This firsthand Spain Non Lucrative Visa experience at the Miami consulate offers valuable insight into the appointment process and required documentation.
“BLS Miami Appointment October 1st 2025:
Stayed at Hampton Inn, 1.4 miles and 9 minutes driving time away. Parked on street using ParkMobile app but saw a parking garage on the back of the building that is cash only.
Elevator to 6th floor; sign in lobby hallway shows consulate services in suite 611. Only 6 chairs in the waiting room so not enough for all the people with 8 am and 8:30 am appointments. Security arrived at 8:04. At 8:09 they called for people with 8 AM appointments. Bathrooms are locked upstairs; my husband went back to the lobby to use the facilities there; he had to get a key from the security to use them.
He told the 6th floor security guard that we had appts at 8:30 and 9 but were married and the guard said it was fine and that we didn’t need 2 appointments. He took us down the hall and had us sit in a second waiting room with 18 folding chairs, took my husband’s passport (his was the 8:30) and told us they’d call us up by name.
The room has glass walls on the right side with people and desks behind them like at the DMV or tax collectors office, not separate cubicles. You will stand at the counter in front of a small opening in the glass and interact with the staffer; there’s no privacy.
Everyone else was applying for a Schengen visa and there was a laminated handout provided to help people put their papers in the right order. There is no such list for the NLV. We provided all documents listed on the website and they also asked for our 2024 tax return (we provided in Spanish), 12 months of bank statements, and copies of our drivers licenses. We had also provided a notarized/translated letter listing our bank accounts with the required monthly average balance since that was not included in the documents provided by our banks.
She took our documents and told us to have a seat while they were reviewed. The staffers are either very soft-spoken or the glass between them and applicants reduces their volume, so listen carefully. At 8:37 we went to the window, submitted all documents and returned to the seats at 8:50. We did have to submit each person’s documents separately.
After a 20-minute wait we were called back to the counter, were charged $341 via debit card, and my husband had to fill out a form with his name, date and signature (even though the form asked for application # and passport #) and told to have a seat again until called for our pictures.
15 minutes later they took our photos and gave us the receipts to pick up visas between 3 & 4 pm. We were finished by 9:30 am. Now we wait!
(Helpline listed on the glass is 786-329-7199 if anyone needs that.)”
Questions and Answers
Q1: “Did you receive the visa already? Did they keep your passports?”
A1: “No, and yes.”
Q2: “Do you bring all documentation to the appointment, or is some submitted beforehand?”
A2: “You bring your documentation to the appointment.”
Q3: “If not retired, does Spain require cash savings instead of investments? And can you work remotely on the NLV?”
A3: “Investments do count if you can access the funds. You cannot work anywhere if on the NLV.”
Q4: “Did they only ask for your husband’s passport?”
A4:
“No, they needed both; his was taken first because his appointment time was first.”
Another member added: “You must provide everyone’s passport applying for the NLV, whether you have one or two appointments.”
Q5: “Is one appointment enough for a married couple?”
A5:
“A security guard allowed us to enter with just one appointment, but when booking online, only individual appointments were available.”
Another member noted that although BLS may allow multiple applicants with one appointment, this is not guaranteed.
Comments
- “We used Miami as well, also live in Atlanta. Submitted paperwork April 30th and received approval in 14 days.”
- “Miami often operates like this. Letting you attend when you booked the wrong appointment type was very kind of them.”
- “Good luck if you only made one appointment. They may allow it, but they don’t have to.”
- “This description helps visualize the process — especially the long paper files applicants bring.”
- “The laminated list posted is for Schengen visas only, not for the NLV.”
- “We flew from Atlanta, stayed near the airport, and had a similar experience. Received the ‘Processed’ text about two weeks later.”
Conclusion
Applying for the Spain Non Lucrative Visa at the Miami BLS office can feel confusing, especially due to limited instructions, no official NLV document checklist on-site, and inconsistent appointment rules.
Applicants should bring every required document listed on the consulate website plus additional supporting evidence such as tax returns, 12 months of bank statements, and identification copies.
Be prepared for a busy waiting room, minimal privacy, and soft-spoken staff behind glass partitions. While some applicants may be allowed to share one appointment, this is not guaranteed, so booking separate appointments remains the safest approach. With thorough preparation and patience, the process is manageable, and many applicants report receiving approvals in just a few weeks.
