¡MUY IMPORTANTE!
While the instructions on the Los Angeles Spanish Consulate website: click here, on how to obtain a Spanish Student Visa are informative, I believe there is still important information that would make your process go a lot smoother. Read below if you are planning to study abroad in Spain and need to apply for a Student Visa. I wish someone had written something out like this for me.
These steps should take place before you even apply for the program you are wanting to get into:
I) Apply for your Passport, in order to do this follow the following steps:
1. Make an appointment at your local United States Postal Service Office
2. Take passport photos professionally. These can be done at a Kinkos, Costco or other stores
3. Fill out the passport application
4. Attend your meeting with your required documents ie Drivers License, Birth Certificate
etc. and money for the passport.
More information on how to obtain a passport can be found HERE
II) Request your "Absence of Police Records from the FBI". This is a tedious process and takes forever. In order to do so follow these steps:
3. Find a local PROFESSIONAL and CERTIFIED fingerprinting location. This is VERY important or your
fingerprints will be sent back. The FBI lists UPS locations as credible fingerprinting locations, however I do not recommend them. Every person I know (3 people) that had them done at a UPS had their fingerprints sent back. The have extensive instructions about good fingerprinting on the FBI Website linked above.
*If you live in San Marcos, CA I recommend going to A1 Fingerprinting in Vista. It is a small hole in the wall place but the guy knows his stuff and does what he does very well. As of today the number is (760) 724-0840.
4. Obtain a form of Payment:
Option 1: Obtain a money order or cashiers check for $18 U.S. dollars made payable to the Treasury of the United States. Please be sure to sign where required.
Option 2: Pay by credit card using The Credit Card Form. Don’t forget to include the expiration date of the credit card that you are using.
**I suggest using Option 1 so you do not have to disclose Credit Card information. But thats just me.
*Important note: Cash, personal checks, or business checks WILL NOT be accepted
*Payment must be for the exact amount
*If the request is for a couple, family, etc., include $18 for each person.
*If you are making multiple requests per person, include $18 for each request
5. Review the FBI Identification Record Request Checklist to ensure that you have included all the information they require to process your request.
6. Mail the required items listed above—applicant information form, fingerprint card, and payment—to the following address:
FBI CJIS Division – Record Request
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306
**You should do both of these processes prior to even applying for your program because each of them can take up to 4 months to receive. So get on it if you have not already. :)
**SEE THE NEXT POST FOR THE NEXT STEPS IN OBTAINING YOUR STUDENT VISA.
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