Estoy tratando de hacer un cita para renovar mi pasaporte y no salgo de esta respuesta "NO HAY DISPONIBLES. INTENTELO DE NUEVO DENTROS DE UNOS DIAS" asi llevo desde Junio, llamando no pasa del contestador automatico y por correo electronico siempre es la misma respuesta que intente hacer la cita previa por la manana temprano. Realmente es un fustracion imprecionate. Cuando llame al numero de emergencia me dice que si tengo otro pasaporte, en serio me esta preguntado eso. read more

tengo que renovar mi pasaporte nesecito q alguien me diga como hacer desde ya muchas gracias Manuel

The worst experience I've had in a really long time with uneducated staff and lack of assistance from the security person to the staff behind the window which by the way you can't even approach because there's a discriminatory way of letting you through the metal detectors. Mind you I've lived in Spain and the staff in offices like this are never warm and fussy but the staff at the consulate of Spain in NY is beyond belief. I would rather take my chances in Spain when I visit to address any paperwork that needs to be completed. The staff is: Dismissive Violent Disruptive Discriminatory Has a lack of empathy Not helpful or cooperative Disrespectful Condescending read more

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The worst of the worst. They are not helpful at all. You can try being nice or meet their attitude and they just are not kind or helpful. It's so sad and incredibly frustrating. My family is Spanish and don't have this type of attitude. I have been asking the same questions for a year and they don't get answered. It's difficult to speak solely via through email. When you ask for a call they won't do it. If you call, no one answers. This attitude spans through multiple locations the one in LA and Frankfurt are just as bad. All one can do is follow the complaint process. It's just not worth it. read more

I've had a few good experiences here. I also had correspondence with staff prior to arrival and had an appointment. The Consulate is located on the 30th floor of an office building . The elevators are quite amazing and efficient- you punch your floor in first and the pad tells you which elevator to go up . I was very impressed Parking deck located next door if you drive into the city which is super convenient. Once you arrive - it's obvious of the entrance of the consulate . It's kinda old and needs major updating You are greeted by a security guard and it seems that he only lets people in who have an appointment but Don't quote me lol . I then waited to speak to someone at the check in window ... There is a Waiting area in which you wait to be called to one of several windows depending on why you are there. It helped me- making an appointment and speaking to someone if you have trouble navigating the website . This last visit - I expected to be there long but was out within an hour. Awesome I will probably have to return and hopefully my visits will be as easy as this one read more

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I tried to call the Consulate but it will not even connect with anyone to ask a question. It is very hard to make an appointment and even with several emails that I sent still they gave me vague responses not answering any of my questions. Very frustrating! read more

What an experience at the NYC office. I was there to renew the passport with my daughter. I asked to see someone of importance to speak to about a problem while my daughter did her passport. Two people came out with very bad attitudes. They were telling me to send and email with my concerns. To which it I told them that that is my concern. You (the consulate in NYC) is not replying to the emails or calling back. At this point the younger of the two stared with the name calling to the point that he told my daughter that your father and you should go and f###k your selfs. These is not what is spain is all about. I guess they are hiring convicts or such. read more

Consulate General of Spain - Embassy Near Me - New York, New York

Since they have chosen to utilize BLS contracting for their Visa applications, it has gone down to sh1ts. A simple process has turned into days and missed visits to Spain. They suggest 3 months prior but give you the Visa for the month you applied during the visit and not 3 months ahead. They charge 119 and no other options offered. Rude, inconsiderate, inconsistent information, they are outdated and every person that had issues was the same. They send you to the consulate and the consulate back to them and they won't budge. read more

Consulate General of Spain - Embassy Near Me - New York, New York

I don't know which genius at the Spain Consulate decided to move the Schengen Visa service to BLS. My experience at this outsourcing company is horrendous. They make you create an appointment but doesn't abide by it at all. You go in and take a number. My parents' appointment was at 10am, it is now 2 hours later and we are still not finished. They charge a bunch of extra fees, none of which was advised except for the passport photo fee. The visa fee is really only 68. We ended up paying almost double that for EACH application. Last time I took them to apply for a visa at the Spain Consulate, it literally took 15 minutes. We got their visas on the spot. This, they need to return in 3 weeks time to pick up. Do they get a pick up date appointment? Nope, have to wait for a text. What the $&#% read more

