Do you qualify?
- Is your passport valid for at least one more year and issued less than 10 years ago?
- Do you already have your employer's authorisation, your admission to a school or the link with a Spanish or resident relative?
- Are your criminal record and your medical certificate apostilled?
- Do you live in the district of the Consulate of Spain in Santo Domingo, and can you prove it?
Answer the questions to see where you stand.
A first check against the rules in this guide. The consulate checks your own case.
Key facts
- Where to file
- BLS International, Unicentro Plaza, Suite 46II, 3rd level, Piantini, Santo Domingo 1
- Visa fee
- 6,694 Dominican pesos, in cash 6
- BLS fee
- 1,257 Dominican pesos 6
- Visa for family of a Spaniard
- Free 5
- Visa decision time
- 1 month for work, study and reunification; 15 days for family of a Spaniard 2
- Passport
- Valid for at least 1 year and issued less than 10 years ago 2
Which visa to apply for, by goal
The Consulate General of Spain in Santo Domingo processes national visas for stays of more than 90 days. These are the most used, depending on what you want to do 2 3 4 5:
| Your goal | Visa | What you need first |
|---|---|---|
| Work for a Spanish company | Employed work | Your employer obtains your initial residence and work authorisation in Spain |
| Study | Study | Admission to a school and funds of 100% of the IPREM per month |
| Join a relative who lives in Spain | Family reunification, general regime | Your relative obtains the reunification authorisation in Spain |
| Live with your Spanish partner, parent or child | Residence of a family member of a Spaniard | Proof of your link with the Spanish person |
The consulate also lists non-lucrative residence, remote work (digital nomad), internship, research, entrepreneur, investor and highly qualified professional visas 3. If you live on your own income or work remotely for companies outside Spain, see those guides.
For work and reunification visas, the first step happens in Spain: the employer or your relative applies for the authorisation and, once it is granted, you apply for the visa in Santo Domingo 2 4.
Where and how to file
Applications are filed at the BLS International centre: Ave. 27 de Febrero corner Ave. Abraham Lincoln, Unicentro Plaza, Suite 46II, 3rd level, Piantini, Santo Domingo. Phone +1 829 545 1159 and website do.blsspainvisa.com 1. You book the appointment online on the BLS portal 2.
Rules that apply to all national visas 2 3:
- The consulate only accepts applications from people who live in its district, and you must provide proof of residence. If you are not Dominican, add your residence permit in the country.
- You file in person, and minors are filed by their legal representative. For the work visa a representative is only accepted for justified reasons; for the study visa an accredited representative can file it.
- The fee is paid in cash, in Dominican pesos, when you file.
- All foreign documents must be legalised or apostilled, and translated if they are not in Spanish.
The visa for family of a Spaniard can also be filed at the consular office. If you voluntarily use the external centre, you pay its service fee 5.
How much it costs
The consulate's price list, dated for 2026, shows these amounts in Dominican pesos 6:
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Visa fee (heading 14) | RD$ 6,694 |
| BLS outsourcing fee | RD$ 1,257 |
| Initial temporary residence authorisation | RD$ 814 |
The residence visa for family of a Spaniard is free 5.
On top of this come the costs of your documents: criminal record certificate, apostilles, medical certificate and, for the study visa, health insurance. The Attorney General's Office of the Republic raised the certificate of no criminal record to RD$ 800 in January 2026, according to the Dominican press 9.
Dominican documents: criminal record, apostille and medical certificate
Passport. Valid for at least one year, with two blank pages, and issued less than 10 years ago. The consulate recommends the Dominican biometric passport 3 4.
Criminal record. Adults provide the certificate from each country where they lived in the last five years 2. For the study visa it is only requested if the stay exceeds 180 days 3. In the Dominican Republic the certificate of no criminal record is issued by the Attorney General's Office of the Republic, which offers it online; people without a Dominican cédula request it in person 9.
Apostille. The Dominican Republic has applied the Apostille Convention since 30 August 2009 7. The competent authority is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX), in its Document Legalisation Office, Av. Independencia 752, Santo Domingo; MIREX lets you verify apostilles online 8.
Medical certificate. It shows that you do not suffer from diseases with serious public health repercussions under the International Health Regulations of 2005 3. For the work visa, the consulate asks for it legalised and apostilled, at most 3 months old, and only accepts it from the centres on its list 2.
Birth and marriage certificates. They prove the link in family visas and must be apostilled 4 5.
