Applying for Spain's Digital Nomad Visa from London

BLS International is a commercial outsourced visa application centre — it is not part of the Spanish government. Spain contracts BLS to receive, process, and forward UK-based visa applications to the Spanish Consulate General in London, which makes the actual decision. BLS collects your documents, takes your biometrics if required, collects fees, and forwards the package to the Consulate. BLS has no authority to approve or refuse your visa — that decision rests entirely with the Spanish Consulate.

BLS International in London accepts and processes Spain visa applications on behalf of the Spanish Consulate General in London. You book an appointment online at blsspain-uk.com, attend in person at the Cromwell Road area centre, submit your documents, and pay the BLS service fee plus any applicable government tasas. BLS then forwards your application to the Spanish Consulate for a decision. Processing typically takes 4–8 weeks from submission.

On your appointment day, you attend the BLS Kensington centre with your full document pack. BLS staff check that you have all required documents, take copies, may take your biometric details (fingerprints and photograph), and collect the BLS service fee and any applicable government tasa. Your passport is typically retained by BLS during processing. You are given a receipt and tracking reference. The whole appointment typically takes 20–40 minutes. You do not meet with anyone from the Spanish Consulate — that contact happens behind the scenes.

For a DNV application at BLS London, you will typically need: your valid passport (plus a copy of the photo page), completed EX-20 application form, 3–6 months of payslips and bank statements showing income of at least €2,849/month, employment contract or client agreements, ACRO criminal record certificate with FCDO apostille, Spain-approved private health insurance certificate, proof of accommodation in Spain, and passport photographs. We prepare the full document pack for you — your case manager provides a finalised checklist specific to your situation.

Yes. BLS provides an application tracking reference at the time of your appointment. You can use this to check the status of your application online at blsspain-uk.com. The typical statuses are: received, forwarded to the Consulate, under review, and decision returned. Tracking updates can be infrequent — there may be long periods with no change. If you apply via UGE through My Spanish DNV, you track your case through our secure online dashboard, which provides regular case updates from your case manager.

Yes, significantly. The UGE route — where you fly to Spain, enter visa-free, and apply from within Spain — typically produces a decision in approximately 20 working days. BLS London takes 4–8 weeks from submission, plus the time needed to book and attend your appointment. For most London applicants who are able to travel to Spain, we recommend the UGE route.

When you count the total time from starting your case to holding your residence permit, UGE is faster in almost all situations. BLS route: prepare documents (3–6 weeks), book BLS appointment (which can have a waiting period), attend BLS (1 day), wait for Consulate decision (4–8 weeks), then travel to Spain and complete the conversion to a 3-year permit (additional weeks). UGE route: prepare documents (3–6 weeks), fly to Spain, submit the application, wait approximately 20 working days, receive your 3-year permit. Total UGE time from starting your case is typically 6–10 weeks. BLS total time is often 3–6 months or more before you hold your permit.

UK applicants need a criminal record certificate for overseas purposes from the ACRO Criminal Records Office (acro.police.uk). This must be apostilled by the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office). Allow 2–6 weeks for ACRO processing and additional time for the FCDO apostille. Start this process as early as possible — it is often the longest lead-time document.

Yes. BLS International charges a separate service fee for processing your visa application. This is in addition to the Spanish government application fee (tasa). If you apply via UGE through My Spanish DNV, the government tasa is included in our Stage 2 payment — you do not pay it separately. For BLS route applications, both the BLS fee and the tasa are paid separately by the client.

Yes. Spain's Digital Nomad Visa is a national permit — it is not tied to any particular Spanish city or region. When applying via BLS London (which represents the Spanish Consulate General in London), your approval grants you the right to live anywhere in Spain. Popular choices for London-based applicants making the move include Málaga (2.5 hours by air, strong British expat community, lower cost of living), Barcelona (2.5 hours, cosmopolitan, strong tech scene), Madrid (2.5 hours, excellent transport links), and Valencia (2.5 hours, beach city with lower costs than Barcelona).