Consulate General of Spain - Service fee?? SMS fee? Really?!??? - Embassy Near Me - New York, New York

They only take your money and deny the visa for some unfounded reasons.How is lawful resident on usa can plan to stay in Spain illegally, for what? Work opportunities or for their good economy?We planned to travel for a week and spend at least 2000$. read more

Para que lo sepáis los de recepción son muy desagradables. No le entregáis documentación alguna ya que tienes que explicarles para que vienes sin presentar la documentación y dejar que ellos te la vayan pidiendo. No leen nada, no revisan nada una experiencia muy desagradable. No entienden el castellano ni tampoco hablan bien el inglés. No les interesa tu problema, no trabajan directamente para el ministries de AAEE, sino son unos americanos (de origen hispano) que han contratado para trabajar ahí. Claro les pagarán una miseria y así de resentidos están. Just so that you're aware the receptionists are extremely unfriendly and downright nasty. They are really there as gatekeepers so that you can't get in to do your business. Do not give them any documents but explain why you are there and what you need verbally. They will request the documents or tell you what documents you need and you can show them the documents then. They don't work directly for the government of Spain but are porky paid Americans who have been hired there. The resentment shows. read more

The short term tourist visa services have moved to 55 W 39th Street. There was a lot of mismatch between what the website asked and what was collected at the Center. 1. The website says we need to pay using USPS demand draft of $71 but the centre only accepts cash (exact change) or debit card and the fees is 119.50 for courier else $94.50 for pickup. Pickup can take 2-3 weeks. For USPS demand draft, I had to go to USPS and ask for the refund. 2. There is no concept of appointment time, they have coupons with number. So if you show up on time for a timeslot you booked but if someone else with a later timeslot shows up earlier, they will get to go before you. 3. The person processing my visa made a calculation mistake and messed up my visa! I was going on different dates once in April for short trip and then in last of week of May for longer duration and they gave me a visa for incorrect dates. I got a post-it in my passport saying that for the second trip my stay is longer in Italy - it's weird they would think that since I was landing in Spain, spending 28 days in Spain and 18 in Italy. Now, because that one person processing my visa thought 18 days in Italy is somehow worth more than 28 days in Spain, I will have to reapply for another visa. Will call their helpline and see if there is anyway to fix this. Last year I had gone to the 55 St Consulate location and had much more pleasant experience overall. I got my visa for the same day and for the correct duration and travel dates that I applied for. read more

Application date: 5/18 First date for BLS appointment given 6/4 5/21: Emailed BLS because I needed an earlier appointment 5/22: received email to go to BLS because they have a cancellation on 5/24 5/24: went to BLS Service was courteous. Bring more than what's asked for. Definitely need reservation info for flight and hotels. Also paid $20 online right at the counter for ex-pat (something you need if you pass away in Spain, they'll bring body back to US). You can do this ahead of time. My interview was very nice and she told me where I can do it online and on the spot. Took a new photo and fingerprints there. This photo is in addition to the one you bring there yourself. 5/24: received email application received 5/25: received email processed 5/25: received email approved and UPS tracking 5/26,Saturday: received passport back with visa Notes: local number can't help with changing appointment dates. Visa approved for 90 days. I will apply earlier next time and see if I can get a longer visa next time to avoid multiple trips and more cost efficient specially if you plan on traveling to visit different Schengen countries for the year to tour. read more

Best visa interview experience ever! 40mins from when I walked into the Consulate to when I got my passport back. Strongly recommended for anyone who needs a visa to go to Europe, a much easier process than applying for a visa at the Italy/French Consulate in New York City. I got there at 8:45, was called at 8:50 to be interviewed, and was called again when the visa was ready. Walked out with a 6-month multiple-entry visa at 9:25. The girl who helped me was really professional and nice. Make sure you read the instructions online as they actually do check through every required document. Also remember to get your money order at least the day before from USPS. read more

