What you can safely book before your visa is approved

Key rules

• Non-refundable bookings: Hold back non-refundable flights and housing until your visa is approved.
• Entry window: After approval you must enter Spain within three months, and it cannot be extended.
• TIE: Apply for the TIE within one month of entering Spain.
• Fees: Treat the consular fee and any provider service fee as non-refundable, even if you withdraw.

The short answer

Hold back anything non-refundable until your visa is approved. Until then, use bookings you can cancel for free, and keep an eye on each cancellation deadline. A visa decision can take weeks or months, so a fixed, non-refundable booking is a real risk.

Flights

Consulates generally do not ask for a paid ticket when you apply. Do not buy a fixed fare early.

If you want to lock in a flight, choose one of these:

• a flexible or refundable fare, which usually costs more but allows free changes or cancellation;
• a reservation without payment, which some travel agencies offer for visa applications.

Before you pay, check the cancellation deadline. Also check whether a refund comes back as cash or as a voucher. Terms differ by provider. If you are travelling with children, the decision below covers family flights and travel consent.

Housing

Most residence visa routes do not legally require proof of housing. Some consulates still ask for it, and requirements differ by consulate. Student visas often need proof of housing or a residence booking. Non-lucrative and digital nomad visas usually need only an address or a rental contract. Golden visa applicants show their qualifying investment instead.

Ask your consulate what it accepts. Common options are a lease, a hotel or flexible booking, or a letter from a host. A cancellable booking is usually enough, so do not sign a long lease or pay a large deposit just for the application.

Short stays in Spain often allow free cancellation from 24 hours to 14 days before arrival. After that, penalties run from the first night's cost up to half or all of the stay. Non-refundable rates are cheaper, but you get nothing back.

Fees and withdrawing

You pay a consular fee, and a provider may charge a separate service fee. Treat both as non-refundable. Some applicants are exempt from the consular fee. Ask the consulate for the current amounts.

You can withdraw before a decision by telling the consulate or its provider in writing. Fees are generally not returned.

How long you may wait

Decisions are due within about one to three months, depending on the route. In practice it is often several weeks to a few months, and it varies by consulate.

Your certificates can go out of date while you wait. A criminal record certificate should be issued within the 3 months before you file, and medical certificates are treated the same way. The apostille itself does not expire, but the age of the certificate does. If the decision is delayed, you may be asked for new ones.

Once the visa is granted

Now you can commit. Buy your fixed flight and confirm your housing. You must enter Spain within three months of issue, and this cannot be extended. After you arrive, apply for the foreigner ID card (TIE) within one month.

Before you fix a move date, read the warning below. The checklist, documents and timeline below also cover this page.

Booking family flights and child travel consent

How should you book family flights and handle each child's travel consent?

• Flexible or mid-tier tickets: Choose this while your visa outcome, housing or date is still uncertain. They cost more upfront but allow free or low-cost changes and sometimes refunds. Book only once the route outcome is settled and you know where you will live.

• Fixed basic fares: Choose this only when the visa is approved in writing, housing is secured and the date is firm. They are cheapest but usually non-refundable, and changes are barred or cost a fee plus the fare difference.

• Both parents travelling or signing: Use this for a permanent move. Both parents' consent is normally needed for the child's visa or residence application. For each child, carry the birth certificate showing parentage.

• One parent or another adult travelling: Use this when the child travels with one parent or a third party. Carry written consent from the absent parent or parents, a copy of their ID or passport, and the birth certificate. Papers issued abroad generally need an apostille or consular legalisation and a sworn translation into Spanish.

• Sole custody, or a parent who refuses or cannot be found: With sole custody, a court order is usually enough proof. If the other parent refuses or cannot be found, ask a court for authorisation before booking, because taking a child abroad without consent can be treated as international child abduction.

• Pets travelling with you: Book pet transport early, because airline slots are limited. Dogs, cats and ferrets from outside the EU need a microchip, a rabies vaccination given after the chip and at least 21 days before travel, and an official vet health certificate, usually issued within 10 days of arrival. Check the airline's crate, breed and temperature rules.

Settle the route outcome and housing first, then book changeable tickets, and move to fixed fares only when the date is firm. Get each child's consent papers ready before you pay.

