Horrible service!!! Left them 3 voicemails and 3 emails and still waiting someone to reach me out. Nobody picks up the phone it always goes to voicemail machine. At this point I don't know what to do beside simply showing up at their office? One of the worst experience I've ever had dealing with government bureaucracy!!!
Had an appointment for my student visa application and it was quick. Left the building before my actual appointment time. The staff was friendly!
The hours and waiting times are consistent and the attention is formidable, in short the team is 10 points
The worst service, they never answer, on the website they do not have specific information about many procedures, the emails do not answer them. I imagine they must be exhausted from work because you can waste the whole day calling because they are always busy.
These people are LAZY! Do NOT take them seriously! They NEVER return back phone calls or emails. I had to ask personnel from the Spanish consulate in New York to call and email them, but they never even bothered to answer those anyway.
I just sent an e-mail with a question and they replied within seconds. I've never had such a quick response from any government agency, like ever.
Do they have any email that i can contact them aside from the phone?
An embarrassment of citizen service. Nobody returns calls, nobody picks up the phone, and when you send an email, they tell you to go to the website ... I would like to know how many salaries are paid in that consulate to offer such terrible attention to the citizen.
I needed a Schengen visa and my email inquiries were responded to quickly. They emphasized having paperwork completely in order, so read the requirements very, very carefully (everything is on their website). Having done so, I arrived prepared and was processed by the Consulate very efficiently (within a half hour of my scheduled time).
I have an anjo trying to create an appointment to maintain citizenship
no answer! disappointing ! and un believable in answering or finding a solution when you need them and you are in a bad situation!
Awful experience here attempting to pick up a passport/Visa for a friend. He was told in an email, see attached photo, that with a notarized letter of authorization I would be able to pick it up for him. The email was sent just over a month before my visit by Clara Prados, who I had the displeasure of dealing with today. She informed me that, despite her email to the contrary, my friend would be needing to fly out to LA a second time and pick up his documents in person. When I asked her when this changed and if she could provide any documentation of this procedural change, she got a manager that basically repeated everything she had already said, and told me they need to help other people.
I get that procedure is procedure, but when you act in accordance with the written word of the office I believe we should have been treated better than we were. Now my friend has to fly across the country again, in the midst of trying to leave the country in just a few weeks.
Super frustrating and lame. This is a shining example of the worst kind of nonsensical governmental bureaucracy.
This is not the first time that we have had contact with the Spanish Consulate Offices in the US. Even acknowledging that our previous contacts with other offices were pleasant and efficient in the resolution of our issues, the staff in the LA Consulate Office surprised us from the first contact via email for their promptness & clarity in responding to our needs. After several communications via email due to the nature of our requests, we had to travel to Los Angeles to meet with the staff in the legalization department, who were very resilient & proactive in resolving the difficulties that we encountered when the parties involved in the legal documents were in different countries. We were involved with five members of the Consulate Office and all of them surprised us with their friendliness, patience, and ability to resolve difficult issues.
During our visit which lasted several hours due to the complexity of our requests, we were able to observe how the staff related to the other clients and we were pleased to know that the staff handled one case of a person who was difficult and disrespectful, yet resulted in this client leaving the office complimenting the staff for positively resolving her problem, which indicates a clear mission of the management centered in serving the needs of their clients. This was a very pleasant experience that is not frequently found in state or federal bureaucratic institutions.
Really bad and inefficient service, everyone gives you different information, even after email correspondence and checking that you have all the documents that they listed in the email, they told me once I was there (not living in L.A., hence had to drive there 3h) that I need to bring another document (just a really unimportant one like a flight ticket ...), even though you could show them the email correspondence that you had with them weeks before. Seems everyone has a different agenda with different information, no incentive to help, typical Spanish bureaucracy, completely inefficient -- a shameful representation of Spain to the international world, though I have to admit, it does reflect Spanish bureaucracy here in Spain. Wake up Spain with this attitude you will not survive globalisation. People there still have not realised that they damage the reputation not only from Spain, but also from Europe in general and that they work for the people and not for their own sake of laziness.
Very courteous and fast service when you have an appointment, easy to find and parking available starting at $ 4.00 and go up with time I was there for little more than a couple of hours and pay $11.00
Does anyone know when appointments for visas will reopen? Our house in in escrow and two appointments have been cancelled already! We're Our house is in escrow!
