A Schengen visa to Spain from Armenia: a step-by-step guide

A Schengen visa to Spain from Armenia can be obtained without a residence permit — on a foreign passport with an entry stamp. Below is a step-by-step route from personal experience: this is how I obtained visas for myself and my wife through the Spanish visa centre BLS in Yerevan.

What you need: the document list

Each applicant needs roughly this package:

• original internal and foreign passports
• copies of every page of both passports
• a notarised translation of the foreign passport into Armenian
• an Armenian social card (or its substitute, see step 4)
• two photographs, 3.5×4.5 cm
• the BLS form
• the appointment letter
• BLS consent to the processing of personal data
• flight and accommodation bookings in Spain
• €30,000 medical insurance, as a colour copy
• an employment record statement covering 10 years
• a letter from your employer or proof of sole trader registration
• a statement of your balance and three months of account activity
• a property ownership statement
• a marriage certificate, if you have one

For minors the set depends on who is travelling with whom: a birth certificate at minimum, and if the child is not flying with both parents, a notarised consent from the absent parent for the trip and for travelling with the named adult.

Step 0. Enter Armenia on your foreign passport

Step 1. Buy an Armenian phone number

A SIM card from any phone shop will do — bring your foreign passport. The number is needed both for the social card appointment and for registering on the BLS site.

Step 2. Make document copies and photographs

For each applicant: copies of every page of the internal and foreign passports — including the Armenian entry stamp (see step 0) — plus a separate copy of the first page of the foreign passport and the stamped page, which can go on one sheet. Add two photographs, 3.5×4.5 cm, on a white background, no corners or ovals, taken within the last six months.

Step 3. Have your passport translated by a notary

Any notary can produce a notarised translation of your foreign passport into Armenian — look for one on the map with good reviews. The translation takes an hour or two; bring cash in drams and ask the notary for a copy of the translation, which you will need later.

Step 4. Obtain an Armenian social card

The Armenian social card is the equivalent of a tax number and is issued free of charge. Book an appointment in advance through the migration service portal — the service you need is called a certificate on the allocation of a public services number.

At the appointment you will need: an Armenian phone number, your address, the original foreign passport with the entry stamp and its notarised translation.

You can skip the social card if you already have an active Armenian bank account (at least 3 months old) or sole trader status in Armenia — either confirms your link to the country instead.

Step 5. Order your employment record statement

Applicants over 18 need a ten-year employment record statement from the Social Fund of Russia — it can be generated in your Gosuslugi account with a digital signature in a few minutes.

It also helps to attach proof of ties to your country of citizenship — for example, a property register extract.

Step 6. Get a letter from your employer or sole trader proof

Employees need a letter from the employer in English or Russian — position, salary, company contacts, a wet signature and stamp, valid for a month. Entrepreneurs need a tax number, an extract from the sole trader register and, optionally, a tax return.

Step 7. Confirm your financial means

Your balance and three months of account activity, as a colour printout in English or Russian.

Step 8. Arrange medical insurance

Russian insurance is not accepted. You need separate medical insurance for €30,000 covering every Schengen country — for each applicant, in English, as a colour printout.

Step 9. Book accommodation and flights

Book accommodation in Spain for the whole trip — for example on Ostrovok. The dates and cities must match your flight tickets.

Tickets can be bought on Aviasales or held with a free booking for the visa via GlobusAvia. Direct flights both ways are preferable. If the route covers several cities, book accommodation for each separately, so the bookings line up with the flights between them.

Step 10. Book an appointment at BLS

Register and book at armenia.blsspainvisa.com — choose English.

Click Book your Appointment, create an account and add every applicant through Add New Member — each one fills in a separate form.

Choose the number of applicants, the city (Yerevan) and the visa type, then fill in the trip details — destination country, purpose and requested length of stay.

An application may be filed no earlier than 180 days before the trip, and the recommendation is no later than 15 days before (for seafarers that window extends to 9 months). If the social card is not ready yet, take a slot with a couple of days to spare.

Registration includes an identity check by webcam (KYC) — make sure your connection is stable beforehand, ideally over Wi-Fi.

After the form the system offers paid extras such as the Premium Lounge — these can be skipped with the Skip button, leaving only the mandatory visa fee. The exact amount per person is shown at that same step.

After paying, download everything offered — the form, the checklist and the appointment letter with the visa centre address.

Step 11. Check the BLS address before your visit

Step 12. Fill in the personal data consent

Download and complete the BLS personal data consent form for every applicant — write in the full name, passport details and registered address by hand.

Step 13. Attend the appointment at the visa centre

Sort the documents into a folder per applicant. On top of what you gathered in the previous steps, bring:

• the original internal passport
• the original foreign passport
• two photographs, 3.5×4.5 cm
• copies of every page of the internal and foreign passports
• the social card

How the appointment goes:

1. 1Each applicant takes an electronic queue number and goes to the window when called.
2. 2Say straight away that you need the social card translated — it is done there at BLS.
3. 3If asked whether you filled in the form yourself, say yes: the staff speak Russian.
4. 4Keep your departure dates, the address in Spain and the return date in mind — the officer may ask about the trip verbally.
5. 5A forgotten document can sometimes be brought in later, but do not count on it — bring the full set at once.
6. 6The foreign passport is taken from you — in the author's experience it goes away for the visa sticker and comes back afterwards.
7. 7Then come fingerprints, a photograph and payment of the fee at the till, if you did not pay online.
8. 8Keep the receipt you are given: its number is what tracks the application status.

Step 14. Track the application status

The status can be checked on the BLS site through Track Application — you need the number from the receipt (“EVN…” format) and your date of birth.

Step 15. Collect the passport with the visa

Passports with the visa inside are handed out between 15:00 and 17:00.

Assembling the package yourself is optional: a Schengen visa from Armenia comes with support — documents checked, the visa centre appointment booked and the timings explained. There is also filing for a Spanish visa from other countries.

That is everything — good luck with your application. BLS requirements and fees change without notice, so before filing it is worth checking the official BLS site.