Visa Process 

Núria (nuriabe@bfischool.org) will proactively support you through all questions regarding the Visa process. She works in conjunction with Sergi Baro of Navaro, Bonet & Associates. However, you are the most important person in the process. Immigration rules are very strict in Spain. 

1. First, contact the Spanish embassy/consulate of your current location to find out what exact documents you need to provide for your specific visas and family circumstances:  (it is IMPORTANT that they do not get confused about the required visa).  Click below for information if you have a spouse.

   • Your Visa for working at BFIS has to be a WORK‐ PERMIT EXEMPTION AND RESIDENCE VISA

   • In Spanish: VISADO DE EXCEPCIÓN DE LA AUTORIZACIÓN DE TRABAJO 

2. Nuria will send you all of the necessary paperwork to complete to make your application in person at the Embassy.  Get this ready. 

3. Gather all the necessary original documents that will most likely need to be issued no more than three months before visa processing. However, the visa can often not be processed 3 months before entry to Spain.

These are the documents you may have to get. Many will need to be Apostilled (Apostilla de la Have/Apostille of the Hague ) and also translated by an official translator authorized by the embassy that you are using (traductor jurado).  Documents may not just require simple one step Apostille as they may not be recognized for Apostille unless they go through an extra step. For example Canada is not part of the Apostille of the Hague agreement countries. Because of this, Canadian documents need to have an extra authorization step and must go through a Canadian Spanish Embassy to achieve authorization).

• Background Checks from everywhere you have lived in the past 5 years.

• Children´s Birth Certificates

• Marriage Certificate

• Registration and de-registration documentation/proof for the countries you have lived in for the past 5 years.

You may need to gather these documents with date stamps no more than 6 months before your entry to Spain. Therefore, it can be an intense time for gathering documents and having them Apostilled.  

4. Make an appointment at the embassy three months before your entry to Spain.

5. Have your embassy appointment where you present documents and application paperwork. You will obtain a Visa Enrollment Receipt. for each of you applying. This says that your visa is in process. Send this to Nuria. 

6. When notified travel back to the embassy to  pick up your visa which will be added to a page in your passport.

7. If travelling over land retain proof of your travel itinerary and entry date to the country. 

The documents that may take the longest to get are the criminal background check report, which is requested for all the locations you have been for the last 5 years.  

BFIS will reimburse costs (up to 600€ per employee and his/her legal dependent/s), associated with obtaining a Spanish residence/work visa for the Foreign-Hired Lead Teacher. For reimbursements, receipts must be provided to HR. Please keep your receipts and submit them on arrival to School.