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Spain is a highly visited country. It is like a doorway to Europe as well. So many flights have a stop there. Although it is a member of the Schengen states, you might need a Spain Airport Transit Visa to catch a connecting flight there.

In this blog, we will cover the people who need and don’t need this visa, the requirements, application process, limitations fees, FAQs, etc.

Spain Airport Transit Visa

Spain Airport Visa is permission to stop in one of the Spanish airports to get another flight. You may only stay there for up to 24 hours.

Spain Airport Transit visa is a short-stay visa. If you need to change your flight to one of the Spanish airports, you might need a Spain Airport Visa. By this visa, you can only have access to the Spanish international airport zone.

The Schengen law DOES NOT ALLOW foreigners to travel/stay in the Spanish international zone without the visa. Spain Airport Visa often gets called Spain Transit visa.

Before applying for a Spain Airport Visa, you should know if you need this visa or not.

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Spain Airport Transit Visa

Madrid airport transit visa

If you are going to catch a connecting flight in Madrid and you are not from the EU, then you might need a transit visa. In case you are exempt from a transit visa due to your conditions, then you are exempt from applying for an airport transit visa.

Bear in mind the EU or Schengen rule does not permit you to pass through the region without a transit visa.

Spain Transit visa for seafarers

A Spain Transit visa for Seafarers is permission for Seafarers to enter one of the Spanish seaports. By this visa, they can get off the sea vessel and stay in one of the Spanish seaports for a short time. Then, they can get to their means of transport to another destination.

Spain airport transit Covid-19

The EU national or no-EU citizens who want to enter the zone or pass through it can apply for the EU COVID Digital Certificate.

If the system of VOVID vaccination or testing system has been connected to the Digital Certificate, your certificate will become valid automatically.

The vaccine you receive must be accepted and authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The following vaccines are authorized by the EMA:

  • Comirnaty
  • (BioNTech and Pfizer)
  • Nuvaxovid
  • (Novavax)
  • Spikevax
  • (Moderna)
  • Vaxzevria
  • (AstraZeneca)
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen

If you are not vaccinated, you need a negative PCR test 72 hours before the flight. The authorities might also conduct a test on arrival. But as you are passing through Spain and will not enter the country, the rules might be up to your destination.

You would better and receive a negative PCR test result in English.

Who Needs and Don’t Need Spain Airport Transit Visa

The answer to the question: “Do I need a Spain airport visa” depends on your nationality. The citizen of the following countries need a Spain Airport transit visa:

Africa 

Dominican RepublicEritreaBissauMauritania
CameroonEthiopiaThe Democratic Republic of CongoNigeria
AngolaGhanaIvory CoastSenegal
ChadGuineaLibyaSomalia
Republic of CongoGuinea MaliSouth 
SudanTogo  

North America 

Cuba Dominican RepublicHaiti 

Asia

AfghanistanIran
PakistanSri Lanka
BangladeshSyria
IraqPalestinians *

*Must have a travel document for a refugee that has been issued by Egypt, Lebanon, or Syria.

Spain Airport Transit visa exemptions

You could be the national of the above list but could be free of Spain Airport Transit visa,. It is true if you:

  • have a diplomatic or service passport.
  • are an airline crew member and national of a state party to the Chicago Convention;
  • hold a residence permit valid and issued by EU/EEA members;

The people who have a residence permit issued by the Principality of:

AndorraMonacoNorway
JapanThe Republic of San MarinoSwitzerland
Canada IcelandHoly See
The United States of AmericaLiechtensteinSan Marino

The people who have a valid visa or a member state of:

EUThe US
EEAJapan

The family members of a citizen of:

EUEEASwitzerland
  • The people who have a valid:
    •  Schengen visa
    •  Residence permit or long-stay national visa issued by a Schengen state.

Please note that you only need a Spain Airport Transit visa if your destination is not a Schengen country. For example, you are traveling from a country to India or Russia, and you have to change flights in Spain. They are not a Schengen country, so you need a Spain Airport visa.

For example, you are traveling from a country to Switzerland, and you have to change a flight to Spain. If you are not from the countries that need a Spain Transit visa, then you don’t have to apply for it.

Requirements for Spain Airport Transit Visa

Once you make sure you need a Spain Airport visa, you should gather the requirements. Apart from the general requirements for a Spain visa, there are other required documents for a Spain airport visa:

A. Application form

A regular Spain short-stay visa application. You should complete, print, then sign and date it.

B. Photos

Two photos according to the Spanish visa standards taken in the past three months. The background must be white clear.

C. Passport

Your passport must be valid with two blank pages. It must not be older than ten years.

D. Documents for your destination

If you need a visa for the desired country you are traveling, you have to provide it. You should also provide a reserved ticket for your destination.