They are so helpful ,very quick and very nice people
Very nice people and with a great vocation for service, we were very well treated. The procedures that we went to perform were done quickly and with excellent attention.
My experience has been great. I have been living in LA for the past five years. I have two kids and a wife. I have always been able to solve most of my questions and concerns via email. Same day answer, or the next day. Polite, helpful and clear. In person, same or better experience. I am happy to find such a great service. Thank you.
minombreesjorgeluiscondeyguisieraunacitaemelconsulado
They didn't have the information needed for a simple explanation about a power of attorney. Have gotten nothing but the run around. They are terrible.
Tips for applying Schengen Visa:
They accept both exact cash amount or money order. This is said on the Schengen Visa website but on the check list pdf document at the end of that website, it only mention money order. A little confusing. I can confirm that they accept both.
Usually the first appointment available is 2 months away. But sometimes there are people cancel appointment, so you need to check their appointment website frequently if you need one sooner. I checked almost every day to snap an appointment happen to be a week away. It's also handy if you have all the documents ready so you can goto a next day appointment if there's one pop up.
If you show up earlier than your appointment time and the staff at the visa window is free, just walk up to the window. They will process your visa documents.
My appointment was at 10am, they emailed me at 3pm on the same day the Visa was ready to pickup. Unexpectedly speedy service.
After calling different companies for comparison, Travel Guard insurance provides the cheapest travel medical plan that meets the requirements for Schengen Visa. They have medical only package without covering trip cancellation, which is around $48(as of 2019) for a senior comes with $50k medical coverage (over the $30k requirement from the embassy) and zero deductible. They can email you a letter spelling out zero deductible besides the plan summary. I print out that letter and the plan summary for the application. No problem at all. All the other places I called are $100-200 per plan.
The consulate staff also asked me for a copy of the driver license, which is not mentioned in their Schengen Visa website. It's used for verifying the applicant's address. If you miss copying some documents, there's a notary store across the street near the Starbuck has copy service for 25cents per copy.
If you need to submit notarized letter from sponsor, the letter doesn't have to be notarized by the Consulate notary office. You can get notary service elsewhere. Some bank offer free notary service to their customer. There are 2 different types of notary, make sure it's the kind for a swore statement.
The Consulate office is on the 8th floor of the building. Parking is like $10 for the 1 hr or so I parked there. Even the upper floor parking says monthly parking, you can still park as a visitor.
You need an appointment to submit the application. The applicant must show up in person cuz they will capture your finger print there. You don't need an appointment to pick up the visa.
Everyone is very nice and helpful. Went for a visa and they make sure everything you need is listed on their website. They issued my visa in about two weeks. Good experience:)
The reason for 1 star is due to the staff's failure of communication with their customers. The consulates voicemail clearly says to leave a voicemail/email and staff will be in touch asap. I left many voicemails and emails over the course of a few months and received no reply/help from consulate staff. I was involved in the student visa app. process and this issue was very frustrating and irritating. At times, I was left to guess on answers to questions. It makes it very inconvenient for people to have to drive all the way to the consulate to get their questions answered.
Please Improve Communication!, It makes a bad first impression!
Very friendly, and great experience. Appointments only, keep in mind.
My daughter went to applied for her new passport ( previous appointment) and everything was great, thankfully!!
Very good treatment and very easy to do a paperwork
Definitely not as terrifying as I was making it out to be in my head. I went there for a student visa and had no problems at all. Nice staff, just make sure you have all the items on the check list for your specific visa. Finding the Consulate building is fairly easy as there is a huge "5055" above it if you are driving/walking along Wilshire Blvd. Go in and read the signs which easily direct you to the consulate suite. When you get there you do not need to sign in or anything, however you must have an appointment. The windows are clearly labeled "Visados", "Pasaportes", etc. If in doubt you can always ask someone working there and they will direct you where to go. Make sure you have all the paperwork that is asked for on the website. Pay special attention to having an apostille (if applicable for your visa) for your background check and that your medical insurance meets their requirements. If in doubt you can email the consulate and they are very good at getting back to you within a day or two. The workers are very nice and from my experience they will let you obtain missing documents and come back to submit them later that day.
