Spain family-visit visa from India: the official document checklist, decoded

The checklist, as published

Condensed from the official document linked above; wording is the mission's, shortened. Where the mission names an official form it is listed under "Forms". Always download the current version from the source link on the day you apply.

1. Application form: official computerized form, every section filled, signed in blue ink; a parent signs for a minor.
2. Photograph: recent passport-size colour, light background, facing forward, no dark/reflective glasses or garments concealing the face oval.
3. Valid passport: valid at least 6 months beyond planned Schengen departure, 2 blank pages, issued within last 10 years.
4. Photocopy of biometric data pages, previous visas from different countries and migration stamps of current and last passport.
5. Front page of travel medical insurance: repatriation/death, urgent healthcare, emergency hospital, entire stay, all Schengen, min EUR 30,000.
6. Payment of the visa fee.
7. Details of the trip: cover letter (purpose of the visit); roundtrip flight bookings.
8. Invitation letter from the resident in Spain issued by the Spanish national police (in place of hotel accommodation).
9. Evidence of economic means: original stamped and signed bank statements of applicant and sponsor (if any) for last 3 months.
10. Sponsor: original signed letter detailing concepts/amount to be covered plus proof of the sponsor's relationship with the applicant.
11. ITR-V or Form 16 last two years (applicant and sponsor); salary slips last three months if available; self-attested PAN copy.
12. Proof of residence in consular district: recent (max 6 months) utility bills with name and address, lease or house deed.
13. Under 18 without both parents: form signed by both parents/guardians, notarized authorization letter, self-attested passport copies of both.

Forms named by the mission

• Invitation letter (carta de invitacion) for the visitor issued by the Spanish national police to the resident in Spain
• Official computerized Schengen visa application form (BLS: online-filled printout only, signed in blue pen)

Notes the mission attaches

• No separate family/friends checklist exists; the general list applies with the police-issued invitation letter replacing hotel proof and the sponsor letter added.
• Family members of EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are a different category (gratis fee, separate page).
• Mumbai consulate page carries identical 7.1/7.2 wording with passport validity of 3 months beyond departure.

What each item is for

Every Schengen checklist is Article 14(1) of the Visa Code made specific: (a) purpose of the journey, (b) accommodation, (c) means of subsistence for the stay and the return, (d) information enabling an assessment of your intention to leave before the visa expires. Read the list above with those four heads in mind: bookings and invitations answer (a) and (b); bank statements, salary slips and tax returns answer (c); employment, business, family and property papers answer (d). Our documents guide explains each head, and the cover-letter guide shows how to make them agree.

For a family or friends visit the host's documents carry the weight: proof of the host's status in Spain, the relationship, and, where the mission uses one, its own hospitality or sponsorship form. A missing or informal invitation is the classic route to ground 2 or 10 on the refusal form.

Processing time, as stated by the mission

"The legal period for reaching a decision is of 15 calendar days as of the day after the application submission date, but this period may be extended to 45 calendar days if an interview or additional documents are requested. Visa applications must be submitted between 6 months and 15 days before the scheduled date of travel." (source) The Visa Code sets 15 calendar days from an admissible application, extendable to 45 (Article 23).

Fee, as stated by the mission

"BLS India short-term visa page (2026-08-17): Tourist, Business, Airport Transit and Seamen Transit visa INR 9,599; children 6 to 12 years INR 4,799; BLS International service charge INR 1,802 (inclusive of 18% GST); children under 6 exempt from the service charge; the visa fee in rupees follows the current exchange rate and is subject to change without notice." (source) The euro amounts are fixed by Article 16: EUR 90 adults, EUR 45 children six to eleven, free under six.

Spain's record for applications lodged in India

In 2025 Spain decided 90,720 applications lodged in India and refused 15.2% (all-India average 15.7%); 16.1% of visas issued were multiple-entry. Its consulates: Chennai, Mumbai (11.6%), New Delhi (19.8%). Which one handles you depends on your state of residence: see the Spain country page.