Spain Bilateral visa agreement for New Zealand citizens

Read about the Spain Bilateral visa agreement. Before you travel to Europe from New Zealand, you should be familiar with the “90 days out of a 180 day period” Schengen visa rule. Citizens of Annex 2 countries, of which New Zealand is included, can enter many of the 27 Schengen Area countries without a visa. Refer to

This NZ bilateral visa waiver agreement for Spain allows New Zealanders that meet the specified requirements to spend up to 90 days in Spain without reference to time spent in the Schengen area. However, the decision to apply this rule over the visa waiver rests solely with local border and immigration authorities. Refer to: https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/countries-and-regions/europe/spain/ and https://www.treaties.mfat.govt.nz/search/details/t/2613

Spain Bilateral visa agreement. NZ citizens must not exceed the 90 days.

Your stay must not exceed the “90 days out of a 180 day period” rule. (Be sure to keep a record of your entry and departure proof of travel. If you are able to, it would be wise to allow for a 3 day margin of error. Meaning do not depart on day 90, and leave a few days before.)

New Zealand has bilateral visitor visa waiver agreements with many of the individual countries in the Schengen area. This means you do not need to apply for a visitor visa prior to leaving New Zealand as long as you meet the visitor visa waiver criteria.

Refer to: https://www.safetravel.govt.nz/travel-tips-travel-europe#

NOTE: Every member of the 17 countries may have different rules and this will change once ETIAS comes into effect next year in 2024.

You can also refer to the below government websites for official information.

New Zealand Government websites

Kingdom of Spain Government websites

Recommended websites

EU Countries With Bilateral Visa Waiver Agreements

Your 180 day count begins from the first day you enter a Schengen Area country. And you can leave and enter as many times as you wish. As long as your total days in the region do not exceed 90 days for that 180 day period. Currently, the Schengen Area includes the following 17 countries:

In total, 17 Schengen countries have entered into bilateral visa exemption agreements with third countries:

Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Iceland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland

All the below countries have agreements pertaining to the residence permit. Basically as well as some of the 17 countries above you can apply for a residence permit in the country.

Estonia
Finland
Iceland
Greece
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Poland
Slovakia

The EU has established a common visa policy for transit through or intended stays in the territory of a Schengen State of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.

Citizens of New Zealand are exempt from the short-stay visa requirement in the Schengen Area, and can visit one or more Schengen States visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

If an individual EU Member State has a separate visa-exemption agreement (also known as “bilateral visa-exemption agreement”) with a non-EU country, citizens of the non-EU country may remain in the individual EU Member State for an additional period of time once 90 visa-free days have been used in other Schengen States.

The below website provides general information regarding bilateral visa-exemption agreements. Please note that the website is in no way affiliated with Spain or any European country or territory.

EU-Third Countries Bilateral Visa Waiver Agreements Explained (etiasvisa.com)

Spain’s bilateral visa-exemption agreement with New Zealand

Spain has a valid bilateral visa-exemption agreement with New Zealand. Citizens of New Zealand may travel to and stay in Spain visa-free for up to 90 days, regardless of previous stays in Schengen State. A stay in Spain or another Schengen State during the last 180 days will be counted towards the time period of visa-exemption.

Example: A citizen of New Zealand who has stayed visa-free in France for no more than 90 days may travel to Spain and, by invoking the agreement, stay in Spain visa-free for no more than 90 days.

New Zealand travellers who would like to stay in one of the listed countries without a visa for more than 90 days must contact the local authorities well before the 90 day period is due.

Please read the below information from the New Zealand Embassy

If you are in Spain and you need to contact the New Zealand Embassy in Madrid, please refer to the links below:

Official New Zealand in Spain government website:

http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Spain

Official New Zealand in Spain social media pages:

https://www.facebook.com/nzembassyspain/

https://www.instagram.com/nzinspain/

https://twitter.com/N ZinSpain/

Visas for Spain (Information provided by New Zealand Embassy in Madrid)

The New Zealand Embassy is not responsible for providing information on entry requirements or issuing visas to New Zealanders wishing to visit, work or reside in Spain. As the Embassy cannot comment on the immigration laws of another country, it is suggested to consult with the Spanish Embassy in New Zealand. If you are currently in Spain and require information on applying for a visa or the right to remain in the country, the competent authority to give advice will be the Oficina de Extranjería.

https://mpt.gob.es/portal/delegaciones_gobierno/extranjeria/extranjeria_ddgg.htm

https://find-a-professional-service-abroad.service.csd.fcdo.gov.uk/find?serviceType=lawyers&country=spain