I had a good experience here in getting my documents prepared and presented for Spanish Citizenship. Everyone was very nice and helpful and English was spoken. Sometimes you have to wait a bit, so better to get there early. Plus great NYC views while you pass the time. read more

I had a wonderful experience with BLS. The staff was so helpful and nice. Interview was smooth. They helped me with all the documents I needed. It did not take long to finish my application. I definitely recommend BLS. read more

After: - Having unflattering passport-sized photos taken (the profile shot does nothing for my Roman nose) - Getting fingerprinted - The FBI confirming that I am indeed NOT a criminal - Ensuring that my pathetic health insurance will cover me in case I go into jamon coma - Receiving an acceptance letter from the University of Vigo - Ensuring that my checking account has sufficient funds for me to spend 3 months abroad - Crying a little after seeing exactly how much was in my checking account - Going to the Post Office to request a money order...* It was time. Time to finally apply for my student visa. The Spanish Consulate uses a web-based system for scheduling appointments, which makes receiving reminders and viewing availability hassle-free. When arriving, be sure to have all of your documents ready. Appointments are 15 minutes long and you will be in a waiting area that is DMV-style. But unlike the DMV, appointments are taken on-time and the employees are really friendly. After going through a metal detector, I met with a consulate employee who was prompt and efficient. You'll have to answer all of the basic questions ("Where you will be studying?" "Where will you be living?" etc) and present the employee with all of the paperwork. Because you have to surrender your passport, I would suggest arriving with a pre-paid UPS label. Otherwise, you have to show up to the consulate to retrieve your passport. Time is money, people! * The consulate requires all of these steps when applying for a student visa. read more

Best experience ever !! I'd 10.15 appointment, I was there by 10.10 They called me to the window by 10.22. I'd all my documents in-order and gave me 30 days visa. I think they usually give with the exact dates but the VO said "Your documents are all in order and perfect, i'm giving your visa for few more extra days. Enjoy your stay" :) I got my passport back by 10.45 with Visa on it. read more

I must say this was a great experience! The Consulate of Spain has the most availability for visa appointments. I logged in late at night to make an appointment and they had available slots the next day! because i need additional time to gather our documents i scheduled it for the following week!- My husband received his visa on the spot for our trip next month! Thank you, LORD!!!. the process was smooth because he presented all necessary documents. In addition to their required documents I presented the following as I was the one supporting my husband. -My passport (original and copy) -Marriage license (original and copy) -Notarized letter stating that I will be responsible financially -Employment Letter -Last three pay stubs -Last three bank statements My husband submitted the following docs: Application Passport (original and copy) Green card (original and copy) Passport picture (2) Complete Itinerary Insurance documents Hope this helps! read more

Being an Indian citizen, to travel just about anywhere, I need a visa.. what that means is, I have also been to plenty of consulates :-) .. in my experience, this was a very pleasant experience. Quick and easy. They don't keep you waiting, as long as your documents are perfect. Also, they are very practical staff. Took me a total of 45 minutes to get my Schengen Visa. Just 1 complaint.. $82 for just 15 days of Schengen Visa... that's quite a lot in my opinion! read more

Compared to other EU consulates in NY, this seems to have a lot of availability for visa interviews. I went there to apply for a Schengen visa and was impressed by the extremely fast processing. The lady at the counter followed the list of documents from the website exactly. The one point not very clear on the website is regarding requiring all your travel reservations (unless you are staying with an EU resident). Carry all your flight and hotel bookings even within the Schengen area as they check every name and date. I went there half hour ahead of my interview slot, due to a vacancy they called me 10 mins early, and in 20 mins time I walked out with a stamped visa. Cant wait to celebrate this New Year in Spain! read more

