These five star reviews are either written from their family members or are bots. They have horrible service and their website is horrendous. They also don't answer to their emails because I have been waiting since October 2024 for a reply. read more

Extremely frustrating experience. The staff was rude and unhelpful--I still have no idea what I need to do or bring for my passport. They just copy and paste generic responses and offer no real assistance. Totally unacceptable service. Honestly, this team needs serious oversight. read more

The worst. Super super rude. The email they have sent is probably one of the most disrespectful emails one could ever receive from a government agency. All you can do is follow the procedure to file a complaint. They are not the only location that act this way. Unfortunately all of the consulates that I have had to deal including the one in New York and Frankfurt are awful. They try to make it as difficult and confusing for you as possible. They know they hold power and abuse that. read more

I did not have a good experience. The website with visa application instructions links to the secretary of state office (where you can get a STATE apostille) when a federal one is required. There was also not specification regarding whether bank statements needed notarization and I wasted a lot of money doing that (it's NOT required). The staff working there is cold at best and the man in charge of approving my visa flat out lied to me and told me I can't work part time with a student visa (you can find in many places online that it is allowed. I am now in Spain and have confirmed with immigration officials here that it's allowed). Overall the service could use a lot of improvement. read more

I was very anxious when I was reading all the negative comments about this consulate. But my experience was a total opposite! I applied for a Schengen visa and I was a little worried as I only got 20 days before my planned trip. I was able to get a primetime appointment through BLS website. I followed everything they asked in the their website. To be honest their website is pretty straightforward. I arrived there early in the morning and I got attended in less than 10 minutes. The staff were very polite and helpful. The only trouble I had was the fee. On their website it says $85 but when I got there the staff told me it went up to $88. I already have a money order prepared but the staff were nice and they just let me pay the $3 in cash. It took me a total of 30 minutes to get everything done from interview and biometrics. The staff told me that it takes about 2 weeks to get my passport back. But in my case it only took 8 days. My visa was approved! I am a greencard holder and a Filipino citizen. read more

Great customer service from Daniel, he went above and beyond to help me out with my Spanish citizenship.

Ok, if you're lucky enough to get an interview as my wife did, you need to show up at the embassy on 5055 Wilshire Blvd. The link will tell you to go to 6033 Wilshire Blvd, DO NOT GO THERE. Go directly to where the Spain embassy is located. You MUST have a cover sheet, state/federal taxes, 3 months of bank statements, a notarized letter of intent to sponsor anyone on the tourism trip, a completely filled out Schengen application, and anything else that is on the check list that is on the Spain government website. Cash, credit cards, or US Bank drawn funds cashier check are accepted payments. The return envelope can be paid at time of processing or you can return later to pick it up. Good luck For those needing help, this is the link the embassy sends out https://www.exteriores.gob.es/es/ServiciosAlCiudadano/Paginas/Servicios-consulares.aspx?scco=Estados+Unidos&scd=180&scca=Visados&scs=Visado+de+estancia+(visado+Schengen) Unfortunately, it's all in Spanish. However, you can use Google to translate it into English or your own native language. read more

This is a really lazy consulate. A visa normally takes most consulates one week to do. Not the Spanish consulate....they take over 7 weeks Allow a LOT of time to make up for their slowness. read more

Today I went in to apply for my Spanish passport. Carina was exceptionally kind. I didn't have all of the right forms and needed copies of them so she had me go do that and then come back. She took me back right away and was very sweet about it. Everyone there has been very nice, accommodating and timely. Unfortunately, I think from COVID times, they are backed up and things might take a long time to get mailed to you. But that's not the fault of the staff. read more

UPDATE: despite saying NOT to email, my niece was able to submit some preliminary paperwork for her student visa by just emailing. She received a response that way Help! It says on the website do not email or call. We've been trying for weeks to get an apt, even with multiple browsers open no appts ever show, even if we are on from before noon until late in the day. Other consulates are doing mail in document receiving, then notifying emailers when their appt is. Why can't this embassy do that? I did hear from someone that are 2 ways to get an apt. Email anyway. Or, hire a Spanish immigration attorney. Not sure why other consulates seem to be easier to deal with. read more

