Hello guys!

This is my situation.

In August 2004, I applied for a Spanish student visa and got it. I stayed for the whole year until this June 2005. Now, I want to go back again on August 18th. Do I need to get a tourist visa for this and re-do the whole process? I live in the US.

Thanks in advance!

Don

I'm assuming the student visa you got the first time was for a year and you were legal the entire time..... but as far as I know, I dont think that there is any reason you couldnt go back for a vist in August just as a tourist. Obviously you would be under the time restraints etc of the normal tourist using a passport. That is the situation as far as I understand it, but if you wanna be sure, why not call the consolate and ask.

If you let your student visa expire, then you would need to reapply for a new student visa (if you were going to study) or enter on a tourist visa (good for 90 days).

If your student visa is still in effect, then you can extend it as long as you meet the same criteria that you met the first time--full time course load, have health insurance and adequate funds in a Spanish bank--and you can prove that you attended and passed your classes in the previous year.

Thanks for the responses guys

If I go to Spain with just my ticket and no tourist visa, will they let me in? Because I'm leaving on the 18th and getting a visa now would be too late, and I dont want to cancel my flight ...

You don't need a visa to enter as a tourist. Being from the USA, all you need is a passport to enter any Schengen country..that means EU, that means Spain, France Portugal, UK etc.

You then have a total of 90 days. Then you have to leave the EU. Bye, Bye...

If you dont need a visa to enter as a tourist, then why are there so many people who are getting tourist visas to Spain?

According to http://www.spainconsul-ny.org ....

US citizens with ordinary passports, valid for a minimum of 6 months, who wish to stay in Spain for tourist or business purposes for up to 90 days DO NOT NEED A VISA.

There we go!

Just to clarify the post about the Schengen area:

The EU Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

Norway and Iceland, which are not members of the EU, are part of the Schengen agreement.

Ireland and the UK, although EU members, are not Schengen countries.

Yep, 90 days is right. I went last year, and I am leaving next month...both times I'm staying just shy of 3 months..
So anything short of 90 days = don't worry about the visa