Deadlines Approaching for API Processing of Spanish Student Visa Applications
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 Group Visa deadlines to fall before the regular API program application deadline. Therefore, students who want to take advantage of the Group Visa 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 Group Visa Service, please contact [email protected]
Fall 2019 API Visa Processing Deadlines
Chicago: April 22nd
Boston: May 15th
New York: May 24th
Los Angeles: May 6th
Miami: June 10th
San Francisco: July 1st
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.
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’s Group Visa Service 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.
