CONTINUED FROM HOW TO GET A SPANISH STUDENT VISA FROM INDIA - PART 1

Now that that process is a bit clearer, may I present an extensive list of all the documents you will definitely or possibly need for the Spain Student Visa Application when applying from India. Here goes:

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1. One Schengen Visa application form filled in with blue ball point pen. Write N/A wherever you?re leaving a blank space (As of 2011, India doesn?t have National Identity Numbers assigned to citizens. Check if that?s still the case, and if it is, write N/A in that slot as well).

2. THREE photocopies of the above filled out form with a photograph pasted on each. The IVS site says ONE. Lies. Take three or they?ll send you back to get more copies, preferably done by hand.

3. A Passport which is valid for at least three months till AFTER the end of your stay in Spain. And it must be less than 10 years old. Also it must have two blank pages where they can put the pretty ?Espa?a Visado? stamp.

4.  One photocopy of all the pages of your passport, including the blank ones (Even if they?re ALL blank ones. Give them ten empty sheets. Just don?t argue).

5. A Bank Draft drawn in favour of the ?Embassy of Spain? for the amount Rs 3,889/- (This amount held true as of August, 2011, but it may have changed so check the IVS Visa Application website [www.ivs-spainvisa.com] website to make sure).

6. Your official letter of acceptance from whichever University you?re going to. The IVS website says that if the Univeristy has a code number (if any)

?assigned by the ?Registro nacional de universidades, centros y ense?anzas? or by the ?Registro estatal de centros docentes no universitarios?, (both run by the Ministry of Education and Science), or to the investigation centres as such recognized by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce or by the Ministry of Education and Science,?

then it must be included in this letter.. However, the operative words here are ?if any?. My letter didn?t have it, and so if yours doesn?t, don?t run around in circles, screaming, like I did trying to find it and get it included.

7. An English/ Spanish translation from whichever language the above letter is in. My original letter was in Spanish, so I used Google translate to get the English gist, cleaned up the grammar and attached it to the original. If you need it translated to Spanish and don?t speak the language, then get it done officially from a Spanish centre (Like Cervantes/ Insituto Hispania in New Delhi), or cleverly find someone benevolent who speaks Spanish and request them/ bribe them/ coerce them into doing it.

8. The original letter from the University that outlines your course details. I used the document that my university had sent me to present on my first day of class (including class hours, subjects and dates) and it doubled up acceptably.

9. A translation of the above (See point 7).

10. A photocopy of your last University degree. If you haven?t yet graduated and so, don?t have a degree in hand, either obtain a provisional degree from your current school/ university, or show however many years? Marksheets you do have. I, for example, showed my:
?  1st and 2nd year bachelor degree Marksheets, and (just to be on the safe side)
?  my 10th and 12th CBSE Marksheets too.

So these are the documents that are fairly easy to obtain. Now?s the list of what was slightly tricky for me, made more so by the fact that I had no idea if what I was putting together would suffice. Here it is:

11. Sufficient proof of financial means. So you need to prove to the embassy that you?re financially secure enough to fund your academic and living expenses for the duration of your stay, and won?t be pick-pocketing the Spanish elite to make ends meet.

It?s preferable that you show Bank Statements. Even though I?d given copies of mutual and provident funds, which proved financial standing to a much greater degree, the embassy asked me to give in my last 6 months? bank statements as well, and that delayed the entire process by 2 weeks. So just add them the first time along with whatever else you?re handing in as proof.

You?ll also need:

?  A Signed, Notarized (from any local court, just go up and say you need a letter notarized, they?ll know what to do) letter from whoever is funding you (parents/ relatives) saying that they will fund your tuition fee, living and accommodation expenses and cover any emergency costs that may crop up.
?  Photocopies of your financers? passports.

If you?ve taken a loan to cover these expenses/ are going on scholarship, then provide all the requisite documents that show coverage amount, duration, conditions etc.

12. Evidence of accommodation. If you?ve booked your whole stay in advance, and have the proof in hand, then that?s fantastic.

However, like a lot of students, you may be hoping to arrive in Spain, take a look around at the apartments/ residences, and THEN book them, rather than pre-book your entire years accommodation. I reserved a hostel room for my first 2 weeks in Spain (this is a good idea even apart from the fact that you need proof for your visa, as there are a ton of options you?ll have in person rather than the more expensive, limited listings showed to you online).

Then I gave:

?  my confirmation e-mail from the hostel,
?  a printout of my booking form and
?  Another signed, NOTARISED letter from my parents (my financers) saying that they would cover my accommodation charges to the tune of 500 Euros per month.
?  A copy of my parents? passports.

This should serve as sufficient evidence of accommodation.

CONTINUED IN ?HOW TO GET A SPANISH STUDENT VISA FROM INDIA - PART 3?