Spain Visa from the UK 2026: BLS London and Manchester, Delays, Documents and Getting Your Passport Back

Spain Visa from the UK - Why Applicants Are Waiting Longer (2026 Quick Answer)

Visa-required non-EU nationals living in the UK apply in person at a BLS centre in London, Manchester or Edinburgh, and the Spanish consulate covering their address decides, legally within 15 calendar days, extendable to 45 in individual cases.

The longer waits centre on Manchester. BLS Manchester's own page states that a decision "can be between 6-8 weeks"; the BLS website said this on 6 October 2026, and it is the centre's estimate, not a legal deadline. No official reason or count of pending files has been published.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in late September and early October 2026, Manchester files lodged between 9 and 24 August were still undecided 41 to 56 days later, several London files were decided within 8 to 15 days, and one applicant said BLS's call centre mentioned more than 1,000 applicants waiting. These are applicants' words, not official figures.

Visarun helps UK residents prepare and check a Spanish visa file before the BLS appointment; the decision rests with the consulate.

Which Spanish Consulate Covers You - London, Manchester or Edinburgh

Under Article 6(1) of the EU Visa Code, the consulate covering your legal residence decides. Jurisdictions per the consulates' own pages, checked on 6 October 2026:

• London: Greater London (all 32 boroughs); the South West (Gloucestershire, Bristol, Wiltshire, Somerset, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly); the South East (Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent, Isle of Wight); the East of England (Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk); Guernsey, Jersey and British Overseas Territories such as Gibraltar and Bermuda.
• Manchester: all of Wales and the Isle of Man; in England, the North West except Cumbria (Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside), Yorkshire and the Humber (East Riding, North, South and West Yorkshire), the East Midlands (Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland) and the West Midlands (Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire).
• Edinburgh: Scotland, Northern Ireland and, in England, Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and Tees Valley (Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees, Hartlepool, Darlington and Middlesbrough).

Tees Valley belongs to Edinburgh, not Manchester or London; the older county list in the BLS Manchester and Edinburgh FAQs does not match. BLS says it will not accept applications from outside the consulate's jurisdiction.

The Edinburgh consulate's 2025 checklist excludes holders of UK visit (C) visas. Per the London consulate's 2022 FAQ, which still refers to BRPs that the UK has since replaced with eVisas, tourists and visitors in the UK should apply in their country of residence.

Booking with BLS International UK

Applications are lodged in person at a BLS centre, by appointment and never by post, and every applicant attends, including children under 12. Centres as listed on 6 October 2026:

• London: 20 St Andrew Street, London EC4A 3AG; submissions 08:30-13:30, Monday to Friday; [email protected].
• Manchester: Unit 1, 205 Chapel Street, Salford M3 5PF; submissions 08:30-13:30; [email protected].
• Edinburgh: 6 Dock Place, Suite 1A, First Floor Office, Edinburgh EH6 6LU; submissions 08:30-12:30, Monday to Friday; [email protected].

The shared call centre, +44 20 3807 0750, answers 09:00-17:00, Monday to Friday, and BLS says emails are answered within two working days.

Optional extras cost £100 per applicant for Premium Service in London (£90 in Manchester), £60 for Edinburgh's Premium Lounge and £175 per applicant for mobile biometrics at home or office (£160 each for 5 or more). BLS states that they give no right to a visa, no fast-track appointment and no faster processing.

Documents and Financial Requirements

All three consulates require insurance of at least €30,000 for urgent care and repatriation across the Schengen area for the whole stay. The EU's 2021 list for UK applicants adds three months of UK bank statements and, for employees, an employer letter and three months of payslips.

BLS Manchester, the strictest list (as of 6 October 2026)

• UK residence permit valid 90 days beyond your return from the Schengen area.
• Passport issued less than 10 years before your return date, even if since extended, valid 90 days beyond return, with 2 blank adjacent visa pages.
• The last 3 full months of current-account statements with a positive balance, online printouts stamped by the bank, and a closing balance no more than 1 week old on the appointment day.
• An original, hand-signed employment, student, accountant, Job Centre or pension letter, no older than 30 days, addressed to the Spanish Consulate in Manchester.
• Carrier-issued tickets, not reservations or travel-agency documents, and hotel bookings matching them for every night.
• A UK-issued insurance certificate with your name, cover dates and geographical cover, not a quotation.
• Two sets per person: originals plus one copy.

