The Spanish national visa application form asks for the same information at every consulate worldwide. Here's exactly what to write in each section, with common mistakes flagged.
Enter your surname(s) exactly as they appear in your passport — including hyphens, apostrophes, accents, and spacing. If your passport shows two surnames, enter both in full.
ExamplesSMITH / SMITH-JONES / O'BRIEN / GARCÍA LÓPEZ
⚠️ Copy character-for-character from your passport. "O'Brien" and "O Brien" are treated as different names. Any mismatch between this field and your passport can cause rejection.
Only complete this if your surname has changed — for example after marriage, divorce, or legal name change. If your current surname is the same as your birth surname, leave this blank.
Who needs thisSomeone born JONES who is now SMITH-JONES after marriage would write: JONES
All given names exactly as shown in your passport — including middle names if they appear there. Do not add or remove names.
ExamplesJAMES ROBERT / MARY ANNE / SØREN / WEI
⚠️ If your passport shows "JAMES ROBERT SMITH" your given names are "JAMES ROBERT" — do not omit Robert even if you never use it.
Write in day-month-year order as stated on the form. Use two digits for day and month, four for year.
15 March 1990 → write15-03-1990
⚠️ US applicants: this is day-month-year, NOT month-day-year. 03-15-1990 will be read as the 3rd day of the 15th month — which doesn't exist and will cause rejection.
The city or town where you were born, as shown on your birth certificate. Write the city name only in this field — the country goes in Field 6.
ExamplesLondon / New York / Toronto / Sydney / Dublin
The country where you were born. If the country has changed its name since you were born (e.g. USSR → Russia), write the name as it was at the time of your birth, or as shown on your birth certificate.
ExamplesUnited Kingdom / United States / Canada / Australia / Ireland
This field has three sub-parts: (1) your current nationality, (2) nationality at birth if different from current, and (3) any other nationalities you hold. For current nationality, write the nationality of the passport you're using. Dual nationals: list both passports' nationalities in "other nationalities".
Single nationalityCurrent: British. Birth: leave blank. Other: leave blank.
Dual nationalityCurrent: Canadian (using this passport). Birth: British (if naturalised). Other: British.
Tick Male (Varón) or Female (Mujer) as shown in your passport. Spanish consulates currently only accept the gender designation in your travel document.
Tick the box that matches your legal status. Options on the form are: Single (Soltero/a), Married (Casado/a), Registered union (Unión registrada), Separated (Separado/a), Divorced (Divorciado/a), Widowed (Viudo/a), or Other. Use your legal status — not your relationship status.
⚠️ "Registered union" means a legally registered civil partnership — not a long-term relationship. If you're in a non-registered relationship, tick Single or whichever status reflects your legal situation.
Only complete this if the applicant is under 18. Write the full name, address (if different from the applicant's), phone number, email address, and nationality of the parent or legal guardian who has parental authority.
If applicant is 18 or overLeave this field completely blank.
This refers to a national ID card number — not your passport number. Most English-speaking countries (US, UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland) do not issue national ID cards, so leave this blank. If your country issues a national ID card and you have one, enter the number here.
For almost all applicants this will be "Ordinary Passport" (Pasaporte ordinario). Tick that box. Diplomatic, service, and official passports are for government employees travelling on government business — not language students.
Your passport number, copied exactly from the top right of your passport's photo page. Include all letters and digits. No spaces.
UK passport example123456789 (9 digits)
US passport exampleA12345678 (letter + 8 digits)
⚠️ A single wrong character is grounds for rejection. Copy digit by digit and check twice. Do not confuse with your passport's MRZ code at the bottom of the page.
The date your passport was issued, from the photo page. Write in day-month-year format.
Example10-06-2020
Your passport's expiry date. Must be at least one year from the date of your visa application (post May 2025 rule). Check this carefully before completing the form — if your passport expires within the year, renew it first.
⚠️ Post May 2025 rule change: the passport must be valid for at least one year from the application date — not just the course duration. A passport expiring in 8 months will be rejected even for a 6-month course.
The country that issued your passport. This is almost always your country of nationality. Write the full country name.
ExamplesUnited Kingdom / United States of America / Canada / Australia / Ireland
Your current home address in the country where you're applying — not your future address in Spain. Write in full: flat/house number, street, city, postcode, country. Include your email and phone number with international dialling code. The consulate will contact you at these details if documents are missing or your visa is ready.
