Spain visa requirements for Syrian citizens

BLS International in Beirut, on behalf of the Spanish consular section in Beirut

Syrian nationals need a Schengen visa. The Spanish Embassy in Damascus is closed to the public because its activities are suspended, and only keeps a consular emergency phone. Meanwhile, the Spanish consular section in Beirut handles Schengen and national visas for Syrians and for foreigners living in Syria, and applications are lodged at the BLS centre in Beirut (fifth floor of the Concorde building, Verdun Center, Dunant Street, Verdun). Applicants have to travel to Lebanon, at a time when Spain's Foreign Ministry advises against travel there. Documents are submitted as originals with a photocopy, translated into English, French or Spanish. Applications are made between six months and 15 days before travel, and the legal deadline for a decision is 15 calendar days, extendable to 45.

Official application site →

What the visa centre can and can't do →

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)
• Funds of €122.10 per person for each day of your stay, subject to a floor of €1,098.90 per person even on a shorter trip (10% and 90% of the 2026 Spanish minimum wage, set at €1,221 per month by Royal Decree 126/2026)
• Proof that you actually hold that money: cash, certified cheques, traveller's cheques, or a credit card together with a bank statement or an up-to-date passbook. The rule does not accept statements printed from online banking (Order PRE/1282/2007, Art. 2)

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 much money you need to show →

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 →