London and Edinburgh

London's checklist asks for a 3-month, updated bank statement, a signed and dated no-objection letter from your employer, school or university, and printed UK immigration status with a share code. Edinburgh's 2025 checklist accepts printed online statements but not screenshots.

How much money to show

Spain's rule (Order PRE/1282/2007) ties the amount to the gross Spanish minimum wage: 10% per person per day, with a floor of 90% per person. For 2026, the London consulate's page dated 26 February 2026 sets £106.64 per person per day with a £959.78 minimum; Edinburgh's page of the same date gives €122.10 and €1,098.90. London's BLS checklist rounds these to £107 and £960.

BLS Manchester's checklist still prints £800 plus £80 a day from day 9, and Edinburgh's 2025 checklist £100 a day with a £905 minimum, so meeting the 2026 figure covers both. Manchester also rejects traveller's cheques, credit card statements and overdrawn statements.

UK permit validity

Published rules differ: 90 days beyond return (BLS Manchester page, 6 October 2026), 30 days beyond return to the UK (Edinburgh checklist, 2025) and one month beyond leaving the Schengen area (EU list, 2021); London states no period. We recommend planning for the strictest, 90 days, and checking your centre's current checklist before the appointment.

Fees and Processing Times - Official Standard vs Reality

EU law sets the fee at €90 from age 12 and €45 for ages 6 to under 12, with under-6s exempt, but UK applicants pay in pounds. As of 6 October 2026 (consular price lists from 1 January 2026, BLS fee pages):

• Visa fee: £79; £39.50 for children aged 6-12; £0 under 6.
• BLS service fee: £14.85 per application, VAT included.
• Next-day courier return: £29.99.
• Optional SMS and email updates: £1.95.

All three centres return passports by courier only, so the practical minimum for most applicants is £123.84 per adult. BLS says no fee is refundable; we recommend confirming current amounts on your centre's fee page.

The legal standard is 15 calendar days from the day after submission, extendable to 45 calendar days if an interview or extra documents are requested, and some nationalities need consultation with central authorities. BLS Manchester's own page states a decision "can be between 6-8 weeks", longer in peak season, and BLS London says peak-season processing "will take minimum up to 4 weeks". The BLS websites said this on 6 October 2026; these are the centres' own estimates, not legal deadlines.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in late September and early October 2026, posted in BLS Manchester threads:

• Lodged 14 August: passport received 29 September (46 days) after being told 4-5 weeks; the applicant advised others to allow at least 8 weeks.
• Lodged 13 August: extra financial evidence requested 24 September, dispatch text 28 September, 3-month visa.
• Lodged 4 August: new tickets, hotel and insurance requested 18 September; passport about ten days later, 3-month visa.
• Lodged 21 July: trip of 24 August missed; asked on 25 September to resubmit flights, hotel and insurance; pending on 30 September.
• Undecided when posted: 30 July (60 days), 9-10 August (56), 18 August (48), 21 August (45), 24 August (41) and later files up to 10 September.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in late September and early October 2026, BLS London files lodged on 15, 21 (Premium) and 23 September were decided or dispatched within 8 to 15 days, but another 21 September Premium file was undecided on 5 October and some late-July files, visa type not stated, were pending on 3-5 October.

Travel Date Approaching - Withdrawing and Getting Your Passport Back

To withdraw, the formal route is a written cancellation through BLS on the "CANCELLATION FORM" linked from the BLS London and Manchester tourist-visa pages. The Manchester form, on consulate letterhead, asks for your BLS reference, passport number, application date and reason, and states that cancelling closes the file under Article 94 of Spain's Law 39/2015, with no appeal possible.