E. Travel insurance

The travel insurance you buy must cover all your medical expenses in the entire Schengen states for 30.000 EUR.

F. Proof of paid visa fee

The Spain Airport visa costs €80 for adults, €40 for under 12 children, and under six children are free.

The requirements for Seafarers

As well as the general requirements we mentioned above; the seafarer must provide:

  • A copy and the original of Seaman’s book.
  • Invitation letter from the shipping company.
  • If the next means of the trip is a plane, the flight reservation is necessary.
  • Employment contract. Contract with the navigation company/ship to board the ship.

Schengen transit visa online

At the moment, you can not apply for a Schengen transit visa online and you need to visit the embassy or consulate in person. You need to gather the requirements and schedule a meeting with the embassy and pay a visit to them on the booked date.

The authorities evaluate your case and decide on your visa as soon as possible. However, you would better apply as early as possible.

Application Process for Spain Airport Transit Visa

1. Application

You should complete the Spain airport transit visa application. Then print, sign, and date it. Please keep it until you submit it to the authorities.

2. Requirements

You must collect all the required documents, as explained above. The Spanish and all Schengen states are strict with their laws. Be careful, and don’t take anything easy.

3. Make visa Appointment

You should reserve an appointment with the Spanish embassy/consulate to submit the application and requirements.

4. During your appointment

  • Submit the application and required documents
  • Participate in the interview
  • Pay the visa fee

5. Wait for processing

At the final step, you should wait until your application gets processed. It often takes 15 days to get your application processed. Yet, depending on your case and the Spanish embassy workload, it might take up to 30 days.

When authorities accept your application and issue it, they send it to your address. If it gets denied, they will inform you of the reason.

Spain Airport Transit Visa Limitations

Please remember that there are limitations to a Spain Airport Transit visa. You may not leave the Spanish airport international zone. You can not apply for another type of visa or even think about leaving the airport. During your stay at the Spanish airport, you must respect the Spanish regulations and laws. There is no way you can extend a Spain Airport Visa.

Spain Airport Transit Visa Processing Time

The processing time for a Spain Airport Visa depends on:

  • Your case
  • The embassy/ consulate workload
  • The time you apply. The processing time is longer in peak tourist season; summer months, particularly July and August.
  • The political situation of your country

How Long is The Spain Airport Transit Visa Valid For?

The Spain Airport Visa is only valid for 24 hours. You may not leave the Spanish airport international zone.

Schengen transit visa

Spain is part of the EU and a member of the Schengen Area. Spain airport transit visa is the same as Schengen transit visa. If you want to transit through more than one airport inside the Schengen Area, you need to apply for a regular Schengen visitor visa or C visa and you no longer can use the Schengen transit visa.

Spain transit visa for Pakistan

The Pakistani nationals are among the countries that require a Spain airport transit visa to catch a connecting flight in the country. The EU law requires them to apply for a visa to the Spanish embassy in Islamabad. Their email address is [email protected]. So you can contact them and receive further information.

When you receive the visa, read the instructions carefully and obey all of them. Breaking the law in the EU can have heavy consequences.

Let’s sum up …

In this blog, we explained all about Spain Airport Transit Visa.

We covered the people who need and don’t need this visa, the requirements, application process, fees, validity, FAQs, etc.

You can find all the Spain visa information in the world here. To find out more about the visa that suits you, go through the menu of the site. You can find all the Spain types of visas at the left sidebar.

You can check the Visa Library to find more information about other countries’ visas.

In case you have some experience, please write it down in the comment section. Your comments let the readers choose better and avoid mistakes. Conveying your experiences as comments is a great help for applicants.

FAQs

The article provides a list of countries that need a transit visa.

No, you have no permission.

You need it if you are not among the visa waived countries due to security reasons.

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4 Comments

  1. Alan Wilfred Buck says:

    I am travelling to Dominican Republic from Manchester Airport to Madrid on 21st April 2023, to change for second flight as transfer.

    Manchester to Madrid (T1) arriving 23.20. Next flight for Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is 22nd April 15.30pm (T1).
    On return flights on 29th April, arrive Madrid (T1) at 10.05am. Next flight back to Manchester is 12.10pm (T1)

    Do I need a transit visa for this staying in one terminal on these dates shown above?

    Advise further on this please, Thanks

    • B Rajabali says:

      Your nationality determines whether you need a transit visa or not. Look at the article.

  2. Francis Koroma says:

    Hi Visa Library, I’ll be traveling from Senegal to Ecuador with a Sierra Leone passport, but on some website they said Sierra Leone passport holder needs transit visa and some said no, then in an article from a Spanish website in Miami says, “Spain will only process transit visas if a Spanish airport is the first point of entry”. I’m completely confused, because I don’t know which one is correct and which one is not. Please make me understand better.