Spain family visit visa
Required documents, fees and processing time for a Spain family visit Schengen visa when you apply from Canada.
SCHENGEN · VISA C✈ DOCUMENTS
🇪🇸 Spain·····✈·····🇨🇦 from Canada
To
Spain
Type
C · FAMILY
Apply at
CANADA
Centre
VAC
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Action neededVisiting family / friends — short stay (Type C) · applying from Canada.
Documents ready00 / 11
Competent authority
Consulate General of Spain in Toronto or Montreal, or Embassy Consular Section in Ottawa, by jurisdiction
Application centre
Applies directly - in person by appointment at the Consular Office
Recommended — commonly expected even when not on the official list
Cover letterA letter of introduction stating who you are and why you are travelling.
Travel itineraryA day-by-day plan of your trip to attach to the application.
Fees
Consular (Type C)
€90
Service fee
CA$0
Est. total (adult)
CA$145.5
Long stay (Type D)
—
The short-stay (Type C) consular fee is harmonised at €90 for adults across all Schengen states; collected in CAD · centre: direct_consulate.
Fee notes
Contrary to typical assumption, Spain in Canada takes applications DIRECTLY at Consulates General (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa) by appointment; Toronto fixes Type C at C$145.50. No third-party VAC fee. D unverified.
Timeline
medium confidenceProcessing
15–45 days
End-to-end
5–14 weeks
Centre
VAC
Appointment wait
High demand and a known bottleneck. Toronto consulate reported difficult with long waits; full processes have taken ~2.5 months end to end. Slots can take several weeks to a couple of months.
Application centre
Mixed. Short-stay Schengen handled largely consulate-direct (Consulate General Toronto and Montreal, Embassy Ottawa), appointments booked directly; BLS International operates Spain visa centres in Canada for certain services/long-stay. Jurisdiction: Toronto covers most provinces; Ottawa the National Capital Region; Montreal covers Quebec and the Atlantic region.
Timeline notes
High-demand case. Appointment wait — not the 15-day statutory processing — is the dominant variable; anecdotal reports cite ~2.5 months total. Operator picture genuinely mixed (consulate-direct for Schengen short-stay, BLS for some services).
Funds to show
high confidenceThe amount you must be able to prove, per the Schengen Borders Code reference amount. It depends only on the destination — not on your nationality or where you apply.
Per day
€122.1
Minimum
€1098.9
In EUR ≈
as shown
Floor
90% of gross national minimum wage (SMI) = EUR 1,098.90 per person, regardless of intended duration of stay (floor); the higher of daily x days or this floor applies
Notes
Order PRE/1282/2007 (10 May 2007). Per day = 10% of gross national minimum wage (SMI) = EUR 122.10, multiplied by number of days AND by number of accompanying dependents. Fixed minimum = 90% of gross SMI = EUR 1,098.90 per person. IMPORTANT: short-stay ENTRY amounts are tied to the SMI (Salario Minimo Interprofesional), NOT IPREM; IPREM is the benchmark for long-stay/residence visas, a separate regime. Amounts revise with the SMI.
Consulates apply discretion and may expect a buffer above this figure — treat it as a floor, not a guarantee.
Funds source ↗⚠ Special cases & caveats
- Carta de InvitacionApplied for by the host in Spain at the Policia Nacional; substitutes for hotel accommodation proof.
- Family members of EU/EEA/Swiss citizensApply under the free EU family-member procedure; may be visa-exempt with a valid family-member residence card.