Australians Travelling to Spain

[Kyo]

There's no 'Visa' section so...

Situation:

Traveller holding Australian citizenship (and travelling on Australian passport) visits Spain for tourism purposes.

Dilemma:

Company travel agent advises that there's no need to get a visa, it's simply not required

Other sources say a 'carta de invitacion' (invitation card?) needs to be obtained at a police station (which presume is in Spain)

Yet other sources say that a visa must be obtained prior to travel to Spain.


Spanish embassy refuses to answer their telephone!


To make things complicated: Traveller is travelling through Bangkok-Munich. Presumably a stopover in Munich should allow a Schengen visa to be obtained by said traveller, should it not?


What is the right answer to the question? Any Australians who've been to Spain are particularly encouraged to reply

And yes, the traveller is me, myself and I...

[kpc]

No visa required for Australian passport holders Travelled into Spain twice in Nov 2009.

[Kyo]

May I inquire, what it's like at immigration upon your arrival? Do they give you a Schengen visa upon arrival?

[kpc]

May I inquire, what it's like at immigration upon your arrival? Do they give you a Schengen visa upon arrival?

First time arrival in Spain (from Australia): Visa 3 months IIRC.
Second time arrival in Spain (from France): no passport check! Given 3 month Visa on arrival into France (presumably a Schengen Visa) from Morocco.

I expect you will get your Schengen visa on arrival in Munich with no passport check when you arrive in Spain.

[sqdazz]

use this link...
http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airl...alth/global/en

If you have proof of accommodation, adequate funds etc, Australian's don't need a pre approved schengen visa, you get an entry stamp in the first schengen country you arrive in.

max stay is 90 days in a 6 month period.

[Pinkfloyd]

First time arrival in Spain (from Australia): Visa 3 months IIRC.
Second time arrival in Spain (from France): no passport check! Given 3 month Visa on arrival into France (presumably a Schengen Visa) from Morocco.

I expect you will get your Schengen visa on arrival in Munich with no passport check when you arrive in Spain.

No visas required since Spain is part of Schengen and Aussise passport holders will be given a 3 month stamp at the first entry point into a Schengen country, and can travel freely around Schengen.

kpc, the second time you entered Spain from France, there were no passport checks / control as you were travelling inter-Schengen.

[Kyo]

Thanks for all the helpful responses. I guess in lieur of a 'carta da invitacion' by the police (!), an accommodation receipt is sufficient (which I have). Feeling much more relieved now, and it saves me a trip to Suntec early tomorrow morning, cheers all...

[jhm]

Given that Spain is part of the Schengen area and you can (as I've done so before) drive from France to Spain without even stopping your car at the border, I'd be surprised if there is any more red tape with Spain compared to (say) France.

[Kyo]

Last time I was flying LHR - CDG, and upon arrival in CDG the immigration officer didn't stamp anything, then subsequently upon my further inquiry said: "Why would you like a stamp? You don't need it, really"

Taken aback, I agreed and didn't stamp my passport.

Subsequently, I flew CDG-ARN // ARN-IST-ARN and upon arrival back to ARN (to start ARN-LHR-SIN), immigration asked why I had a return ticket to ARN (but no Schengen visa)... when I mentioned CDG was my entry point, the office *groaned* and said something to the effect of "those (French) guys always can't be bothered..."

This time around, however, my entry point will be MUC. If it's anything like FRA (I just waltzed right through and there was no immigration even coming in from OSL), then this should be a walk in the park. Fingers crossed.

[AsiaCommuter]

Other sources say a 'carta de invitacion' (invitation card?) needs to be obtained at a police station (which presume is in Spain)

Yet other sources say that a visa must be obtained prior to travel to Spain.

Spanish embassy refuses to answer their telephone!

....bienvenido a Espaņa (welcome to spain), sorry I just could not resist commenting after your so true words.

Don't ge me wrong I love spain, lived here many years, but this place drives you crazy, they could not make it more inefficient
Lots of rules and confusion over processes, but the reality is these guys may well be taking coffee or a smoke when you arrive at passport control.

PS. at the time the SQ flight arrives in the morning, if you are in the sharp end of the plane you will be at passport control very quickly, there is never a queue at this time. However you will probably wait a long time for the baggage monkeys (so you lose what you gain). Every week its very slow, always at least 25 minutes wait regardless of priority. Last weeks these guys left my check in luggage on the truck when they delivered to the terminal (then they did go and take coffee, ground handling agents had to call them back).

I love Changi baggage handling always so quick

Good luck

[jhm]

Maņana maņana!

[Pinkfloyd]

Last time I was flying LHR - CDG, and upon arrival in CDG the immigration officer didn't stamp anything, then subsequently upon my further inquiry said: "Why would you like a stamp? You don't need it, really"

Taken aback, I agreed and didn't stamp my passport.

Subsequently, I flew CDG-ARN // ARN-IST-ARN and upon arrival back to ARN (to start ARN-LHR-SIN), immigration asked why I had a return ticket to ARN (but no Schengen visa)... when I mentioned CDG was my entry point, the office *groaned* and said something to the effect of "those (French) guys always can't be bothered..."

This time around, however, my entry point will be MUC. If it's anything like FRA (I just waltzed right through and there was no immigration even coming in from OSL), then this should be a walk in the park. Fingers crossed.

If you do not hold a Schengen work or residence visa (or a visa from a non-Schengen but EU country, such as the UK) then you will be asked to show proof that you will be leaving the region (return air ticket, etc.). Generally a print out of your eticket back to Singapore, Australia, etc. should suffice.

[kapitan]

Spainish immigration?? do they exist?? I got off at Gibralter and need to go Malaga by road, walked across the border without any stamp on passport.

I get onboard a ship in Belgium and get off at a Spanish port, without any official looking at whether I am allowed in or not.... at another Spanish port, they are not sure.... and sometimes I fly into Spain, get out of Spain on a ship, no one bothers... unlike many other EU ports... I hold a Singapore passport.

[Kiwi]

Spainish immigration?? do they exist?? I got off at Gibralter and need to go Malaga by road, walked across the border without any stamp on passport.

I get onboard a ship in Belgium and get off at a Spanish port, without any official looking at whether I am allowed in or not.... at another Spanish port, they are not sure.... and sometimes I fly into Spain, get out of Spain on a ship, no one bothers... unlike many other EU ports... I hold a Singapore passport.

Gibraltar is a special case. Since Spain claims it is/should be Spanish territory they are hardly likely to stamp you into (the rest of) Spain, are they?

Both Belgium and Spain are in Schengen thus no border control when travelling between them.

[KC*]

At my last visit to Barcelona, I breezed thru immigration with my S'pore passport. No questions asked. No request for any proof of anything - reservations in hotels, next flight etc. Nothing. So I can't immagine Aussies being treated otherwise.

The baggage part was slow, as AsiaCommuter pointed out. Very slow.