Travel insurance for a Spanish Schengen visa from the UAE

Do you need travel insurance for a Spanish visa?

Yes, if you live in the UAE and need a Schengen visa for Spain. The embassy asks for travel medical insurance covering repatriation for medical reasons or death, urgent healthcare and/or emergency hospital treatment, for your entire stay and throughout the Schengen area.¹

UAE nationals do not need this visa for short stays without paid activity. The embassy page says the visa is for nationals listed in Annex I of Regulation 2018/1806, and the UAE is in Annex II.¹²

How much cover you need

The embassy page asks for at least EUR 30,000 or the equivalent in local currency.¹ The tourism checklist, which says it was generated by the Embassy of Spain to the UAE, asks for “minimum 30,000 euro plus repatriation” and cover for all risks expected during the stay.³

The checklist asks you to hand in the insurance policy or a table of benefits, with the conditions on the insurance document or in a separate confirmation letter.³

BLS International, which runs the visa centre, adds that the policy must include medical evacuation or repatriation with minimum cover of EUR 30,000 and that a certificate is required.⁴

Credit card cover is not accepted

The checklist says “Medical insurances connected to credit cards are not accepted”.³ The embassy web page does not mention cards.¹ Buy a separate travel policy for the application. The card cover guide compares other posts.

The embassy page and the checklist differ

Neither text says which applies where they differ. Ask the embassy if your policy meets one and not the other.

For a multiple-entry visa, the embassy page asks for cover for your first planned entry and an undertaking to buy insurance for later trips.¹

You can buy from any authorised insurer

BLS says the insurance may come from any authorised insurance company. It links optional insurance from Europ Assistance, QIC and AXA as an optional service, not as an approved list.⁴

How the Spanish application works

You apply in person at the consular office or a visa centre, by appointment, with proof that you live in the consular district.¹ The checklist says the process can take up to 3 weeks after submission at BLS if the visa is granted.³

The embassy page gives a visa fee of EUR 80. The EU Visa Code sets EUR 90, and the Swiss embassy in Abu Dhabi gives EUR 90 for adults (28 May 2026).⁵⁶ Check the fee with the embassy before you pay.

How many people apply for Spanish visas in the UAE

Spain’s post in Abu Dhabi received 30,265 Schengen visa applications in 2025, up 22.0% from 24,799 in 2024. Spain was third of the 27 states by applications in the UAE, after fifth in 2024. The not issued rate fell from 18.3% to 14.1%. The figures cover applicants of every nationality.⁷⁸

6 categories. Highest: Germany, 40,555 applications. Lowest: Switzerland, 25,603 applications.

Data and source

Source: European Commission, DG HOME, Visa statistics for consulates 2025. Accessed 4 Nov 2026.

State	Applications
Germany	40,555 applications
Netherlands	31,634 applications
Spain	30,265 applications
France	28,160 applications
Italy	27,398 applications
Switzerland	25,603 applications

The small print

• Dates of the Spanish texts. The embassy page is undated. The checklist has no date in its text, and the file is dated 30 June 2026, which is not a publication date.³
• The “all risks” line. The checklist does not say whether “all risks expected during the stay” is meant to go beyond Visa Code Article 15.
• Duration in EU law and guidance. The Visa Code says cover for the intended stay (consolidated 11 June 2024). The EU Visa Code Handbook (26 June 2024, section 5.3.2) says the effective stay, not the validity of the visa.⁵⁹
• Card cover in EU guidance. The Handbook (section 6.9) says card cover meeting the Visa Code criteria may be accepted. The Handbook states that it creates no legally binding obligations on Member States.⁹
• Number of Schengen countries. The embassy page lists 26 Schengen countries. The EU’s 2025 visa statistics list Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania among the states.¹⁷
• How the figures are counted. The not issued rate is not issued divided by visas issued, limited territorial validity visas and not issued combined. Not issued includes refusals and examinations discontinued under Visa Code Article 8(2). The statistics give no nationality and no reasons.¹⁰