Thanks to Debanjan (Yan), who provided very important info about visa applications for travel to Spain. Had a problem finding the right website until I read his post. BLS has a website for making appointments, www.blsspainvisa.com/nyc Entries for requested data must be accurate. Calls may not be answered immediately, since this may be a busy time for them. My trip is in July, so I can't book my visa appointment right now, I have to do it end of March. Other than that, service is OK. read more

Pros: they are pretty quick comparing to other embassies in NYC; took me an hour to leave with my visa -very friendly staff -nice view from the seating area Cons: they give visa for exact dates of travel :( read more

I needed to get a student visa for Spain and was extremely pleased with the process, which I had otherwise expected to be painful. They say it takes 2-4 weeks, but I provided all the documents and had my visa in 8 days. Within those 8 days, I made a trip outside the country and they allowed me to keep my passport for the duration of the trip, as long as I provided photocopies. When I went to the visa to return the passport, they gave me the visa in under 30 minutes. Overall: Amazing service, particularly for a government institution. The staff is accessible by phone (once you get passed the robot, and in limited business hours) and extremely helpful, providing detailed responses. Very pleased. Thank you! Lionel read more

First of all, be advised that it is a big office building and the Spanish Consulate is on the 30th floor. The interview itself does not take very long but as there are few interviewers the wait might be long. Make sure you get the right sum for the visa - $79 it's $46 only for Russian Federation, Serbia, Ukraine, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania and Moldova. I saw somebody make that mistake. If you are granted a visa it is ready the next day. You can either pick it up or bring them a pre-paid UPS envelope and they will mail the passport to you. That would take 2-3 business days. They are not very generous on the lengths of the visas they grant. I got 10 days even though I've had at least 6 Schengen Visas and 2 of them in the past 3 years. read more

Amazing experience! So smoothe and professional. Came a little late but was called up shortly. The ladies at the windows were very nice and informative. Gloria at the counter helped make the process easy. Visited on a weekday, made an appointment in advance so no ticket necessary, they call you up by name. They have seating available for waiting and it is located on the 30th floor of the building. Long live Spain! read more

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Overall is good. Service changes recently, please read my comments before you go. Here is my experience to get a Spain Schengen Visa. 1, I was told that right now all visitor visas need to be done by BLS Visa Service for Spain (55 West 39th Street Suite 800, New York NY 10008. Phone: 201 366-6600). You will submit all documents to there, and they will submit your documents to Consulate to let them make a decision. 2, This is the link to all required documents, which is very clear. Attention: BLS doesn't accept money order so far, which they didn't update in the link. Right now, they only accept CASH. And EXACT CASH. They don't have any changes to you! http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/NUEVAYORK/en/ServiciosConsulares/Documents/Visa%20Schengen.pdf 3, I bought a $71 USPS money order and took it to BLS, but I was told they only accept cash now. So I need to ask for money order refund from USPS later. My appointment was on 11:30 am, but since I didn't have enough cash with me, I needed to leave the office and walked a few blocks to get exact cash. When I came back to the office, people who had 12 pm appointment and get cash back faster than me took over my place and lined up in front of me. That made me angry. I finished my appointment at 12:50 pm at the end. 4, Since Oct 2017, they do not have any same date visa or any pick up service. They only mail your passport to your home address by UPS. So you need to pay the express mail fee. I submitted my application on Monday, and received my passport with visa on Wednesday evening. I got a receipt with a reference number, so I can check my application status on BLS website. When my passport was ready to mail out, a tracking number was there too. 5, In my case, total fee was $115 in cash. It includes $71 for visa fee, $18.5 for BLS Service fee, $0.5 for each copy (I don't know that I need to copy my previous Schengen Visa page on my passport because I can't find any info to do so on the website. They charge me $0.5 for that copy), $25 for UPS Courier service. 6, BLS is a small office. Staff will help verify your documents before submitting your application, finger print and taking a picture ( I have submitted one passport size photograph to them and sticked on the application, but they still asked me to take a photo on the spot). 7, My first entry to Schengen field will be Italy, and the second field is Spain. Because I am planning to spend 3 days in Italy first and 5 days in Spain, in other words my main destination is Spain, I can get Schengen visa from Spain, not from Italy. This info I was told by Spain Consulate customer service by phone. So if you travel to more than one Schengen countries, please consult the consulate first. Different people, may have different cases. Above is just my personal experience, since visa services may change later so please contact Consulate of Spain for sure. Hope my experience can help you. read more

