This article features a first-hand Spain Non Lucrative Visa experience at the San Francisco consulate.
“Yesterday Monday March 31, I had my appointment with BLS San Francisco. To start they have signs everywhere stating they will not take any application if it has a missing document. I applied for the Spain Non Lucrative Visa with my daughter (Marshallese) and myself (Canadian).
My American husband will be staying to work in the US and is 100% supporting us financially while in Spain. The lady almost died when she saw how much the NLV is for Canadians ($772), Marshallese was $105, both paid via money order.
I was a bit stressed with us all having different passports but it wasn’t a concern at all. Because we get free notarization, we basically notarized everything that wasn’t apostilled.
With so many changes and requirements being posted by members here, this is some of the things I supplied based on what I have recently read:
My application:
- apostilled/officially translated FBI background check
- apostilled/officially translated marriage license
- 3 months of joint bank statements (they had NO stamp but I had the first page officially translated) – notarized
- Letter not to work, plus a printout from the IRS showing I have never worked in the US – translated by chatgpt – notarized
- Letter of intent on why we wanted to move there – translated by chatgpt – notarized
- Letter from my husband stating that he would financially support us – translated by chatgpt – notarized
- 3 years of husband’s tax returns (used Spanish link on IRS) – notarized
- Medical form – doctor used address stamp (make sure it says MD by their name)
My daughter’s application (12 yrs):
- Apostilled/official translations of birth certificate
- Letter from husband that gave me permission to take my daughter to Spain and to live there – translated by chatGPT – notarized
- Copy of my husband’s passport – notarized
I didn’t ask many questions because I was so distraught when she asked me for number 2 and 3 for my daughter’s application. Nowhere did it say I needed this, and we thought the letter from my husband in my application was enough. I flew in from Vegas, so it is not like I could just go get it.
After almost having a breakdown, she went through all our applications to make sure we were not missing anything else. Then she stated I could drop off the 2 missing documents the next morning.
Luckily my husband is a pilot and jumped on the next flight with said notarized documents and dropped them off this morning at 8am.
Services we used:
- Monument to facilitate the FBI apostille – 10 day turnaround
- Alba Fernandez for official translations – super fast delivery
- Health Insurance – Carlos Blanco
And now we wait! Thank you to everyone here who answered so many of my questions.”
Questions and Answers
These are the Questions and answers of the Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
Q1: “When you say that you ‘used Spanish link on IRS’, were you able to get your husband’s tax returns in Spanish?”
A1: “Someone posted on here how to do it.”
Q2: “When you say you notarized everything, did you have to use a bilingual (English and Spanish) notary? How was this free?”
A2: “The military bases offer free notaries, so we had it done at the local air base. It was in English.”
Q3: “Seems like they didn’t ask for proof of enrollment for daughter’s school or proof of accommodation. Recently, for families applying, the proof of school enrollment is required at different BLS locations.”
A3: “Both have never been a requirement for the San Francisco BLS. Hopefully it stays that way. I do have the school sorted, so can supply it if needed.”
Comments
“You are so smart to translate the letters by using chatgpt. Thank you for sharing!”
“$772 must be US because in Canadian it’s $1085.”
“Thank you for this detailed walk-through!!”
“Just commented to say hi, from one Faith to another 😊”
Conclusion
This first-hand account of applying for the Spain Non Lucrative Visa at the San Francisco BLS center provides valuable insight into the process—especially for families with mixed nationalities. Key takeaways include:
- San Francisco BLS is strict about missing documents but may allow a 24-hour grace period.
- Notarization is helpful even when apostilles aren’t explicitly required.
- Some documents like proof of school enrollment and accommodation were not requested in this case—highlighting how requirements can vary by consulate.
- Free notary services available through military bases can be a huge help.
- Using AI tools like ChatGPT for translation (followed by notarization) proved to be a practical and accepted solution for certain documents.
Disclaimer
This article is based on personal experiences shared by a community member and is not legal advice. Visa requirements and consulate policies may vary—always consult official sources or a legal expert.
