Jurisdiction — does this consulate cover you?
Russia has two Spanish consulates. The St. Petersburg consulate covers the northwest of the country only. If you live anywhere else in Russia, you must apply at the Consulate General in Moscow.
Living elsewhere in Russia? All other federal districts are covered by the Consulate General in Moscow.
Where to submit your application
As with Moscow, the submission route depends on visa type. This is the single most important thing to understand before booking anything.
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Student visa (national visa — stays over 90 days)
Must be submitted directly at the Consulate General in St. Petersburg in person. BLS does not handle national visas. Book your appointment by emailing cog.sanpeter.vis@maec.es.
Address: Furshtatskaya 9, 191028 St. Petersburg · Metro: Chernyshevskaya
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Short-stay Schengen visa (stays up to 90 days)
Submitted through BLS International visa centres. The St. Petersburg consulate has 7 BLS locations across the northwest, so most applicants can submit without travelling to the city itself.
BLS centres: St. Petersburg · Kaliningrad · Murmansk · Pskov · Vyborg · Veliky Novgorod · Petrozavodsk
May 2025 reform — RD 1155/2024
Spain's student visa rules changed significantly on 20 May 2025. Key requirements now in force: apply at least 2 months before your course start date; passport must be valid for at least 1 year from the application date; proof that tuition has been paid in full is required; your language school must hold Instituto Cervantes accreditation. New rights: university students can work up to 30 hours per week without a separate work permit (language-school students still need a work authorisation); the authorisation lasts the full programme duration; a 1-year post-study job-search visa is available to university graduates.
Note on the Moscow BLS transition
From 1 June 2026, the Consulate General in Moscow moved national student visa intake (SLU, SSU, SLF, SSF) to BLS International for Moscow-demarcación applicants. As of April 2026, the St. Petersburg consulate continues to accept national visa applications directly. If you are resident in the St. Petersburg demarcación (SPb, Leningrad, Murmansk, Novgorod, Pskov, Karelia, Kaliningrad), you apply directly here — not through Moscow. Verify the current position at exteriores.gob.es before travelling to submit.
Required documents
Bring originals and photocopies of everything. All documents not in Spanish must be translated by a sworn translator recognised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and legalised with the Hague Apostille where required.
1
National visa application form
Download from the consulate website. Complete every section and sign it. Must be in Spanish.
Use our form helper tool for field-by-field guidance.
2
Passport photograph
Recent passport-size colour photograph taken within the last 6 months. Light background, facing forward, no dark glasses.
3
Valid passport + internal passport copy (Russian citizens)
International passport must be valid for at least one year from the date of application. Must have at least two blank pages. Passports issued more than 10 years ago are not accepted.
⚠️ Russian citizens must also provide a photocopy of their internal passport (внутренний паспорт) showing personal data, registration address, and marital status. Required for all applicants aged 14 and over.
4
School acceptance letter
Official letter from your Instituto Cervantes accredited school in Spain confirming your name, course, start and end dates, hours per week (minimum 20), and proof of fees paid. Must be in Spanish.
All schools in our finder hold Cervantes accreditation. Enrol through us and we ensure your letter meets all consulate requirements.
5
Proof of financial means
Bank statements showing minimum €600 per month for the course duration. Must show your name, account number, and 3 months of transaction history. If funds are from a family member, their statements plus a notarised sponsorship letter are needed — both apostilled and translated into Spanish.
6
Health insurance certificate
From a Spanish DGSFP-registered insurer. Must cover your entire stay with no copayments, no waiting periods, and minimum €30,000 coverage. Travel insurance does not qualify.
We partner with Atlántida — a DGSFP-registered insurer. Compare compliant policies →
7
Medical certificate Stays over 180 days
Signed by a registered doctor confirming no disease that could cause serious public health risks under the 2005 International Health Regulations. Must be issued within 3 months of your application date. Must be translated into Spanish by a sworn translator.
8
Proof of accommodation in Spain
A rental contract, confirmed student housing letter from your school, or a notarised invitation letter from a host with a copy of their ID. Must cover at least the first 4 weeks of your stay.
9
Criminal record certificate Stays over 180 days
Must cover the last 5 years. Valid for only 3 months from the date of issue — time this carefully so it doesn't expire before submission. Must be apostilled and translated into Spanish.
How to get the Apostille in Russia: Request the certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (МВД). The apostille on MVD-issued certificates is affixed by the MVD itself — not by the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry of Justice handles apostilles on notarial and educational documents. For St. Petersburg residents, the relevant MVD office is in St. Petersburg. Allow approximately 35 days. Paper originals only — certificates from Russian consulates abroad cannot be apostilled.
⚠️ Do not start this too early: the 3-month validity clock starts from the issue date, not from when you submit the visa application.
10
Proof of residence in the consular jurisdiction
Required to confirm you are applying at the correct consulate. Russian citizens: the registration page of your internal passport serves as proof. Legal residents: provide your valid residence permit or visa confirming residence in one of the covered regions.
Processing time and fees
The consulate must decide within one month of receiving a complete application. In practice allow 4–8 weeks. Apply at least 2 months before your course start date — 3 months is strongly recommended given document preparation times.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Visa fee | Paid in Russian rubles · rate updated regularly by the consulate |
| BLS service fee | Applies to short-stay Schengen visas submitted via BLS only |
Contact
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Visa enquiries
cog.sanpeter.vis@maec.es
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General consulate enquiries
cog.sanpetersburgo@maec.es
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Address
Furshtatskaya 9 · St. Petersburg 191028 · Metro: Chernyshevskaya
Frequently asked questions
I live in Kaliningrad — do I need to travel to St. Petersburg to apply? +
For short-stay Schengen visas, no — there is a BLS centre in Kaliningrad. For the long-stay student visa (over 90 days), yes — national visas must be submitted in person at the Consulate General in St. Petersburg. It is a one-time trip: your passport will be held for processing and must be collected in person once the visa is ready.
Do I need to bring my internal Russian passport as well as my international one? +
Yes — Russian citizens must provide a photocopy of their internal passport (внутренний паспорт), specifically the pages showing personal data, registration (propiska), and marital status. This is required for all applicants aged 14 and over. Bring your international travel passport (which the consulate will keep) and copies of the relevant internal passport pages.
Is this process the same as the Moscow consulate? +
Largely yes. The required documents, apostille rules, and direct-submission requirement for national visas are identical. The differences are the jurisdiction (northwest Russia only), the contact details, and the BLS centre locations. One additional note specific to St. Petersburg: the internal passport copy requirement is explicitly flagged on the consulate's pages for Russian citizens.
How early should I start preparing? +
At least 3 months before your course start date. The criminal record and apostille process takes 4–8 weeks. Add translation time, appointment availability at the consulate, and up to a month of processing, and the full timeline is easily 3 months. The legal minimum is 2 months before your start date, but applying that close to the deadline is risky if anything is delayed.