I have call this consulate for at least 7-10 times sent at least 4-5 emails and haven't even receive a call or email back from then. I ask them that I need my passport and I need to register my self there but no help has being given to me. So I don't understand how they can work with out giving help to the Spanish living in Southern California. Please if some one from the Consulate reads this please u need help with this matter. Thank you read more

I have spent countless hours trying a student visa their website is a load of dook and they are incredibly unhelpful in assisting students. I may just say eff it and go to a different country. I'm sure they're losing out on a lot of revenue by having a BS appointment system as students who would spend a lot of $$ there. No country is worth this insanity. read more

impossible to get an appointment, no respect for the public ,who is in charge? a consulate is supposed to offer services to the public ,the public pays for this services , Why so many people is complaining about their appointment website?? it doesn't work. HELP HELP read more

I was applying for my tourist visa in May 2023. It is very tricky to get the appointment date (the website is buggy) but once I did, the rest worked smoothly. There is no point of showing up without any appointment, you will not be able to apply (there were people like that who couldn't register, they were sent away). The consulate is small (just two windows for all types of visas), no wonder they don't have many dates open. Everyone is very nice and polite. People who get upset most probably do not collect all the documents according to the requirements. I was missing one, too, but I was allowed to send it later via email (but eventually, I printed out in the printing office across the street and brought back the same day). Parking in the street can be tricky but there is a business center 2 blocks away, I parked there (for about 20$). My recommendation is not to be late for the appointment, if you miss it - you miss it. Also, when you pick your passport back, you do it from the same window (without an appointment), just come when another applicant is done. My visa was ready in 4 business days. read more

I'll let you in on a secret: follow the directions on the website, and you'll probably have an excellent experience. But really follow them. Don't just skim through thinking you know what you're doing. Maybe even prepare ahead of time, and triple check that you have everything in order. I've been to this Consulate on two separate occasions, and in both cases, my visits were successful, meaning I accomplished what I needed to do without obstacles within 30 minutes. BUT, I spent a couple months ahead of time making sure I had the correct documents, apostilled and copied. Admittedly, I was obsessive about it. It paid off though. The people helping me actually thanked me for having all my documents in order. But it was their thorough website instructions and easy appointment system that made the process a breeze. Couple of useful side points: enter parking lot from Citrus. It's the typical office building hourly rate of about $1.75, but at least you can pay with a credit card. I have a feeling the first appointment in the morning is the fastest. So try for the 9 a.m. Better yet, make your appointment around lunch, park at Genwa (eat there too, obvio), pay $3.50 for the valet, and thank me later for the suggestion. read more

I always had the best experience at the Spanish Consulate. They are organized and very thorough. read more

Update: I just got the email today to pick up my visa! It says I am only able to pick it up Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays which might explain the longer processing times. I submitted my documents on June 26, so it took 7 weeks for the visa to be approved. My experience was fairly simple (pending any issues physically picking up the visa which I will attempt on Wednesday), but do prepare to wait longer than the expected 2-4 weeks for a student visa. read more

I've come here twice with my friend to get her visas done. The parking garage is a bit small, and I think it would be nice if they validated parking there, but they don't. The office is clean, most of the staff is friendly, and they have plenty of seating. Making an appointment can be a bit of a hassle as there aren't always many available slots, so be sure to plan ahead! read more

I don't know why ppl gave such low ratings at yelp for this place. People who work here are really nice. Several applicants made some mistakes with their paper, but the VA was really nice and explaining them how to fix it and allow them to just bring the correct paper back next time, no need for another appointment. NOT EVERY EMBASSY WILL LET YOU DO THAT! I applied for my Schengen Visa here, it was hard to get an appointment since it's summer time, I am 2 months ahead of time, still not easy at all. And the whole July, August, September time are all out, pretty crazy.... Please book your appointment early! Don't wait until 90 days, you might have a risk not be able to have your visa.. I prepared all my documents and went through the checklist they have online, they approved my visa the next day! Remember to bring the ORIGINALS and if you need to notary some documents, make sure they STAMP EVERY PAGE. Since I live at LA I didn't request to mail my visa. You can pick it up from 8AM to Noon without an appointment. (sorry for shouting in my review haha :p ) Wish all of you have a successful process! read more