I have visited the consulate 3 times during the last 3 months, and I had received an excellent service every time. Thanks to staff diligence my sons and I were able to complete all our paperwork pending. They helped us accommodate appointments, since we traveled from another state. I appreciate your assistance. Great staff!
You guys never answer calls or emails. It s really frustrating when you want to get information on the status of your visa.
Worst place EVER. They don't respond to their emails, and forget about having someone pick up a phone call. 100% disrespect.
Recently my husband and I applied for non-lucrative visas. I studied the application instructions for months, established a timeline to gather the documents, and followed the embassy instructions precisely. The two or three times I had one-off questions, I submitted an email and received a prompt response. Our appointments took less than 20 minutes each because we had all the documents organized in the order they appear on the checklist. Precisely two weeks later, our visas were approved. If you follow the instructions (which are admittedly a bit arcane) to the letter, you should have no problems whatsoever.
Great service. I had one week until my trip and they did everything they could to help me get visa on time. By the far the most helpful consulate I've been to. Keep up the good work guys! And thank you!
It takes them FOREVER to return an email or a call (if they actually do). They NEVER pick up the phone, which you know kinda defeats the purpose of having a phone line for the public. I've had to go to the LA consulate 2 times for different things, none of them trivial, it took to get to social media and complain publicly for them to finally react and help me. Spanish consulates and embassies are a joke.
I need to renew my passport to travel to Spain, nobody picks up the phone, the information on the website is useless, a disaster ...
Very nice people, very nice and helpful.
Very serious.
Perfect.
This place makes you feel embarrassed for being from Spain. You need to travel from other states to renovate your passport, is this a joke??? MANY COUNTRIES allow you to do it online! They ask you for birth certificates not older than 1 year so they keep getting money from you. Long waits, NEVER PICK UP THE PHONE, and appointments are 2-3 months wait. Not to mention that you are treated like a piece of garbage. EMBARRASSING.
What a great experience, super helpful! Cristina is a WONDERFUL lady!
Very easy process to obtain my visa! I needed the visa to study for my master degree in Spain. They gave me the list of things I needed. one requirement was to obtain my FBI clearance report which I thought it was going to take 3 to 4 months. Luckily, This place, MR FINGERPRINTS IN DOWNTOWN LA, was able to give me the FBI Report in minutes after submitting my fingerprints. after getting all my documents, I got my visa on time
Excellent service, like always. Thanks Cristina for your help !!!
Applying for a student visa in the San Francisco Consulate three years ago was such a nightmare --- but this Consulate experience was 100 times better. The office was small and the set-up was a little awkward (as you have to speak to More
You must read this if you are applying for Schengen Tourist Visa. Being a citizen of a different country, but US resident I still had to get my visa. I had to fly to LA just for that, but honestly it was the best and quick experience I have ever had with any embassies/consulate. Please read all the instructions that they have posted on their website, not on any other Schengen area or similar to it websites! If you are applying to Schengen Visa and most days you will be in Spain then you are in a right place. Do exactly how it s says on their check sheet and detailed instructions, email them if you have questions( I did and they have responded in less than 24 hrs), and you will get what you went there for. Prepare all the paperwork in order that they asked, you will save yours and their time. (The lady in front of me was still going trough stuff that was very self explanatory online). The gentleman who helped me first was really nice and I wish I did get his name, all I remember that he was from Arizona originally. He asked few questions like, for how long I am going for, is it my first time, what is the purpose? Also, get the latest bank statements and read online what are the income requirements that should be on your account. They gave me chance to go and bring back the latest ATM balance statement and USPS envelope, which is optional (if you are applying for Schengen Visa you do not have to fly back to receive the visa), that I bought literally a block away from their office since I still had time before closing. I came back and provided missing docs and some other really nice gentleman accepted my application. I received my passport the same week with visa stamp inside. You guys I was in shock! It literally took them less than 24hrs to get me visa and it was shipped by priority express in 4 days. Be prepared! You will save your own time.
The only negative thing I can say about the consulate is the fact that they never answer phone calls, but they usually answer emails. For the rest it is an excellent service and always advising you or trying to give a solution to your problem.
Can someone tell me if i could go in person and apply for a visa .for a exchange student my daughther is 16.and if to parents have to be there.
