AU PAIR VISA

An applicant will be considered an “Au Pair” when there is a collaborative relation, and not a working relation, with the family, characterized by the following:

The Au Pair will have the same address as the family with which he/she will live.
Services or housework will only be complimentary to the main purpose, the stay for studies.
The Au Pair will not receive a salary for his/her services. Only food, accommodation or a compensation for expenses.

The applicant must be between 17 and 30 years of age.

U.S. citizens (or any other nationality that does not require a visa to enter Spain) who travel for less than 90 days do not need to apply for this visa.

Applicants can apply at BLS HOUSTON OFFICE if they are permanent residents or attends any university / college of Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.

Visa applications must be submitted well in advance of the start of the relevant study programme, as the procedure involves consultations with other authorities. Incomplete applications are not accepted.

Forms of submission of documents:

All applications for student visas (students and family members, language assistants, au pairs, volunteers, etc.), must be submitted in person or by postal mail at BLS Visa Service for Spain.
BLS - Spain Visa Application Center, Houston National Visa Department
2500 West Loop South, suite 350, Houston Texas, 77027.

The presentation may be made by the applicant or through a duly accredited representative, for which the notarized form may be used. See Download Forms section.

Applicants can collect their passports directly at our office or we can mail back their documents using our courier service which has an additional fee paid at the moment of the application. (please see the fees section)

The Revised visa fee and BLS service charge are as follows:

Visa Fee Depending of Citizenship	Amount in USD
US Nationals	160
Australia Nationals	476
UK Nationals
Stay shorter than 180 days (UK Nationals)	88
Stay longer than 180 days (UK Nationals)	214
Canada Nationals	92
Bangladesh Nationals	99
Mauritania Nationals	263
Other Nationals	88
NOTE: In order to apply for the visa, it is MANDATORY to also pay the following BLS services fees (If they are not paid, your visa will not be processed):
Additional Fee	Amount in USD
BLS service charge	18
SMS Fee	5
Postal delivery service	35

Please prepare the money order in the name of "Consular Outosurcing BLS services INC."

Please follow the example:

Visa fee	depending on nationality
US Citizen	$160
BLS service fee	$18
SMS fee	$5
Courier service	$35
Total money order	$218

You can also pay directly through our offices with debit card only if you apply in person.

Courier prepaid envelopes are not accepted.

The rate may vary without prior notification.
The fee is non-refundable.

National Visa Application Form, completed and signed. You can download it from the Download forms section. Don't forget to indicate the email address in box #17.
Recent color photograph (2"x2 U.S. passport size") with a clear and uniform background, preferably white. Photographs with a dark background or with objects or people that can be seen behind the head will not be accepted. Don't stick the photo to the form, just send them loose. Do not crop the photograph to fit the form.
Consular fee. See FEES section
Passport or travel document recognized as valid with a duration of at least the requested time of stay and must contain at least two free pages in the visa section and a copy of the page where your data and photos appear. In case you are unable to submit the original at the time of application, you can send a notarized copy and send the passport as soon as possible.
Driver's license, state Id or Student Card that proves your legal residence in our jurisdiction.
U.S. Immigration Status (not applicable for U.S. citizens): green card, valid U.S. student visa, work permit (passport stamp), parole (notarized copy)

"Au Pair" placement agreement.

duration of the placement agreement, with a maximum of one year
Participation in domestic services or chores, not exceeding 5 hours per day
Have at least one full day off per week. At least one of the days off each month must be a Sunday, and you will be given the greatest facilities to participate in religious acts.
Specification of the domicile in which the person placed as an au pair is to share the life of the host family while enjoying a certain degree of independence.
A certain amount that the Au Pair will receive monthly as pocket money.
circumstances and faults on the one hand and the other that allow the placement agreement to be denounced with two weeks' notice.

When the duration of the stay exceeds six months, a Medical Certificate and a Criminal Record Certificate will also be required. Not applicable for students under 18 years of age.

Medical certificate with letterhead, signature, license number and stamp of the doctor, together with a sworn translation of the same into Spanish that indicates:

"This medical certificate certifies that Mr. / Mrs. (...) He does not suffer from any of the diseases that may have serious public health implications in accordance with the provisions of the 2005 International Health Regulations."

If you use the bilingual model provided by the consulate (see the "Download Forms" section), translation is not necessary.

This certificate is valid for 3 months.
Certificate of criminal record dated no more than 6 months prior to the date of application, stating that the applicant has no criminal record in the countries where he/she has resided for the last five years.

You must apply for a fingerprint comparison verified background certification. The criminal record certification must be issued by the U.S. Department of Justice – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

The background check must be issued within 6 months prior to the submission of the visa application. State or local police criminal certificates are not valid

The criminal record must be legalized with the Apostille certification of the Haya and translated into Spanish by a sworn translator. (Translation does not need an Apostille and an Apostille does not need a translation)

INFORMATION BACKGROUND CHECK FROM THE FBI DEPARTMENT OF STATE

https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity

Translations: AMERICAN TRANSLATORS ASSOCIATION: https://www.atanet.org/

INFO DEPARTMENT OF STATE APOSTILLE

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/records

If the applicant has spent six months or more during the last five years in another country, they will need to submit the criminal record from that country, legalized with the Apostille Certification and translated into Spanish. If the country is not a party to the Hague Convention, the document must be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the Spanish Consulate in that country. Legalization must always be done on the original of the document by the issuing country/state.

Correction of the application: The Consular Office may request the applicant to submit the missing documents, or to provide additional documents or data that are necessary for the resolution of the application. The applicant may also be called in for a personal interview.

Note: We regret we cannot accept photographs that do not meet these requirements

Please provide one recent photograph (not more than 6 months old) of yourself, which should not have been used previously in the passport. The photograph should be in colour and:

Taken against a white background so that features are distinguishable and contrast against the background.
Clear share quality and with the face in focus.
Printed on normal photographic paper (camera print).
Full face, non-smiling [without sunglasses, a hat/cap or other head covering, unless the applicant wears such items because of their religious belief or ethnic background]
Please stick the Photograph on the Visa Application Form.

Note: Please follow these instructions carefully. If photographs presented do not meet these requirements your application will be considered incomplete. A photo booth meeting these requirements is available at the centre.

Resolution period: Once the application is accepted as complete, the period to make a decision is up to 2 months from the day following the registration of the application in the visa system, but this period may be extended if an interview or additional documents. Denial of visa or stay permit for studies. The denial of a visa or authorization to stay for studies will always be communicated by mail, indicating the reasons on which the decision was based.

Resources: In case of denial of a stay authorization for studies or a visa, the applicant may present an appeal in Spanish (by mail with a tracking number) to this Consular Office within a period of 1 month from the day following the date of receipt of the denial notification. A contentious administrative appeal may also be filed before the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid within a period of 2 months from the day following the date on which the applicant receives notification of the visa denial or the dismissal of the appeal for reconsideration.

Once the visa is collected, the applicant must enter Spanish territory during the validity period of the visa.

The visa must be stamped upon entering the Schengen States and within the first thirty days, the applicant must apply for the Foreigner Identity Card or TIE ("Foreigner Identity Card") at the National Foreigners Office in the police station of the city where you will stay.

If the duration of the activity does not exceed 180 days, the visa will be sufficient to prove the stay.

National Visa Application Form

Disclaimer Form

Medical Certificate Template

Au Pair Placement Contract Model

Designation of Representative