Obviously this review is just to vent since this is not a business that cares about reviews. The workers are fine but the entire process for the consulate transactions is terrible. The website is difficult to navigate and not intuitive. The LA office had signs that led to broken internet links. It was difficult to make an appointment . read more

they don't answer the calls neither the email the website doesn't work to get an appointment in the meantime I'm stuck in the us with no passport to go back to my country... duh read more

The people working here were very helpful, but if you are getting a visa I would suggest getting a slot as early as possible. I arrived to my appointment 30 minutes early and didn't get seen until 2 hours after my slot. The consulate had technically already been closed for over an hour, but the visa workers stayed behind to finish up the people with appointments. I don't know if Thursdays are just busy days or if there was something else going on, but I did appreciate the help I got, even if it was incredibly late. read more

The Spanish Consulate does not mess around when applying for a residency visa. Instructions are detailed on their website and all the necessary documents, notaries, proof of insurance, proof of funds, stamped translations, so on and so forth... Must be completed exactly as instructed. Folks, dot your i's and cross those t's and pay attention to all the small details! But it's worth it. Who doesn't love Spain? 5 long weeks have passed since the whole start process until the visa was approved.. 3 weeks of it was just waiting on the consulate to process the visa. Yes, it was record time and alot was learned along the way. I feel like a master at this now =) Thanks to Michael (pronounced Mikhael?) who was very patient and helpful during the application and pick up appointments. It's a ton of work but worth it! read more

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 on google, this is not the first time someone has claimed theft/loss of a passport. Absolutely disgraceful representation. read more

This is the worst consulate I've been to in my whole life. Branch of hell on earth. Took them forever to take my application, their scanners didn't work, obvious things took forever. I ended up spending over 2 hours there just to get my application accepted. read more

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We started this process in May. The first available appointment at that time was for August 8. We were in a panic as my son's school required him to be there by August 25. The school intervened and earlier time slots were made available. His appointment was July 24. Passport with Visa received by Express Mail August 4. Leaving for Barcelona August 23. Check the appointment page often as cancellations and open time slots do appear on the calendar. Once I started checking, I did find earlier appointments available but they conflicted with our schedule, so the 24th was the earliest that worked for us. If you have questions contact the office by email. You will not get any answers by calling. Do not waste your time showing up without an appointment (as I did) there is no chance of getting anyone's attention to ask a question in person. Follow the Visa application instructions and Checklist to the letter. There were no issues with my son's packet so his appointment took maybe 10 minutes. We showed up at 11:15 for an 11:45 appointment time and we were out the door before 11:45. The four stars is due to the misspelling of the name on the Visa... I've sent an email. Hoping it will be a quick and easy fix. read more

Realmente es un desastre el sistema en el consulado de España - totally disastrous set up they have at the Spanish Consulate in LA - supposedly you can only make an appointment for a student visa (or any other process, for that matter) through their web site and supposedly they refresh the page every day at midday for you to choose upcoming appointments. Not only is the web page slow and non responsive but there are never ANY appointments available. I have emailed them at least 6 times notifying them of this and their response is always a link to the web site and the answer that there is no other way to make an appointment. Calling them serves no good as nobody ever answers the phone. I've been trying for over a month now and to no avail. I have a mind to just turn up at their offices and drop off my paperwork. It's all complete and ready to go, it's the appointment that I cannot get, that's delaying this entire process. I am going to call the Consulate and try and speak to him, or his secretary, to tell him what a lousy system they have. read more

I had an amazing experience at this consulate. The employees were so kind. I did not have some of the right papers and am able to turn in a few of them via e-mail. I am 17 but my university will begin after I turn 18. They helped me figure out all the details and I have confidence in the rest of the process to obtain my student visa. :) read more

I don't understand the bad reviews. Every employee here has been polite, willing to help, and punctual with us. We checked the to-do's list in advance and went well prepared (as you would go to the airport, or to a job interview). They are not there to do your homework! If you have done your part, they will do theirs. It seems some people here have not been in other Consulates!! This has been the BEST experience for me in a consulate. EVER. read more

