Question
Today we kept our appointment for our Spanish Non Lucrative Visa in Miami. The only surprise was that they want 12 months of bank statements. We’re home now and I just printed them out. I’ll run them by the consulate on Monday.
A surprise for us was that our appointment was to be at 250 Catalonia Avenue in Coral Gables. We got there and it was an empty office which was being remodeled. We called the BLS office and they told us, “No, it’s at 3191 Coral Way…”.
Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
“This is one of those situations where using the Spanish version of the website helps. It’s clearly spelled out there about the bank statements while the English version says nothing about it.”
“This was the case of two separate and distinct websites. One being the Spanish consulate (never said anything about it) and Two, the BLS appointment website where it is listed.”
“We went to Manchester they only wanted 6 months visa. Arrived 2 weeks after appointment. Arrived in Spain yesterday”
“Officially stamped bank statement or just print out?” – Answer: “Just print out.”
“The branch printed them stamped and initialed them better safe than sorry”
“I had to go back and do bank statements again as they were not officially stamped. I think it’s all to do with who deals with it on the day. Nothing is the same for one person to another”
“I went overboard with everything, they didn’t want half of it, I think that’s why we got visas in 2 weeks”
“Same here only need 6 months in the UK”
“Sorry for all the questions, but yesterday was the first day that BLS took over the process for the Spanish non lucrative visa. Did they know what to do or were they a little lost?”
“We were handled expediently, they weren’t confused about what to do. We went with multiple copies of everything that was asked for on the consulate’s website.”
Conclusion
The process of applying for a Spanish Non Lucrative Visa (NLV) can vary significantly depending on the consulate and specific circumstances of the applicant.
Key takeaways include the importance of reviewing both the Spanish and English versions of consulate websites (Such was also reported by applicants at the New York City consulate), preparing documents meticulously, and considering the use of a legal or immigration experts service for assistance.
Additionally, the experience highlights the practicality of having redundancies in documentation and the potential for confusion with consulate locations and requirements.
As policies and procedures evolve, especially with new entities like BLS handling visa applications, clear communication and thorough preparation remain essential to navigating the application process successfully.
