Citizens of the European Union are not required to get a visa for Spain since they already have the right to residency. In order to officially remain resident in Spain you are meant to apply for a NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) and a residency card (Tarjeta de Residence Comunitario).
Non-EU citizens visiting Spain need a visa (visado) in order to enter and visit Spain, unless there exists a special agreement between Spain and your home country; these countries are those of North & South America in addition to:
Andorra, Australia, Brunei, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Gibraltar, Grenada, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia and Switzerland.
If you are one of these nationalities, you can enter Spain without a visa and stay for up to 90 days in any 6-month period.
Non-EU citizens coming to work, study or live in Spain: are required to obtain a visa - note that this also includes non-EU spouses and dependents. Even if you are not required to have get a visa, in order to officially stay resident in Spain everyone needs to apply for a NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero) and a residency card (Tarjeta de Residente Comunitario).
For any visa application for Spain, expect to require the following documents, plus those specifically as noted for each individual type of visa for Spain.
To apply for your visa the following requirements must be submitted in person:
Passport valid for a minimum of six months and three photocopies of the personal information and photo page.
4 recent pictures, passport size.
Original marriage certificate *.
Original certificate of good conduct issued by the police department of the city or cities where the applicant has spent 6 months or more in the last 5 years, with a translation into Spanish .
Original medical certificate typed on doctor’s stationary verifying that the applicant is free from the following quarantine diseases: yellow fever, cholera, and the plague. The certificate must also certify that the applicant is free of drug addictions and mental illness, with a translation into Spanish .
Original Medical Insurance that will cover you in Spain.
It is also necessary to submit two (2) photocopies of all the documents.