They are difficult to get in contact with do to the fact that they are so busy. Once you get a hold of them however they are extremely helpful! Christina went the extra mile to make sure I got my visa before i left the country!
We needed to file our NIE number, they filled out all the paperwork for us, helped us with information on real estate market in Spain, were polite, efficient, and courteous. We paid and left thankful. Received our NIE # in exactly 2 weeks as we were told by the rep.
I read other reviews, and it's as if we went to a different place! I really have nothing negative to say about the people at the consulate! These guys are great!
It was not that bad as I was expected (based on reviews I have read).
The biggest issue was that the person who was interviewing me was young and probably did not have that much experience. She asked for different unnecessary documents.
For example, I brought my pay-stub, letter from my manager that explains my trip and all expenses is covered by the company (a famous, big corporate one) , insurance that I got through my company yet I was asked for letter of employment. Without that letter, the process of visa would have totally stopped.
Although I was asking for visa for business trip for my company and had my corporate credit card, they asked for personal bank statement and personal credit card statement. Which clearly shows that the clerk who is asking me these document does not have that much experience.
They did not accept my insurance from the company because it did not stated that if I die there, they would return my body back to state. So I instantly bought one online for $18.
In summary, bring anything it is mentioned there in their list. Don't assume something is obvious. You should be good to go. I got my visa in 12 days exactly.
I believe the more times goes, the better they will become in their service.
It's better not to go to Spain if one has to deal with LA Spain consulate. They purposely delayed our passports knowing that the travel is after 10 days. And then lost my passports and falsely claiming they posted it. No one bothers to reply to emails or pick up their phones. They are sitting there to give all of us trouble and anxiety. Poor representation of their country.
Horrible experience onthe phone this lady by the name of Ivette is the worst person that has ever answer the phone to me in my life. She had like an African accent and after I ask her the first question she told me she cannot answer another question and hung up the phone. Then I called back and he tells me not to call back that if I don t I agree with what she answers to call somewhere else and to stop calling there. I felt so humiliated I couldn t believe it she was Beyond rude and make me feel really stupid. I m traveling with my children I m a single mom I already bought everything on my trip and I don t wanna get to customs in Barcelona and for them to say oh you didn t bring this you forgot that you can t come in it is obvious that I am going to ask questions in detail I invested a lot of money on my trip. I just needed someone to just answer two questions that I had I m so upset about this right now I just hung up with this person.
How do you schedule an appointment to get my Spanish passport renew? There isn't any available date??? I sent several emails without response, I tried to call one thousand times and no one answer... How can I fix my issue. Please help. Thanks
1
Terrible experience, really worse than a third world consulate.
An excellent service. I have registered as a resident in LA and I have also processed the change in the electoral roll. Everything in less than 5 minutes, explained everything great and very friendly team! It is a pleasure!
We needed an appointment before Sept because of our travel plans. The consulate went into action and got us an appointment that worked for us. They were very helpful in obtaining a visa. Even though they have a heavy workload, they were understanding about our situation and helped us through the process. Many thanks to the people (especially Christina) of the Spanish consulate in LA.
Service here is a joke. Everyone here talks to you like they're better than you and try to make you feel like you're silly when they don't list all the visa requirements online. The way they take appointments is ridiculous. They want you to sit in front of your computer and hit refresh until one appointment opens up sometime during the day. I wouldn't go back to spain. I rather apply for a visa somewhere else and then enter spain, if i absolutely want to visit spain again.
I don't think there are many Spaniards living in Los Angeles and it is always impossible to contact the Consulate. This is shameful. That no one is ever available via phone in an emergency is embarrassing.
The appointment in Consulate General of Spain in Los Angeles ,was absolutely the the most pleasant experience. Very accommodated ,pleasant and helpful office.I would like to thank especially General Consul and Senior Omar.
People there really went out of their way to help with everything I needed. Thank you so much. Great service. Quick and thorough!
My experience for a lot of subjects is absolutely excellent. I have had several questions for the last years and, especially, last weeks about birth certificates, renewal of passports, DNI, service of a divorce, notarized documents, residency certificates, for myself and my sons. Every time quick and helpful replies, and very polite. I truly think the Spanish residents in LA and nearby are very well taken care of by the Spanish Consulate in Los Angeles. The best of Spanish administration and in the US. Great.
