Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi
Question
Just curious if anyone has applied for the non lucrative Spain visa recently over the past few months in the LA Consulate (or any other consulate) and selected Madrid (or even Barcelona) as their destination in Spain? We applied on June 7th and 8th (family of four) and still have not heard anything and it has been over six weeks. We know of others that have applied in the LA Consulate on the same day as us and even after us that have already been approved, however, their destinations were in cities other than Madrid on the application. Do large cities like Barcelona and Madrid normally take longer for approvals?
Answers
These are the answers of some Facebook group members:
Planning your move to Spain?
Get the free step-by-step roadmap used by 10,000+ expats — covering visas, budget, housing, and the mistakes to avoid.
Start the Moving to Spain Hub →“I don’t think it matters where you say your destination is.”
“I don’t think it has anything to do with it. We applied May 2 for a move to Madrid, and the approval took two weeks. Our consulate was in Germany.”
“What was your estimated date to enter Spain on your application? I was told by an employee that my approval date would be based on that? It definitely was, my approval took 20 days.”
“We got our non lucrative Spain visa through the LA consulate (for Valencia) and it took MONTHS to get the most basic information or contact from them The only thing that worked for us was to copy other consulate email addresses on all communications to get things moving.”
Not sure which city is right for you?
Compare cost of living, weather, expat community size, and lifestyle across 13 Spanish cities in our free guide.
Explore Cities →“Its the central government in Madrid responsible for visa issuing I believe not regional . Meaning where you apply is of no consequence. The embassy takes your info and fowards it there.”
In conclusion, the experiences shared by Spainguru Facebook group members shed light on the timeline variations for non lucrative Spain visa approvals, with some applicants facing longer processing times despite choosing Madrid or Barcelona as their destination. While some suggest that the destination may not be a significant factor, others point out that entry date estimates could influence the approval timeframe. It’s evident that approval times can vary, sometimes taking just a few weeks, while in other cases, it may extend to months. The consensus among members appears to be that the application process can be somewhat unpredictable, with factors beyond the chosen destination potentially affecting processing times. As such, patience and persistence are valuable attributes when navigating the non lucrative Spain visa application journey.
Get your free step-by-step Spain move plan
10 emails over 2 weeks covering visas, budget, housing & the mistakes to avoid.
Join 10,000+ expats who used this roadmap.
100% free · No credit card · Unsubscribe anytime