Got an appointment online at the last moment. Was in and out in 30 minutes. Very friendly people and process. read more

My appointment was at 1:45, was called at 1:50, interviewed for 5 minutes and was out with my visa by 2:15. It can't get any better!! The staff was extremely professional, polite and helpful. Just make sure you have the documents listed on their website and you should be good to go. read more

Bad customer service. I sent them an email 3 business days ago and still no response. Not even an automatic email confirming that they had received my message. Calling the number on their website and surfing their voicemail system makes it extremely difficult to talk to a human being. The worst part about it is that they don't even have the decency to put the caller on hold, or tell them that lines are busy - the voicemail instead LOOPS CONTINUOUSLY, making me think for a while that the voicemail system wasn't created for talking to a human at all. Only when I pressed for operator was I able to speak to someone, who turned out to be decent (but couldn't do much for me without a confirmed appointment). The online appointments for visas are packed for the next 2 months (what?!), making it impossible for me to get my visa from the NYC consulate. And the consulate appointment slots are only from 9am-11:45am...ridiculously short hours. This is the reason it's impossible to get an appointment! It's really a shame that this is the only venue you can get a Spanish visa from, allowing them to have subpar service while the rest of us have to bite the bullet. read more

The visa process can't be any easier. Appointment was 12:15 and got called at 12:25, then interviewed for 5 minutes and I was able to leave with my passport at 1. Staff and visa officers are all super friendly. Amazing and open view of midtown Manhattan, even sitting at the waiting area was a relaxing and pleasant experience. The only other EU consulate I've been to is Italian consulate, and the difference is day and night. My wait was over an hour and the visa officers were totally unprofessional. The lady who interviewed me took a personal call and talked for a good 5 minutes while I was standing and waiting. When I tried to ask her question she was impatient too. My point is that Spanish consulate is the best! Go get your visa at here even when you are trying to visit Italy! read more

Update---- I made a short trip to Madrid on the long weekend of May 25th as I was in UK. I am planning to visit Spain/France or Spain/Portugal again in early July (Spain primary destination). I need to reapply for Schengen visa as my earlier visa was for 7 days. Do you think it would be a problem getting the Spanish Schengen visa again given that my previous visa expired just yesterday? Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks. --------------------- The wait is long but the staff is courteous. Once you are done with the interview, you get the visa in 15 mins. However, they give you visa for exact dates. Hard to get 60 or 90 day visa. read more

I will be traveling to Spain soon and had a couple of questions and wanted to clarify them. Called to get the address the recording gave all pertinent information regarding location and business hours. The guard was polite and directed me to the right window. The waiting on the line was no more than 10 minutes the Customer Service Rep was polite, smile and answers all my questions fully and professionally. I was in and out in around 20 minutes. Not bad. read more

Honestly I have been having perpetual fear about visa offices of first world countries, just seem so daunting. But Spain Consulate is by far the best I've ever been to. I am doing Semester At Sea and we will be visiting several EU countries, Spain is neither my first point of entry (France) nor my longest stay (Italy). I couldn't get appointments at either Consulate cause they are all the way booked till Sept. So I was really nervous at first because I was afraid they won't process my application and I would be screwed cause time is running out. My appointment was today at 9:15, I made it a week before. I got there at 9 and waited for 20 minutes before I was called up. The visa officer was a young guy, probably not much older than me. I handed him all my documents, he went through them and asked me "Spain is not your longest stay, why do you come here to apply?" And that was my biggest fear! I told him I couldn't get appointments at either consulate and I had to come here because time is running out. He said he had to ask his boss and will be right back. And then there was my 3 minutes of anxious waiting, he came back and told me "Well we can make an exception for you, since the days differences is really little, but next time you really should apply at the Italy Consulate." "Oh my gosh, thank you so much, you are my hero." I literally said that. The interview took 10 minutes, and then I wait 30 minutes before I got my passport back. In and out in an hour, it was truly a great experience. Apply at Spain if you can. read more

