Increased Obstacles For Citizens Of Cuba To Visit Spain And Schengen Area In Europe
/SchengenVisaInfo
Prishtina, Kosovo
27 July 2022
No Schengen Visa Appointments Available Until September, Spanish Consulate in Cuba Says
The Consulate General of Spain in Havana, Cuba, has announced persons who wish to obtain a visa in order to be able to enter Spain will not be able to do so as there are no available appointments. The Consulate said last week there are no appointments available until September, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“Schengen visa appointments (tourism) are sold out. Until September they will not be available again, which we will announce in due course,” Consulate General of Spain in Havana wrote on its official Twitter account. This means that all citizens of Cuba who were planning to visit Spain during August will have to change their holiday plans. In addition, the Consulate said there are no visa appointments for relatives of European Union citizens either. This group of applicants will have to wait until November. “Visa appointments for relatives of EU citizens are sold out until November,” the Consulate added.
It is believed that the Consulate does not have any available appointments for this month as the demand has increased significantly now that the COVID-19 restrictions have been facilitated in all countries. A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa that permits an individual to travel to any Schengen Area country for stays of up to 90 days. The Schengen visa is needed by all nationals of third countries that have not reached a visa liberalisation agreement with the Schengen states.
Persons planning to visit Spain for tourism purposes are advised to apply for a Spanish tourist visa. In order to successfully apply for a visa, all persons must complete the Spanish visa application form, take two passport photos, and hold a valid passport. In addition, everyone must provide copies of all the pages of the passport, their previous visas, other valid or expired travel passports, and their pages. Moreover, those planning to apply for a Spanish visa must hold travel insurance, a round-trip flight itinerary, proof of accommodation, proof of sufficient financial means, a cover letter, as well as proof of civil status. Depending if the applicant is employed, retired, or a student, other documents are needed too.
Previously, SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that apart from Spain, other Schengen countries also do not have appointments available until September. Due to the high demand and the backlog, it has been revealed that everyone wishing to apply for a visa will have to wait until new appointments are made available in September.
From The European Union (EU): “The border-free Schengen Area guarantees free movement to more than 400 million EU citizens, along with non-EU nationals living in the EU or visiting the EU as tourists, exchange students or for business purposes (anyone legally present in the EU). Free movement of persons enables every EU citizen to travel, work and live in an EU country without special formalities. Schengen underpins this freedom by enabling citizens to move around the Schengen Area without being subject to border checks.
Today, the Schengen Area encompasses most EU countries, except for Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland and Romania. However, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania are currently in the process of joining the Schengen Area and already applying the Schengen acquis to a large extent. Additionally, also the non-EU States Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein have joined the Schengen Area.” LINK
