Spanish consular procedures in the United States
These are the nineteen Spanish consular matters most searched for from the United States, each with what to bring, what it costs and where it happens.
Start with what surprises people: five of them do not happen at the consulate. The DNI is only issued in Spain, Schengen and student visas are lodged with BLS, the apostille comes from the Secretary of State of the issuing state, and the Golden Visa disappeared in April 2025.
And one date that dates half the internet: the Democratic Memory Law closed on 22 October 2025. What is still open, with no deadline, is the option for children of a parent originally Spanish and born in Spain.
The nineteen guides
Traveling to Spain
What you need to get in, starting with what few people know: a US citizen needs no visa for 90 days.
Residence visas
The over-90-day ones: non-lucrative, digital nomad, student and work. And the one that no longer exists.
Identity and documents
The passport and the NIE are consular; the DNI is only issued in Spain.
- Spanish passport in the United States: renewal and first passport
- NIE number from the United States: how to apply at the consulate
- NIF tax number for Spaniards without DNI and foreigners without NIE
- Consular registration (Registro de MatrÃcula)
- Spanish DNI from the United States: it is only issued in Spain
Nationality
The grandchildren law closed in October 2025. What is still open, and what to do so as not to lose it.
Civil registry
Births, marriages and certificates: here the consul is the civil registrar, and it is all free.
Records, apostille and notary
What the consulate certifies, what the Secretary of State apostilles and what the consul signs as a notary.
consuladosespana.us is an independent guide to Spain's consular offices in the United States. We are not the Embassy, any Consulate General, or the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
We do not book or sell appointments: consular appointments are free. Details are checked regularly and can change without notice.