Spain pick new visa company

SOUTH African travellers
to Spain (including the
Balearic and Canary
Islands) must now
apply for a Spanish
Schengen visa through
BLS International.
As of December 17,
VFS Global stopped
processing applications
on behalf of the
Embassy of Spain.
The following changes
have also been made to
visa fees. The Schengen
short-stay visa is now
R871 as opposed to
R1 057, and a visa
for children between
the ages of six and 12
will now cost R508 as
opposed to R616.
Applicants will be
charged a service
fee of R224 by BLS
International.
According to the
Consulate General of
Spain in Cape Town,
none of the required
documentation has
changed.
To apply for a visa,
applicants must
download and fill in
a form on the BLS
International Spanish
Visa Application
Centre’s website.
Applicants will also need
to make an appointment
via the website at the
BLS centres in Pretoria
or Cape Town in order to
capture biometrics.
BLS International says
the processing time
for a visa is between
five and 10 days and
that applications must
be submitted at least
15 days before the
intended date of
travel.