Timeline and deadlines

• Book only cancellable flights and housing, and check each free-cancellation deadline: before and while you wait for the decision

• Wait for the decision, and order new certificates if yours go out of date: usually one to three months, often several weeks to a few months in practice

• Apply for the foreigner ID card (TIE): within one month of entering Spain

Documents you need

• Criminal record certificate, issued within the 3 months before you file, with an apostille or legalisation. Consulates typically require this, and you may need a new one if the decision is delayed.

• Medical certificate, treated the same way as the criminal record certificate: recent, with an apostille or legalisation.

• Sworn translation into Spanish of any of these documents not issued in Spanish.

• Proof of where you will live, if your visa route or consulate asks for it: a rental contract, a hotel or flexible booking, or a host letter. Student visas most often need this.

Checklist

• Book flexible or refundable fares, or a reservation without payment, for any flight you want to lock in early.

• Check the free-cancellation deadline on each accommodation booking, and whether a refund comes as cash or as a voucher.

• Ask the consulate what housing proof your visa route needs, such as a rental contract, a flexible booking or a host letter.

• Ask the consulate how to withdraw in writing if you change your mind before the decision.

Check the current consular fee and your consulate's housing-proof and refund practice with the consulate directly.

Before you fix your move date

• Date fixed before the facts are known: Fixing a date before you know your visa outcome, your housing and your tax position can leave you paying for bookings you cannot use. Before you choose a date, know three things: whether the visa is approved and when its entry window ends, where you will live and on what lease terms, and how many days you will spend in Spain this calendar year. Staying more than 183 days in a calendar year, or having your main economic base in Spain, generally makes you a Spanish tax resident, taxed on worldwide income. Write down the visa decision date, the lease start date and your planned days in Spain, then pick a date that works with all three.

• Costly steps committed in the wrong order: Some steps are expensive to undo: a Spanish lease with its deposit and agency fee, selling your home abroad, shipping household goods, non-refundable visa or legalisation fees, and school reservation fees. Committing them before the visa is approved is the usual way to lose money. Commit in this order: first visa approval in writing, then flexible tickets and a lease with a start date you can move, then fixed tickets, shipping and any sale. Give notice on jobs and home-country leases last, once your last day is agreed.

• Using a temporary lease or visa-free stay as a workaround: A short-term or seasonal lease can bridge the wait. It ends on the agreed date, with no automatic renewal rights, and the deposit is whatever you agree. Without a visa you can stay only 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the Schengen area, and overstaying can bring fines and problems with later visas. Use a seasonal lease or short rental only as a bridge, and count your visa-free days so they never run past 90 days.

• The route timeline slips after you fix the date: A delay in the visa decision can strand tickets and a lease already booked. A visa is valid for a fixed entry window, so a late decision usually moves your date rather than extending the visa, and an expired unused visa generally means a new application. Rebook flexible tickets, ask the landlord to move the start date or add a break clause, extend your notice or storage at home, and bridge with temporary lodging. Ask your employer or school whether they can defer your start date.

• People you forgot to tell: Landlords, employers, schools and airlines all need early notice if the date moves, and late notice costs more. Tell your Spanish landlord, your home landlord, your employer, your children's schools and your airline as soon as you know the date is shifting. Keep flexible options open: changeable fares, a lease with a movable start, and short extensions on storage and notice.

Frequently asked questions

Can I withdraw my visa application and get my fees back?

You can withdraw before a decision by telling the consulate or its outsourced provider in writing, but the consular fee is generally not refunded. The fee pays for processing, not for the outcome. Provider service fees are also non-refundable.

Do I need proof of accommodation when I apply for a residence visa?

Most residence visa routes do not legally require accommodation proof, but consulates often ask for something. Non-lucrative and digital nomad applicants usually need only an address or rental contract, and students often need proof of housing or a residence booking. A flexible booking or a host letter is commonly accepted, so you do not need a non-refundable lease.

Do my criminal record certificate and apostille expire while I wait?

Yes, the certificate can go out of date while you wait, because consulates typically want it issued within 3 months before filing.

Does the consulate need a paid flight ticket when I apply?

No, consulates generally do not require a paid ticket at application time. Hold off on non-refundable fares until the visa is granted, or use a flexible fare or a reservation without payment.