Spanish tourist visa

[retsbed]

Hi...I have done a quick search but can't find much info..hence the post below....

I am the holder of a south african passport and have indefinite leave to remain but am not married to my british partner. I am off to valencia on 27 Feb for a week. I obviously need to obtain a schengen visa so I called the spanish embassy to set up an appointment to obtain this and the earliest i can get in is the 26 feb - the day before and apparently they dont issue the visas on the same day!!! Does anybody have any advice for me please??
I am aware of third party companies that can get the visa on my behalf (obviously at a hefty price!) but if this is my only option which ones come recommended?

Thanks in advance

[Dawie]

Hi ya

Unfortunately if that's the date they give then that's the date! There's nothing you can do get an earlier appointment.

You can try one of the visa agencies, I've personally used the one below:

http://www.theschengenoffice.com/

I think you'll find though that you have left it way too late, even for a visa agency, to get your visa. Nowadays you need to begin the visa process at least 2 months before your intended date of departure. It's often necessary to wait at least a month just for the appointment, and then a further 2 - 4 weeks (depending on your nationality) for the visa to be processed after the appointment.

Good luck, we've all been there before!

[retsbed]

Thanks for your reply, i guess a third party is the answer.

It's strange how things differ from embassy to embassy - I've used the french embassy twice now and both times I had an appointment within a week and got my visa on the same day...makes you wonder

[Dawie]

I've done my time at the French embassy too, but they are a slick, well-oiled machine compared to the Spanish!

If you ever go in person to the Spanish embassy in London, you will see the worst stereotypes of Spanish bureaucracy in action, from the greasy-haired chain smoking security guard all the way up to the jobsworth, paper-pushing civil servant behind the bullet-proof glass who couldn't give a flying f*ck that you weren't aware that the form had to be filled in with black ink and not blue ink and who is now going to make you fill out the entire form all over again.

I can see why they have such heavy security at these consulates, it's to stop frustrated visa applicants from just walking in there with a machine gun and demolishing the place.

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

Are you travelling to spain together with your partner or on your own?