The people were kind and helpful. They got my papers processed in a timely manner as well.
Condescending & rude. My family was treated with disrespect & talked down to. A poor representation of (and frankly an embarrassment to) Spain.
Terrible! Processes never end, never solve anything, they are rude, arrogant and ineffective.
I was there today February 25 , 2019 . Technically I was 4 days early to that within 90 days policy for applying visa. Now I am having hard time to make another appointment online.
Is this a joke? No one answers the phone after 4 hours calling and every menu option says the same message " visit our website or send an email." Every single option is the same! What is even the point of having menu options???????
I would like to take this opportunity to say how much I love the Consulate of Spain my name is George Anton and I m the manager at Printing passport photos right here at 6363 Wilshire Blvd. we are across the street off the consulate of Spain and we love Spain we love the people of Spain welcome to Los Angeles welcome to America come It only takes five minutes to take your passport photos
HI!
Just got my visa and I want to take some time to thank Mikail who works at this consulate. He was the nicest, attentive, patient and helpful person I have encounter in my (almost) 7 months visa process. I was in Madrid when I applied for my residence visa and I had to go back to California to get it since it is/was my home residence for the last 5 years. I was super close of giving up everything because bureaucracy in Spain is stressful, no body wants to help you, they ignore you, and they dont care whether you get your visa or not, it is HORRIBLE! But Mikail, was such a great guy and gave me hope that not everyone is inconsiderate, mean spirit and A&$^$% as my experience with foreign affairs in Madrid. Thank you thank you Mikail for being an exceptional employee and for going out of your way to help those in need. I wish and hope more people who work in "extranjeria" (foreign office in Madrid) and the consulate would be like this guy. I hope someone from supervision reads this review and appreciate Mikail for his appreciation for those in need of assistance.
Have a good day,
Thank you!
Excellent treatment for the renewal of Spanish passport. The process is fast and very friendly.
What an absolute joke. The employees that attended me during my appointment were very helpful, but the real nightmare began after submitting my documents for a visa. Not only did it take much longer than they anticipated, but they somehow had enough negligence (or intent?) to LOSE MY PASSPORT. They called me once my visa was approved saying that I hadn't submitted my passport and that they will need one before I can be issued my visa, when none of the other 4 times I spoke with them did they mention this because I 100% GAVE IT TO THEM. They simply turn a blind eye and point to the disclaimer claiming no responsibility, except in the case of gross negligence or intent. Well, I see no other possibility other than theft or unprecedented negligence. How on Earth do you manage to lose a passport and not recover it?!
Do NOT trust them. Please heed this warning and take video evidence of you submitting all of your important documents. Scrolling through other reviews, this is not the first time someone has claimed theft/loss of a passport. Absolutely disgraceful representation.
Thank you very much to all the human and professional team of the consulate of Spain in Los Angeles.For your support for your patience and for the love shown, to an anonymous person to one more Spanish citizen, in need of help. Now I know that I am not alone. Thank you very much Cristina and to all the others that I cannot put a name. And all my respect and admiration to our Consul an incredible man. I mean it incredibly.
Marta Jala
This office is worst then the DMV of LA. There staff are not helpful at all. But the big kicker is there web-cite its not user friendly!!!!!!!! so now you really can't get anything done.
It was a pleasure to work with the staff at the consulate!! They were very professional and accommodating.
My husband and family applied for a Spanish VISA at this consulate. After going through mounds of paperwork we were warned to be very patient when actually applying in person. I have to express my enjoyment of our interaction. I worked with a woman whose name is Philar and was quite helpful and actually delightful in every way.
These people are totally inefficient. I've been trying to get my visa for awhile now and have yet to hear back from these people. Last I heard it was being held up for some paperwork that was completely unnecessary. I had someone take it in for me eventually but haven't heard anything since. I've been calling every day and no one responds, it only prompts me to leave a voicemail. I've left 3 voicemails and no one has gotten back. Not to mention they close at noon every day. Can you please tell me what type of "professional" office closes that early???? I've already had to cancel a flight because my visa hasn't gotten processed in time and i'm praying i wont have to cancel my flight for next week too but who knows, since i still haven't heard a peep from them as to its status.
