Entering Spain: C and D visas, 90 in 180, EES and the declaración de entrada
A non-EU national enters Spain on a Schengen C visa for a short stay or on a national D visa to live here. A holder of a D visa or Spanish residence permit may travel to other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180, and days spent in Spain on the visa or permit do not count toward that limit. Anyone arriving from another Schengen country without a Spanish residence permit reports their entry to the police within three days.
Contents
- C visa and D visa
- Means of subsistence at the border
- Traveling around Schengen with a D visa or permit
- EES: electronic entry records
- Declaración de entrada
- Multiple-entry visas for Russian nationals
C visa and D visa
| C visa (Schengen) | D visa (national) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | short stay: tourism, visits, business trips | living here: study, work, digital nomad, non-lucrative, family reunification |
| Length of stay | up to 90 days in any 180-day period (art. 6.1 Regulation (EU) 2016/399) | the term of the permit, the visa itself no longer than one year |
| Issued by | the consulate of the Schengen country of the main destination, under the EU Visa Code | a Spanish consulate, under Spanish law |
| Legal basis | Regulation (EC) 810/2009 | art. 18 of the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement as amended by Regulation (EU) 265/2010 |
A D visa is valid for no more than one year. For a longer stay a residence permit replaces it before it expires (art. 18.2 of the Convention), in Spain the TIE card. The validity of a multiple-entry C visa and the days of stay it allows are different things: a five-year visa still allows no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.
Means of subsistence at the border
Border control may ask for proof of funds for the whole stay and for the return journey (art. 6.1.c of Regulation (EU) 2016/399). The amount is set as a share of the SMI, the Spanish minimum wage, and moves with it every year: 10 percent of the monthly SMI per person for each day of stay, and in any case no less than 90 percent of the SMI per person regardless of the length of the trip (Orden PRE/1282/2007, section two). €122.10 per person per day, and no less than €1,098.90 per person per tripcurrent for 2026. Days are counted from the date of entry to the departure date on the ticket, both included.
Funds are shown in cash, as certified or traveler’s checks, or as a bank card together with an account statement or an updated passbook. A letter from the bank or a printout from online banking does not count (section two, paragraph 2). A named, non-transferable, closed return ticket for the means of transport the traveler will use is required separately. Without sufficient funds or without such a ticket, entry is refused (section two, paragraph 3). The officer may, however, admit the traveler for a shorter stay in proportion to the funds shown (section two, paragraph 4). The requirement does not apply to citizens of the EU, EEA, Switzerland and Andorra or to their family members under RD 240/2007 (section one).
Traveling around Schengen with a D visa or permit
A holder of a Spanish residence permit or D visa with a valid passport may travel freely to other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period (arts. 21.1 and 21.2a of the Convention as amended by Regulation (EU) 265/2010 and Regulation (EU) 610/2013). No separate visa is needed for these trips.
Days in Spain on a D visa or permit are left out of the 90-in-180 calculation (art. 6.2 Regulation (EU) 2016/399). The limit counts only days in other Schengen countries. The presence requirements of your Spanish status apply separately: for non-lucrative residence that is more than 183 days a year (renewals).
EES: electronic entry records
The EES (Entry/Exit System) replaces passport stamps with an electronic record of entry and exit, with fingerprints and a facial image. It started on October 12, 2025 and has been running at all external Schengen borders since April 10, 2026 (European Commission, March 30, 2026).
The EES registers non-EU nationals coming for short stays. It does not register holders of a long-stay visa or residence permit issued by a country operating the EES, except those issued by Cyprus and Ireland, nor family members of EU citizens holding a residence card (art. 2.3 Regulation (EU) 2017/2226, European Commission, July 27, 2026). A holder of a Spanish D visa or TIE shows the passport together with the visa or card at the border, and no EES record is created for them. The exemption concerns the EES record and does not remove document and identity checks at the border.
At the external border the guard checks a non-EU national’s entry conditions and documents authorizing residence (art. 8.3 Regulation (EU) 2016/399, point a). The TIE is issued in the uniform EU format and carries a chip with a facial image and two fingerprints (art. 4a Regulation (EC) 1030/2002). These data are used to verify the authenticity of the card and the identity of the holder where the law requires the card to be produced (art. 4 of the same Regulation as amended by Regulation (EC) 380/2008). A border crossing on a TIE can therefore include checking fingerprints and the photo against the card’s chip.
Declaración de entrada
A non-EU national, other than a national of Andorra, Monaco or San Marino, who enters Spain from a Schengen country with no border checks toward Spain and has no Spanish residence permit, reports their entry to the police in person. If this was not done on arrival, it is done within three days at any Policía Nacional station (art. 13 RD 1155/2024, Ministry of the Interior page).
The duty covers holders of another Schengen country’s residence permit, tourists on another country’s C visa and visa-exempt nationals alike. A holder of a Spanish residence permit does not have to report.
A Kazakh national holding a French C visa flies into Paris and two days later takes the train to Barcelona. There are no border checks on that route and the entry into Spain is recorded nowhere. Within three days of arrival he reports his entry at any Policía Nacional station.
The declaration is evidence of lawful entry into Spain. It matters when lawful presence must be shown for an application made from Spain, such as a digital nomad permit through UGE-CE, and when the date of entry starts a period running, such as for arraigo.
Multiple-entry visas for Russian nationals
Commission decision C(2025) 7552 of November 6, 2025 covers C visa applications lodged by Russian nationals living in Russia at EU consulates in Russia. The general rule is a single-entry visa.
Multiple-entry visas remain for two groups:
| Who | Condition | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| Spouses, registered partners, the spouse’s children under 21, children including adopted children, and parents of EU citizens or of Russian nationals lawfully living in an EU country | three visas obtained and lawfully used in the last two years | one year |
| Transport workers (seafarers, lorry and bus drivers, train crews) applying in that capacity | two visas obtained and lawfully used in the last two years | nine months |
Where the visa would outlast the passport, the multiple-entry visa ends three months before the passport expires. The decision is addressed to 25 EU Member States. It does not apply to national D visas.
Frequently asked questions
Do days in Spain on a D visa count toward the 90-in-180 limit?
No. Periods of stay under a residence permit or long-stay visa are left out of the 90-in-180 calculation (art. 6.2 Regulation (EU) 2016/399). The limit applies to trips to other Schengen countries: there a D visa or permit holder may stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Link to this answerDo I need a declaración de entrada if I flew into Spain via Paris?
Yes, unless you hold a Spanish residence permit. A non-EU national arriving from a Schengen country without border checks reports their entry to the police in person, on arrival or within three days at any Policía Nacional station (art. 13 RD 1155/2024). Holders of a Spanish permit have no such duty.
Link to this answerDoes the EES register holders of a Spanish residence permit?
No. The EES records entries and exits of non-EU nationals on short stays. Holders of a long-stay visa or residence permit issued by an EES country are not registered, except permits issued by Cyprus and Ireland. At the border they show their passport with the D visa or card, and no EES record is created.
Link to this answerCan a Russian national get a multiple-entry visa for Spain?
When applying at a consulate in Russia, the general rule is a single-entry visa (Commission decision C(2025) 7552 of November 6, 2025). A one-year multiple-entry visa remains for close relatives of EU citizens and of Russians lawfully living in the EU who obtained and lawfully used three visas in the last two years.
Link to this answer