Visa requirements & letter of invitation

General information

A valid travel document is required to travel to Spain to attend the EPSC2020.

Spain is a member state of the Schengen Area. Citizens of the European Union (EU), Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein only need an identification card, or a valid passport. UK citizens can continue to travel to the EU with their UK passport until 1 January 2021. New rules will apply for travel from the UK to the EU from 1 January 2021.

Besides a valid travel document, visitors from outside the EU and the Schengen Area should check whether or not a visa needs to be requested. The travel document must be valid for at least three months following the projected exit from the territory of Schengen Area.

Schengen visa

Being in possession of a valid visa is required of nationals of third countries in order to enter any member country of the Schengen Area, unless in possession of a valid residence permit or a valid long-term visa issued by another Member State. Participants from third countries with a valid visa for one of the Schengen countries may travel through the territory of the other Schengen States for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period.

The Uniform Schengen Visa can be requested at the Spanish embassies and consulates. The basic visa fee is 80€. The Spanish authorities may ask for additional documents. More details can be found on the website of the Spanish Foreign Office.

Letter of invitation

Participants that require an official invitation letter in order to obtain a visa, to raise travel funds or for administrative purposes should apply for this invitation via the online request form. The online request form for inviation letters will be available on this page from mid-May 2020. Please note that invitation letters will only be issued to participants who either have a paid conference registration or an accepted abstract. This invitation is not a commitment on the part of the organizers to provide financial support.

The invitation should be requested online at least 8 weeks prior to the meeting at the very latest. The deadline for requesting a letter of invitation is 15 August 2020. Requests received later than this date may not be processed by the embassies. The letter of invitation will be sent by email, as well as an original copy by airmail. We would like to point out that invitation letters will be only sent to the address indicated by the applicant. The provided name and address must exactly match that on your passport. The organizers will NOT send invitation letters to embassies. The applicants are responsible to take care of their own visa application and need to directly contact the respective embassy. Please consider that the invitation letter is a standard letter which will not be modified individually. You are responsible for contacting the relevant Spanish Embassy or Consulate and for finding out what kind of visa you require.