Fees are not refunded, passports return by courier, and no official return timeframe is published.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in late September and early October 2026, a London applicant who withdrew was emailed the form to add a reason, a commenter said BLS quoted 3-4 working days by phone, and Manchester applicants from 9 August said their passport-return request went unanswered.

An expiring UK permit raises the stakes, since BLS Manchester wants 90 days of validity beyond return. According to applicant reports on Reddit in late September and early October 2026, one Manchester applicant whose UK visa expired on 21 September, with her application pending since 26 August, cancelled on 24 September, had her passport back on 1 October and said the delay complicated her UK immigration situation.

No official rule covers rebooking travel while an application is pending. According to applicant reports on Reddit in late September and early October 2026, some Manchester applicants whose dates had passed were emailed to resubmit flights, hotel and insurance. The Edinburgh consulate warns that changing or cancelling bookings after a visa is granted may lead to refusal of future applications.

Complaints can be filed online with the Spanish Foreign Ministry or in writing at the consulate. Consulate visa contacts, checked on 6 October 2026:

• London: [email protected]; 020 7589 8989 (often busy, so email is recommended); 20 Draycott Place, London SW3 2RZ.
• Manchester: [email protected]; 0161 669 3180, Monday to Friday 10:00-13:00, for questions the website does not answer; 55 Brown Street, Manchester M2 1YB.
• Edinburgh: Schengen enquiries go to BLS ([email protected]); long-term visas to [email protected].

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

• 12 October 2025: the EU Entry/Exit System began progressive operations; fully operational since 10 April 2026, it replaces passport stamping for non-EU short-stay travellers, including visa holders.
• 1 January 2026: the consulates' 2026 price lists took effect, setting the UK fee at £79, the pound equivalent of the €90 fee in force since 11 June 2024.
• 26 February 2026: the London and Edinburgh consulates published the 2026 funds thresholds.
• Current checklists: London and Edinburgh ask for printed UK immigration status (eVisa) with a share code.
• October 2026: BLS Manchester's own page states 6-8 weeks, the centre's own estimate rather than a legal deadline.

FAQ

How much does a Spain visa from the UK cost in 2026?

For most applicants, at least £123.84 per adult as of October 2026: £79 visa fee, £14.85 BLS fee, £29.99 courier. Children aged 6-12 pay a £39.50 visa fee; under-6s, none.

Can I apply to Spain if it is not my main destination?

Generally no. Spain needs to be the main destination by length of stay or purpose, or the first entry country if none exists (Visa Code Article 5). Our Schengen visa from the UK, France visa from the UK and main-destination guides explain more.

Is a flight reservation enough for BLS Manchester?

No. BLS Manchester wants carrier-issued tickets, not reservations or travel-agency documents; our guide to flight and hotel reservations for Schengen visas covers the wider rules.

My bank no longer stamps statements. What can I do?

BLS Manchester publishes no alternative, so we recommend asking BLS Manchester in writing ([email protected]) before the appointment. Edinburgh's 2025 checklist accepts printed online statements but not screenshots; London's sets no stamping rule.

Does Premium speed up the decision?

BLS says no. According to applicant reports on Reddit in late September and early October 2026, a London commenter said Premium slots were available daily, even the next morning, while standard slots were 2-3 weeks out.

How early can I apply?

Between six months and 15 days before travel. According to applicant reports on Reddit in late September and early October 2026, applicants disagree on whether BLS shows slots before or after the form asking for flight and hotel details, so refundable bookings are the safer option.

How do I check my application status?

The code on your proof of receipt works in the Spanish Foreign Ministry's online tracker, and the BLS portal takes your BLS reference and date of birth. BLS says the consulate does not answer status emails.

Is a Spanish student visa handled the same way?

No. A long-stay national student visa is a separate procedure, with a 1-month legal decision period at the London consulate, extendable for interviews or extra documents. According to applicant reports on Reddit in late September and early October 2026, BLS London student files lodged on 29 July and 21 August were still "Processing at Mission" in late September and early October.