Spain visa requirements by nationality
Whether you need a visa for Spain depends on the passport you hold. Of the 11 most-checked passports, 3 enter visa-free and 2 need to apply for something in advance. Visa-free stays run to 90 days depending on nationality. Find your passport in the table below for the exact rule, the stay length, the passport validity required, and any arrival registration you have to complete separately.
Spain is one of the 29 countries in the Schengen Area. A short-stay visa issued by any member state normally covers entry, and the days you spend here count towards the 90 in any 180 allowed across the whole area rather than a separate national limit.
Entry rules by passport
Select your nationality for the full answer: stay length, passport validity, pre-registration and how to apply.
| Passport | What you need | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Lithuania | UnconfirmedNo stated limit | — | |
| Germany | UnconfirmedNo stated limit | — | |
| United Kingdom | Visa-freeUp to 90 days | 90 days | |
| United States | Visa-freeUp to 90 days | 90 days | |
| France | UnconfirmedNo stated limit | — | |
| Poland | UnconfirmedNo stated limit | — | |
| Netherlands | UnconfirmedNo stated limit | — | |
| Italy | UnconfirmedNo stated limit | — | |
| Brazil | Visa-freeUp to 90 days | 90 days | |
| India | Visa requiredNo stated limitApply for a India passport | — | Apply for a India passport |
| China | Visa requiredNo stated limitApply for a China passport | — | Apply for a China passport |
“Apply” links go to our partner iVisa. trip1 earns a commission if you apply through one, at no extra cost to you. You can always apply directly with the government instead.
Where to stay in Spain
Featured stays on trip1. Book once you know what you need to get in.
Palacio Gran Via, a Royal Hideaway Hotel
Granada · 5 star
Hotel Palacio de Santa Paula, Autograph Collection
Granada · 5 star
Hospes Palacio de Los Patos, a Member of Design Hotels
Granada · 5 star
Seda Club Hotel
Granada · 5 star
Only You Hotel Malaga
Málaga · 5 star
Vincci Seleccion Posada Del Patio
Málaga · 5 star
Need a Spain visa?
Apply through our partner iVisa. Forms, fees and government submission are handled, with status updates until it is approved.
trip1 earns a commission if you apply through this link. It costs you nothing extra.
What to do next
The part most visa checkers leave out: what actually needs doing before you fly.
Confirm with the official source
Rules change without notice, and only the immigration authority of Spain can tell you where you stand. Search for its official site before you travel.
Check your passport
Passport validity required: 3 months longer than the duration of stay. Renew first if you are close, because this is the most common reason travellers are turned away.
Check the rule for your own passport
What Spain asks for depends on the passport you travel on, and the table above differs from row to row. Open your nationality for the stay length, the validity required and whether anything has to be applied for.
Good to know about Spain
The 180 day window is rolling, not a calendar year. Time spent in any other Schengen country, including a stopover, comes out of the same 90 days, so two short trips to different member states can still take you over.
Arriving from another Schengen country normally means no second passport check, because the border you cross into the area is the one that counts. Member states can reintroduce checks at internal borders for a period, so carry your passport even on a flight inside the area.
Not your passport?
Check any of the 211 nationalities we hold rules for.
Now pick the passport you travel on.
Once you are in Spain
Where trip1 travellers go, and what to read before you book.
Travelling somewhere else?
Check any passport against any destination