Visa Requirements for Spanish Citizens

Visa requirements for Spanish citizens are the conditions on which nationals of Spain may enter other countries due to travel rules set by the governments of each sovereign state.

The Spanish passport is currently ranked joint 4th in terms of the strongest passports in the world. It permits Spanish nationals to access over 140 different states and territories without applying for a visa in advance.

Before traveling to a foreign country, it is advisable that citizens of Spain check the visa requirements for their destination to see if they need to apply for a visa or travel authorization.

Electronic visas (eVisas) and electronic travel authorizations (ETAs) are available to Spanish visitors traveling to around 30 different countries.

To obtain these digital visas and visa waivers, respectively, Spanish nationals must complete a simple online application form.

ETAs and eVisas typically allow Spanish travelers to enter a country for the purpose of tourism. Some additionally permit business visits and/or transit.

In order to live and/or work in the majority of foreign countries, Spanish citizens must apply for a residence visa or work visa from a diplomatic mission (an embassy or consulate). Depending on the destination, embassy or consular visas may be required for other purposes too.

In order to visit over 70 different countries, a consular or embassy visa is a travel requirement for citizens of Spain, regardless of the purpose of the visit.

Over 20 destinations have a visa on arrival option for Spanish visitors, wherein it is possible to apply for a visa at border control. This has the drawback of standing in line and spending quite some time waiting to enter the country.

Spanish nationals enjoy visa exemption for over 110 nations, including freedom of movement with many of Spain’s neighboring countries.

List of Visa Countries for Spanish Passport Holders in 2020

Spanish nationals are able to enter a number of countries without a visa. However, there are many countries that have visa requirements for Spanish passport holders who wish to visit.

Various countries have an online system through which travelers from Spain can apply for either an eVisa or an ETA for short-term stays.

For other countries, Spanish citizens are required to apply for a visa at an embassy in person even for short touristic visits. Embassy visas or permits are necessary to move to and/or work in most foreign countries, with the exception of fellow EU member states.

Certain sovereign states allow Spanish visitors to obtain a visa on arrival by completing a visa application at the international border. This frequently involves long lines and if it is possible to apply for an eVisa prior to the trip, this is recommended to avoid long waits at border control.

It is important for Spanish travelers to check which kind of visa they require for the length of time they intend to spend in their destination country and for the purpose of their visit. This may be a tourist visa, a business visa, a transit visa, or a work visa, for example.

See the full list of countries that citizens of Spain require a visa to visit below.

Electronic Travel Visa Authorization

There are 2 types of online system that allow Spanish travelers to obtain permission to enter certain countries: electronic visas (eVisas) and electronic travel authorizations (ETAs).

ETAs are electronic visa waivers rather than visas, but utilize a similar process to eVisas and require many of the same details to be submitted.

Citizens of Spain using an eVisa or ETA system must complete an online application form. The approved eVisa/ETA is then delivered to the applicant by email and electronically linked to their passport.

These digital systems are becoming more common for traveling to various countries around the world since they facilitate easier and faster visa applications while improving security.

Spanish nationals can apply for an eVisa or ETA to visit around 30 countries worldwide.

ETAs and eVisas for Spanish citizens function as a tourist visa. Additionally, for some countries they also function as a business visa and/or transit visa.

Depending on the destination, an eVisa or ETA might grant a visitor from Spain multiple entries or just a single entry to the sovereign state. The length of stay permitted also varies country to country.

See below for a list of countries that have an eVisa or ETA available for Spanish passport holders.

Visa On Arrival

A visa on arrival for Spanish passport holders is a type of visa obtained at the international border of a country, rather than one that is acquired before traveling to the destination.

Over 20 different countries have a visa on arrival option available for travelers from Spain.

Applying for a visa on arrival for one of these countries means completing an application form at border control, either at an airport or at a land border checkpoint. There are often long lines to complete a visa on arrival form.

Visas on arrival may grant a single entry or multiple entries to the destination, depending on the country in question. The maximum period of time a Spanish visitor can spend in the state with a visa on arrival also varies.

In a number of cases, Spanish nationals have the option of applying for an eVisa prior to traveling instead of waiting until they are at border control to obtain a visa on arrival. If an eVisa is available, it is recommended over the visa on arrival because it has several advantages for the Spanish visitor.

Obtaining an eVisa in advance eliminates the need to stand in line and fill out an application form at immigration control, allowing the Spanish traveler to enter their destination country without unnecessary waiting times at the border.

Applying for the eVisa before the trip also allows time to resolve any unforeseen issues in the unlikely event that there is a problem with the application, whereas if there is a problem with a visa on arrival application, the traveler may be refused entry.

Check the list below for the visa on arrival countries for nationals of Spain.

Bangladesh
Burkina Faso
Comoros
Gabon
Gambia
Guinea-Bissau
Iran
Jordan
Lebanon
Malawi
Maldives
Mauritania
Mongolia
Mozambique
Nepal
Pakistan
Rwanda
Somalia
Togo
Zambia
Zimbabwe

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Embassy Visa Required

An embassy visa for Spanish citizens is a visa obtained from an overseas diplomatic mission (an embassy or consulate) of the destination country before travel.

Around 75 countries and territories require visitors from Spain to apply for an embassy visa regardless of the purpose of travel and the period of time they intend to stay.

The maximum length of time a Spanish visitor can spend at the destination with a short-stay embassy tourist visa depends on the country.

Embassy visas or permits are a requirement for Spanish passport holders to live, work, study, or stay long-term in the majority of countries. Embassies can grant residence visas, work visas, student visas, or other visa types, depending on the purpose of the visit.

It is usually necessary for a Spanish national to make an appointment at the foreign embassy in order to submit a visa application. Some countries ask the applicant to download the form from a website and bring it to the embassy completed, along with any required supporting documentation, like the traveler’s passport.

See below the list of countries for which Spanish citizens must apply for an embassy visa to visit for any reason.

Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Algeria
American Samoa
Anguilla
Antarctica
Aruba
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bonaire
British Indian Ocean Territory
British Virgin Islands
Burundi
Cameroon
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Christmas Island
Cocos Islands
Congo
Cook Islands
Cuba
Curacao
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greenland
Guadeloupe
Guernsey
Guinea
Iraq
Isle of Man
Ivory Coast
Jersey
Liberia
Libya
Mali
Martinique
Mayotte
Montserrat
Nauru
New Caledonia
Niger
Niue
Norfolk Island
North Korea
Northern Mariana Islands
Pitcairn Islands
Reunion
Saint Barthelemy
Saint Helena
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Sudan
Suriname
Svalbard and Jan Mayen
Syrian Arab Republic
Tokelau
Turkmenistan
Turks and Caicos Islands
Wallis and Futuna
Yemen

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Visa Not Required

Spanish passport holders are exempt from visa requirements for over 110 countries. This means they may visit these sovereign states and territories using only their passport and do not have to possess a visa to enter.

Citizens of Spain may only stay in many of these countries without a visa for a certain period of time. The maximum length of stay varies from 14 days to one (1) year, depending on the country.

Visa exemption for Spanish nationals in most countries only covers touristic and leisure visits. In some cases, business trips and transit are also visa-exempt. On the other hand, a visa is required to live, work, and/or study in the majority of these destinations.

Spain is a member of the European Union (EU) and as such, it shares a policy of freedom of movement with the other member states. This means Spanish nationals do not need a visa to enter, live in, or work in other EU countries.

Consult the list below to see all of the countries that Spanish passport holders can visit without a visa.