Non-lucrative visa document – what does it all mean?

What information does the visa page actually have?

There’s a lot of important information on your visa page, not least a photo showing who it’s been issued to – but what do the other numbers and letters mean?

Valid for: Pretty self-explanatory, this is the country that has issued the visa – España, Spain. This means that your NLV is ONLY valid in Spain, not in the Schengen area as a whole.

Validity dates – From – To:

From – the date the visa was issued – best to enter Spain AFTER this date and get an entry stamp

To/Until – the date the visa expires

You MUST get your visa ratified before that expiry date.

Duration of Stay – 90 days

The visa itself is a 90 day visa – giving you 90 days to get to Spain and get your visa ratified at the National Police. In practice, it can work out that you have either a little less time or a bit more time, depending on the validity dates detailed above.

Type of Visa – Type D – residency visa

Passport Number – the passport number the visa applies to

Number of entries – the number of entries you are allowed into Spain on the visa – most have the word “MULT” meaning multiple, although some visas are single entry visas which means once you’ve entered Spain, you can’t travel outside the country until you have your TIE card.

Issued in – Consulate that issued the visa

On: Date visa was issued at the Consulate

Surname, Name: Surname and First name of person issued with the visa

Observations/Remarks

RESIDENCIA – shows it’s a visa allowing the holder to live in Spain (i.e. not a tourist)

NIE: The NIE number that relates to the person and the visa

9-letter alphanumeric code – for Immigration reference

What do you do if it’s not correct?

The second you receive your visa, you MUST check the information on it is correct– spelling of names, NIE number if you have one previously, dates of issue and expiry.

If there’s any kind of error, here’s what you’ll need to do, depending on the circumstances:

First and foremost, if you are an Upsticks client and you are having any issues at all, let us know straight away. We can advise you about the next steps and help if needed.

Collecting in person from the Consulate – tell the Consular staff immediately.

Visas arrive in the post – contact the Consulate by email, using the password/login for your visa appointment if you still have it.

You’ll need to be prepared to either go back to the Consulate in person to collect the corrected visa, or wait for the new one to be posted out to you.

Frequently asked questions:

I’ve received my passport back but it doesn’t look like my visa is inside; where is it?

Check ALL the pages of your passport – the visa isn’t always inserted on the most obvious page.

If, after checking, the visa is not inside your passport, see the advice above about reporting a problem with your visa.

I’ve had an email saying my visa has been approved but my passport hasn’t arrived, even though I left a tracked envelope – what should I do?

It’s really hard to say how long it will take for your passports to arrive – sometimes it’s days, other times we’ve had clients waiting weeks.

If you’ve not received your visa within 10 working days of a notification, try these steps:

Check the consignment number via the Royal Mail tracking service – if it’s in transit, there should be either a delivery date or more information about how to follow it up.

Email the Consulate, include your Expediente Number from your visa application and passport number

If all else fails, it may be worth travelling back to the Consulate to make enquiries – be prepared to be insistent about gaining entry and have all your documents with you..