BLS International operates the official Spain visa application centres across the USA — New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC — handling NLV, DNV, Student Visa, Family Reunification and other long-stay visa submissions before they reach the Spanish Consulates for decision. This hub guide compares the eight US BLS centres, explains the submission process, and links to detailed pages for each. Current addresses, opening hours and process details are subject to change — always confirm against the current BLS website before booking.
The application flow currently runs: Applicant → BLS Centre (submission) → Spanish Consulate (assessment) → Decision → BLS/Consulate collection. BLS handles documents, biometrics and fees. The Spanish Consulate makes the decision.
Puerto Rico note: the submission route for the Spanish Consulate in San Juan is currently under verification — this hub covers the eight mainland US BLS centres. Puerto Rico applicants should check the current consulate website for the correct submission route.
247 Expat Insurance prepares Spanish-licensed visa health insurance certificates ready for your BLS submission across any US centre. Monday to Friday.
Get a QuoteTalk to an AdviserBLS International operates eight Spain Visa Application Centres on the US mainland, each linked to a Spanish Consulate:
| BLS Centre | Spanish Consulate (decisions) | Typical catchment | Detail page |
|---|---|---|---|
| BLS New York | Consulate General New York | NY, NJ, CT, DE, PA | BLS NY |
| BLS Boston | Consulate General Boston | MA, ME, NH, VT, RI | BLS Boston |
| BLS Chicago | Consulate General Chicago | IL, IN, OH, MI, WI, MN, IA, MO, KS, NE, ND, SD | BLS Chicago |
| BLS Miami | Consulate General Miami | FL, GA, SC, NC, AL, MS, TN, parts of VA/WV/KY/AR/LA | BLS Miami |
| BLS Houston | Consulate General Houston | TX, parts of OK | BLS Houston |
| BLS Los Angeles | Consulate General LA | Southern CA, NV, AZ, NM, CO, UT, HI | BLS LA |
| BLS San Francisco | Consulate General SF | Northern CA, OR, WA, ID, MT, WY, AK | BLS SF |
| BLS Washington DC | Spanish Embassy DC | DC, MD, parts of VA | BLS DC |
Important: catchments can shift — currently the table above reflects typical jurisdiction patterns, but confirm against the current consulate website for your residence before booking your BLS appointment. Addresses are also subject to change.
Use the BLS centre matched to the Spanish Consulate covering your state of legal residence. Submitting at the wrong centre may result in rejection or redirection. State jurisdictions can change — check the current consulate website.
Selecting your centre and attending are down to you, and the Spanish Consulate makes the decision. If you would rather not prepare the file alone, there is a managed visa application service at a fixed fee per applicant, with health insurance arranged separately.
Appointments are booked via the BLS USA website for your relevant centre. Book well in advance — US BLS centres can have wait times. Some centres have higher volume than others.
Biometric data (fingerprints, photo) is typically captured at the BLS appointment.
BLS service fee plus consular visa fee at submission. Amounts vary — check current BLS USA information.
After BLS submission, the file is forwarded to the Spanish Consulate. Typical NLV processing takes several weeks to a few months. Specific timings vary by consulate workload and case complexity.
For NLV submissions at any US BLS centre:
See our NLV certificate guide. Payment options: Spanish or EU IBAN, bank transfer, or credit/debit card. Annual upfront on credit/debit card is the cleanest route for visa files.
Most Spanish Consulates require health insurance that complies with Spanish visa requirements. Many applicants choose a Spanish-licensed insurer because these policies are specifically designed to meet Non-Lucrative Visa and Digital Nomad Visa requirements. Spanish-licensed insurers hold DGSFP authorisation and the policies typically include the sin copago and sin carencias features the visa file expects. Cover from US-based insurers, or multi-national insurance brands without Spanish DGSFP authorisation, may not meet the visa requirements.
Not sure what your route needs? Our page on Spanish visa health insurance for Americans explains how the private health insurance requirement works on the NLV, the DNV and the student visa, and you can ask for a quote from there.
BLS New York serves the NY Consulate catchment.
Read our BLS New York guide · USA Consulates directory
BLS Boston serves the Boston Consulate catchment (New England).
BLS Chicago serves the Chicago Consulate catchment (Midwest).
BLS Miami serves the Miami Consulate catchment (Southeast).
BLS Houston serves the Houston Consulate catchment (Texas).
BLS Los Angeles serves the LA Consulate catchment (Southern California + Southwest).
Read our BLS Los Angeles guide
BLS San Francisco serves the SF Consulate catchment (Northern California + Pacific Northwest).
Read our BLS San Francisco guide
BLS Washington DC serves the Embassy catchment.
Read our BLS Washington DC guide
247 Expat Insurance prepares Spanish-licensed visa health insurance certificates ready for your BLS USA submission. Monday to Friday. Contact us via contact, quote form or WhatsApp. Related guides: USA Consulates directory, NLV certificate, proof of payment, repatriation, NLV for retirees, BLS UK hub, visa health insurance hub.
BLS International is the official Spain visa application centre partner in the USA. BLS handles front-end submission — documents, biometrics, fees — before forwarding the file to the relevant Spanish Consulate for decision.
Currently most NLV applications are submitted through one of eight US BLS centres: New York, Boston, Chicago, Miami, Houston, LA, San Francisco or Washington DC, based on your state of residence.
The relevant Spanish Consulate (or Embassy DC). BLS handles submission; the Consulate decides.
Use the BLS centre matched to the Spanish Consulate for your state. See the comparison table above.
No — jurisdiction is based on state of residence. Submitting at the wrong centre may result in rejection or redirection.
NLV, DNV, Student, Family Reunification, Work, HQP, Entrepreneur, Researcher and other Spanish long-stay categories.
The submission route for the Spanish Consulate in San Juan is currently under verification. Puerto Rico applicants should check the current consulate website.
Via the BLS International USA website for your relevant centre.
Typically several weeks to a few months from BLS submission to consulate decision.
Generally no — Spanish-licensed insurer (DGSFP) is normally required. US-based insurers and multi-national brands without DGSFP authorisation are typically not accepted.
Yes typically. Check current BLS USA payment instructions.
Yes typically — fingerprints and photo at the BLS appointment.
Use the BLS centre matching your current state of residence, not where you previously lived.
Document collection after decision is normally via BLS or the Consulate depending on current process.
The decision is the Consulate’s, not BLS’s — BLS accepts and returns documents but does not assess eligibility. You receive a written refusal notice and can normally reapply with corrected documents. Where health insurance is the cause, the common reasons for US applicants are: a policy from an insurer not authorised to operate in Spain; a US plan with a deductible or co-insurance, which is read as a copayment; Medicare, which medicare.gov states usually does not cover health care outside the United States; a Medigap foreign travel emergency benefit, which is emergency-only, carries a $50,000 lifetime limit, pays 80% after a $250 annual deductible and applies only to the first 60 days of a trip; and a certificate of coverage under the US–Spain totalization agreement, which the Social Security Administration states exempts you from Spanish contributions and generally means you cannot receive Spanish benefits — so it shows you need private cover rather than proving you already have it.
Yes — verify current BLS addresses on the official BLS website before your appointment.
Send us your BLS centre, appointment date, ages and visa route. We’ll prepare the insurance certificate, payment receipt and policy schedule ready for submission.
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