to use the API Processing Service, as API cannot guarantee early return of a passport.