Timelines of each visa
| Visa | When to apply | Consulate decision | Visa validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employed work | Within the month after your employer is notified | 1 month | 365 days if the authorisation exceeds 6 months |
| Study | At least 2 months before the start | 1 month from the favourable stay authorisation | Up to 365 days |
| Family reunification | Within the 2 months after your relative is notified | 1 month | 365 days |
| Family of a Spaniard | Within the month after the authorisation, if your relative is in Spain | 15 days | 365 days |
Sources: the consulate's page for each visa 2 3 4 5.
The consulate may ask you for more documents or call you to an interview 2. If your visa is refused, you can file an appeal for reconsideration with the consulate within one month, or a contentious-administrative appeal before the High Court of Justice of Madrid within two months 2.
To study, the visa requires funds of 100% of the IPREM, 75% more for the first family member and 50% for each of the following ones 3, for each month of stay 11. With the IPREM at 600 € a month, the student needs 600 € for each month of stay 10.
On arrival in Spain
You apply for the Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) within the month after you enter, or after you are registered with Social Security if you travel with a work visa. For work it is requested if the authorisation exceeds six months, and for study if the stay exceeds 180 days 2 3 4. It is requested at the police station or the immigration office of the province where your authorisation was processed 5.
With the work visa, the employer must register you with Social Security within 3 days after you enter, and before you start working 2.
With the higher education study visa you can work up to 30 hours a week without any other procedure, if it is compatible with your studies 11.
Step by step
Documents you will need 11 documents
- Signed national visa application form
- Recent colour photographpassport size, light background
- Passport valid for at least 1 yearwith 2 blank pages, issued less than 10 years ago
- Initial residence and work authorisation signed by the employer (work visa)
- Admissiontuition payment, financial means and health insurance (study visa)
- Reunification authorisation and copy of your relative's TIE (reunification)
- Certificate of no criminal record for the last 5 years, apostilled
- Medical certificate under the International Health Regulations of 2005
- Apostilled birth or marriage certificates(family visas)
- Proof of residence in the consulate's district
- Visa fee in cashin Dominican pesos
Questions
Where do you apply for the Spain visa in Santo Domingo?
Can I apply for the work visa without a job offer?
For the employed work visa you need the initial residence and work authorisation that your employer in Spain signs; the consulate asks for it among the documents 2.
How much does the Spain visa cost for Dominicans?
My husband is Spanish. Which visa do I apply for?
The residence visa for a family member of a person of Spanish nationality. It is free and the consulate decides it in 15 days when you provide the favourable residence authorisation 5.
How long does the study visa take?
Apply at least two months before the start. When the stay authorisation is favourable, the consulate decides the visa within one month at most 3.
Before you rely on this
- The amounts come from the consulate's price list printed on 16 December 2025 for 2026; consular fees are updated, so confirm the figure on the day of your appointment 6.
- The authority that issues the certificate of no criminal record and its price come from the Dominican press; confirm with the Attorney General's Office of the Republic whether the online certificate can be apostilled 9.
- Questions for an immigration lawyer in Spain: how your case fits if you were ever in an irregular situation in Spain, which visa suits you if you have both Spanish and resident family, and what to do if the one-month deadline to apply for the work visa runs out for lack of appointments.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change: confirm with the consulate or a lawyer before you apply.
Sources11 sources, 10 official
- Lugar de presentación de solicitudes de visadoofficialConsulado General de España en Santo Domingo
- Visado de trabajo por cuenta ajenaofficialConsulado General de España en Santo Domingo
- Visado de estudiosofficialConsulado General de España en Santo Domingo
- Visado de reagrupación familiar en régimen generalofficialConsulado General de España en Santo Domingo
- Visado de residencia de familiares de personas de nacionalidad españolaofficialConsulado General de España en Santo Domingo
- Listado de precios, recaudación consular (2026)officialConsulado General de España en Santo Domingo
- Estado actual del Convenio de la ApostillaofficialConferencia de La Haya de Derecho Internacional Privado (HCCH)
- República Dominicana: autoridad competente de la Apostilla (art. 6)officialConferencia de La Haya de Derecho Internacional Privado (HCCH)
- Aumenta el costo del certificado de no antecedentes penales (30 de enero de 2026)Diario Libre
- Cuantías anuales: IPREM y SMIofficialServicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE)
- Real Decreto 1155/2024, Reglamento de la Ley Orgánica 4/2000officialBoletín Oficial del Estado
