Applying for my non lucrative Spain visa at Chicago’s Spanish consulate

Last Updated on March 18, 2026 by Bruno Bianchi

Chicago Consulate – non lucrative Spain visa

I previously wrote about the speed with which things happen at the Chicago consulate regarding the non lucrative Spain visa. I can say that for my experience it was FAST!!

I received my apostilled FBI report after five weeks. I immediately emailed the consulate to request an appointment, thinking I finally had all the documents and translations collected (I didn’t). Got an automated reply that made me look at my email. Grave mistake made – I didn’t put in the information that must be provided in the body of the email. I immediately corrected and sent second email. That was Friday the 9th.

On Tuesday the 13th I received the credentials needed to make an appointment. The only appointments available were for the next day, Wednesday the 14! I booked one.

Sep. 15th 2022 – I had my appointment today (squeaking through on some missing pieces) and all went seemingly well. They really just call you up to the counter and go through all your documents. They also really like it when your documents are in the order of the list on the Chicago Consulate website (I got a smile when I told her they where in the order of their list!)

They gave me a visa enrollment receipt with instructions for how to track the progress of your request. Y ya está! I’m pretty happy!

Update October 20th 2022: Exactly five weeks after my appointment in the Chicago consulate, I received the message ‘Resuelto’ on the page they give you to check the progress of your visa application.

For five weeks it read, ‘En trámite’ and nothing else. I have received no messages from the consulate itself. I checked the tracking number on my SASE and it looks like my visa will arrive tomorrow the 21st or Saturday the 22nd October 2022. So a rather quick turnaround given they can take up to three months.

Update October 21st 2022: It’s official! My non lucrative Spain visa came i the mail, October 21. There has been no communication from the consulate about what the official 90th day is. There are dates on the visa, including February 3rd, but that doesn’t match any of the time periods. I know, I counted the days one by one! For me it doesn’t matter because I’m going to try to leave the week of November 14 2022!

Author: Linda Sparling

Bruno Bianchi CEO & Spain Immigration Expert

Bruno Bianchi is the founder and CEO of Spainguru, Spain's largest expat immigration community with 150,000+ members. Since 2014 he has helped thousands of people relocate to Spain through expert guides, webinars and vetted professional services covering visas, residency, taxes and life in Spain.

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