Spain visa requirements for Malian citizens

Consular Section of the Embassy of Spain in Mali and Burkina Faso (Bamako), registering for an appointment by email at emb.bamako.regvis@maec.es

Across the rest of West Africa the Spanish visa goes through a BLS International centre. Not in Mali: the application is filed at the Consular Section of the Embassy of Spain in Bamako itself, which is accredited to Mali and Burkina Faso at once and is competent for applications from Malians and from foreigners legally resident in Mali. The appointment has an unusual preliminary step. You write to emb.bamako.regvis@maec.es with the subject "CITA VISADO", attaching a clear photo holding the passport, the form, the flight reservation and the medical insurance, and giving your name in capitals without accents or apostrophes, the passport number with no spaces or hyphens and the intended start date of travel in DDMMYYYY format. With the credentials that come back you book the appointment on citaconsular.es. Submission runs Monday to Friday from 9:15 to 11:30. The embassy repeats two warnings worth taking seriously: it does not work with agents, travel agencies or intermediaries, and it gives no appointments or information by telephone. The fee is paid in cash, CFA 59,050, with CFA 29,500 for children aged 6 to 12 and free under 6. Two of the documents surprise applicants coming from elsewhere: the original volet 3 of the birth certificate, and the volet 3 of the marriage certificate if there is one. Travel insurance must cover a minimum of EUR 30,000 for the whole stay, and the passport must remain valid for more than three months after the end date of the trip.

Official application site →

Fee

€90

The €90 is the short-stay Schengen visa fee, set by Article 16 of the Visa Code (Regulation (EC) 810/2009) as amended by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415, in force since 11 June 2024. It is not a fee set by Spain: the same amount is paid at any Schengen consulate. Children from the age of 6 and under 12 pay €45, and children under 6 are exempt. Travellers entering without a visa pay no fee at all.

Processing time

Where the trip requires a Schengen visa, the consulate must decide within 15 calendar days of an admissible application being lodged. That period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases, particularly where the application needs closer examination; in justified urgent individual cases the decision is taken immediately (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 23). An application may not be lodged more than six months before the intended trip and, as a rule, no later than 15 calendar days before it; where the consulate requires an appointment, it is normally given within two weeks of being requested (Art. 9).

Required documents

• A valid passport or travel document, issued within the previous ten years and valid for at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave the Schengen area (Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Art. 6(1)(a))
• Evidence of the purpose and conditions of your stay: a booking for your accommodation or, if you are staying at a private address, a letter of invitation that your host files with the Spanish National Police (Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Art. 6(1)(c))
• A return or round-trip ticket, issued in your name, non-transferable and with a fixed date (Order PRE/1282/2007, Art. 2)

How much money you need to show

€122.10 per person per day, with a minimum of €1,098.90 per person even on a shorter trip

They are 10% and 90% of Spain's 2026 minimum wage (€1,221 a month, Royal Decree 126/2026), under Order PRE/1282/2007, so they change when the minimum wage goes up. The daily figure is multiplied by the days of your stay and by the people travelling as your dependants. You show it with cash, certified or traveller's cheques, or a credit card together with a bank statement or an up-to-date passbook. Statements printed from online banking are not accepted.

What each Schengen country asks for →

Source: European Commission, Annex 25 to the Practical Handbook for Border Guards (reference amounts notified by each State), version of 8 June 2026, and Spain's Official State Gazette (Order PRE/1282/2007 and Royal Decree 126/2026). Checked on 1 November 2026.

Health insurance

Mandatory to apply for the Schengen visa: minimum coverage of €30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area and for the entire length of the stay (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 15).

Which policies meet the €30,000 requirement →

Staying with a host instead of a hotel? Spain's letter of invitation →

When travel insurance is mandatory → Travel insurance policies ↓

How long you can stay

Schengen rule: a maximum stay of 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area.

Calculate your available Schengen days →

Why isn't your passport being stamped? The EES system →