Address exampleFlat 3, 42 Oak Street, Manchester, M1 4AB, United Kingdom
Phone example+44 7700 900123
⚠️ This address must be within the consulate's jurisdiction. Applying at the London consulate with a Manchester address is fine — but applying at the London consulate with a Scottish address is not (Edinburgh covers Scotland).
Only complete this if you are legally resident in a country that is NOT your nationality — for example, a British citizen who lives and is applying from Germany. If you live in your home country, tick "No" and leave the rest blank. If you do apply from a third country, you'll need to show your residence permit for that country.
Most applicantsTick "No" — leave the rest blank.
If applying from a third countryTick "Yes" and enter your residence permit number and expiry date.
Your current job title or status. Be straightforward — there is no "right" answer here that improves your chances. Common entries for language students include: Student, Teacher, Software Engineer, Nurse, Retired, etc. If you are currently between jobs, write "Unemployed" or your most recent occupation.
ExamplesSoftware Engineer / Secondary School Teacher / University Student / Marketing Manager / Retired
Tick "Estudios / Studies" — and only that box. Do not tick Work, Tourism, or any other option, even if you plan to do other things during your time in Spain. Every other option triggers a completely different visa type with different requirements.
⚠️ Ticking "Residencia sin finalidad laboral" (non-lucrative residence) by mistake is a common error. That is a completely different visa for people with passive income — not for students.
The date you plan to enter Spain — typically 1–3 days before your course starts. This does not need to be exact, but should be reasonable. If your course starts on 1 September, an entry date of 28–31 August is sensible. Do not book flights until your visa is approved.
⚠️ Do not book non-refundable travel until your visa is approved. Processing takes 4–8 weeks and is not guaranteed.
Select "Multiple entries" (Múltiples). This is important — it allows you to travel outside Spain and return during your visa period without issue. A single-entry visa means you cannot re-enter Spain after leaving, even briefly. There is no additional cost for requesting multiple entries.
⚠️ Always request multiple entries. There is no downside to doing so, and it avoids problems if you need to travel — for a holiday, a family emergency, or a weekend trip to Portugal.
Where you will be living in Spain. If you have confirmed accommodation, write the full address. If not yet confirmed, use your school's address — but note that some consulates require a residential address. This must match your accommodation proof document.
🏛️
Boston and San Francisco: require a confirmed residential address — the school address is not accepted. Most other consulates: accept the school address if accommodation is not yet confirmed.
Leave this blank. Your NIE is issued after you arrive in Spain — you don't have one yet when applying for the visa. The footnote on the form confirms this field is only required when a prior resolution from the competent immigration body already exists, which it won't for a first-time student visa.
Leave this blank. This field is only relevant if you've previously had a work or residence authorisation granted by Spanish immigration authorities. For a first-time student visa applicant, this will always be blank.
Leave all of this section blank. It is for family reunification visas — where someone already living legally in Spain is sponsoring a family member to join them. It does not apply to student visa applicants.
Leave this blank. This section is for work and residence visas, and internship visas — not for student visas. Even if you intend to work part-time during your studies, do not complete this section.
This is the key section for student visa applicants. Fill in all four sub-fields: the school's full name, full postal address, telephone number, and email address. Then fill in your expected start and end dates for the course. All of this must match exactly what is in your acceptance letter.
School nameEscuela Montalbán S.L.
AddressCalle San Jerónimo 10, 18001 Granada, España
Start date01-09-2025
End date31-08-2026
⚠️ The dates in this field must exactly match the dates on your school acceptance letter. Any discrepancy — even a day — can cause problems. Your school should supply these details with your acceptance letter.
Leave this blank. This section covers a very specific situation — minors travelling for educational programmes run by public bodies, non-profits, or foundations, where the host is not the minor's parent or guardian. It does not apply to standard language course students, even if they are under 18 and enrolling independently.
Write the city where you're signing (your current city, not a city in Spain) and the date of signing. Sign in Field 31 — on the day of your appointment, not in advance. If the applicant is under 18, the parent or legal guardian signs here instead.
Place examplesLondon / New York / Toronto / Sydney
⚠️ Do not pre-sign the form and leave it sitting for weeks. The signature and date should reflect when you actually submit the application. Consulates sometimes query a form dated weeks before the appointment date.
The "For Official Use Only" box (top right)
Leave this entirely blank. The large box in the top right corner — containing fields for the application date, visa number, documents presented, and visa decision — is filled in by consulate staff, not by the applicant. Do not write anything in this section.