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 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:
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:
Consulate Visa Fee Based on Citizenship & Duration | Amount in USD |
---|---|
All other nationals | 99 |
United States of America | 160 |
Australia | 476 |
United Kingdom > longer than 180 days | 440 |
United Kingdom < shorter than 180 days | 99 |
Bangladesh | 99 |
Mauritania | 263 |
Ethiopia > longer than 180 days | 510 |
Ethiopia < shorter than 180 days | 99 |
BLS Service Fee | Amount in USD |
All Nationals | 18 |
Notifications (SMS) | 5 |
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:
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.