The services provided were efficient and the staff/officers were very polite and helpful. I went in to drop off my passport on a Tuesday and by Friday I had my passport back home with me. They advised me to have it mailed back as it would be quicker than picking it up (not sure why but glad I did becaused I needed it back in time to apply for another visa). The only reason I've only give 4 stars is because they gave me a visa for just one month and applying for visas is time consuming and expensive and I wish they would just grant frequent travellers longer visas. read more

This has to be one of the most efficient office's ever! The staff is excellent; very courteous, helpful, kind and truly make a real effort. More than anything, they are so efficient... I needed a short visit visa and they gave it to me within minutes. There is no consulate in New York City that even compares to the service. I have honestly waited longer for a coffee. Exceptional, in every way! read more

1 star for the phone service and 7 stars (yes it's that good) for the office visit - 4 star average. First of all, all visa appointments have to be scheduled online beforehand. Same case with the Boston and SF consulate but DC is walk-in only. However, the NY consulate tends to be booked way faster than the Boston office. My visit is coming up soon and I couldn't find an open appointment before my travel date. Hence I called the office many times and no one ever picked up. Very frustrating and their voice message was in Spanish - I didn't really understand and kept asking the empty voice recording do you speak English. ugh But once I payed a personal visit, the people in the consulate were very nice and super professional. I could tell they were really trying to help and had empathy over my situation. Both the front desk security guard/recipient and the counselor. They gave me a few options and informed me to check their calendar regularly. He was absolutely right. Immediately after I returned to work, I saw an open slot for that day. At around 7PM, I found an open slot the next week and that was perfect for me. I'd say the visit certainly calmed me down and helped a lot! read more

This review is for the Spanish Consulate in NYC. I am planning a trip to Spain with my wife in May 2014. I was kind of nervous after seeing all the negative reviews on google and yelp. However quite the contrary my experience was pretty good. I got an appointment for 04/23 at 12.30 PM. I reached on time and checked in. No issues with that. The guard at the entry was very polite and professional. There were some people waiting in the consulate so I thought maybe I would have to wait for long. After checking in I went to reception and let them know I was here. They asked me to take a seat. At around 12.45 my name was called. The embassy staff member checked my papers, asked me a few questions about my trip then gave me a receipt and accepted my payment and documentation. They informed me that my visa would be ready the next day. I was out by 1 PM. I also included a pre-paid UPS shipping label. Next day my passport was shipped out and I received it on Friday 04/25. All in all the experience was pretty good. I would only say this though that slots for appointments get filled up very fast. So make sure you book an appointment early on. They also allow you to change the appointment so if at a later time you think the appointment is not going to work for you, you can always change it. Plus I made sure I had all of the documentation they needed by looking at their website. So please make sure you have all of your paperwork in order and double check. read more

Excellent service by friendly and efficient staff!! Great experience in obtaining a Schengen visa. Entire process from booking an appointment to prompt issuance within 1/2 hour was much appreciated. All staff seemed genuinely interested in assisting travelers, and were courteous. Do come prepared, they are a stickler for correct documents but since I had all the items they required ( follow the list on their website ), it was pretty smooth. Muchas gracias Espana ! Can't wait to visit your beautiful country !! read more

Terrible! I have been calling the Spanish consulate in New York City for two weeks now. Every day. Most times I never get a live person. Once I actually got someone on the phone and was able to ask my question. He seemed very friendly and agreed to inquire and get the information and get back to me via email. Still waiting for that email. Again I have called and called and nothing. I just called the Embassy in DC and explained my situation -- that I had called, that I had emailed, and all I wanted was an answer to one question. They kept telling me to keep calling the Consulate I asked if there was anyway they could answer my question. They said no, call the Consulate, and then promptly hung up. Not even a goodbye. Very poorly done in deed! read more