Having dealt with the Spanish in Spain, I can only say that this place is about the same level of bureaucratic mediocrity as all of Spain. + 1 Star - You can make your appointment online. And you better, or you will make them mad. + 1 Star - If you are within the appointment online time (as I was, as I was awaiting my visa papers from my local government in Spain), you can probably write a whimpering email and get and exception. + 1 Star - Turnaround. Pretty predictable, it takes longer than you wish it had, but they are pretty good about guessing when it will come back. - 1 Star - Summer. Forget about getting anything very quickly if you start the process in July or August. All the Spanish over there are on holiday and they ain't in a rush to help you out. - 1 Star - Parking. You park in the wrong spot on the street and you will get a big ticket. Park in the lot and you get jacked by high fees. Grrrr. + 1 Star - TV. They have TV's posted here and there that play some dull Spanish info shows. Yawn. Bring a book if possible. Remember your ID as the guy at the downstairs desk is stricter about it than the Spanish themselves. All in all, not the worst nor the best experience, but could be far worse. read more

Visiting the Spanish Consulate in LA was a big waste of time and the most demoralizing and disappointing experience I've had in while. The employees of this embassy basically show up to their 4 hour work day to argue and deny most people of service. In the time they spend arguing, they could probably process double the amount of cases they do now. I drove two hours for a passport renewal, but apparently I selected the incorrect option when scheduling my appointment and just for that reason they said I needed to set a new appointment and come back another time. The lady also mentioned that the only other way to process my request was if someone didn't show up to their appointment that same day, and since there was no line behind me, I decided to wait. I few minutes later I approached the same person who was obviously available and asked if she could help me since nobody showed up to the noon appointment, and she basically got angry and told me they where not going to renew my passport and to stop asking. And, if that wan't enough, another employee comes over, tells me that they will not help me and started ranting about why they couldn't help me, including the fact they were closing in 40 minutes, and basically sent me away. Needless to say, in the time they spent arguing and ranting, they could have processed my case. In the 35 minutes I was there, three other people left frustrated after being denied of service. It's very sad to think these people are representing Spain in the US. read more

Not sure what the low ratings are about here but here's some advice: follow ALL instructions on their website pertaining to your area of need. Triple check your paperwork and make sure you have everything they require. If you need travel insurance with ZERO-COPAY, then for crying out loud be sure to get exactly that...this is pretty much an exercise in how well you follow directions. ALSO, very important, you may need to make an appointment to stop by the consulate otherwise they will turn you away. Do yourself a big favor and make it weeks and weeks in advance. I just got my Schengen approved for the 4th Summer in a row (2016-19) and for a June visit, I made my appointment back in late March/early May. Don't wait until the last minute if you need to make an appointment - their calendar fills up quickly They were even kind enough to allow me to run to the bank that morning, retrieve additional supporting docs and turn it in. Less than 2 weeks later I got my Schengen approved. Pleasure to work with everytime read more

I'm not sure what the point of a review of the consulate is...considering you won't have any other alternatives for processing your visa, and they are unlikely to improve. Alas, I suppose this can serve to at least warn others of what they're getting into. Adding to Julia's review and its focus on bureaucratic mediocrity, I'll share my story. I haven't even been to the consulate, but their online appointments are booked up for two months, which would cut things awfully close for my study abroad. I emailed the consulate requesting some sort of help (mainly an earlier appointment), and I'll just say that "help" isn't in their vocabulary. Exerts from their response include "no other appointments," "no guarantees," and "no walk-ins, so don't even try." I know I'm not special, but I am American, and it's in our national character to at least attempt to "expedite," "improve efficiency," and "get it done." I just can't help myself but try. Maybe I just wasn't meant to go to Spain in the first place, because all I seemed to be hearing from their consulate was "Screw you and your efficiency, American! This consulate is a safe harbor from productivity of any sort! Be gone!" If it's this bad here, I surely can't imagine the bureaucratic nightmare of actually living there. Bah humbug. read more

If you're reading reviews and are scared, good! BE VERY AFRAID! These people make absolutely NO exceptions and let that motivate you to do everything precisely right. That said, honestly, if you do everything they ask to the letter, you'll probably have a 5 star experience. Gave 2 stars because the chances of that happening are low; and my mistakes were born of their lack of communication. You'll likely misinterpret something or have an issue, and when it happens they will be hard to deal with. If you're getting a visa, learn from my mistakes and take this advice: 1) Read, re-read, and re-re-read directions on the consulate website. They'll get you for the smallest thing. I had to re-do my medical report because I was missing a few words from their exact format, even though I had a report signed by a doctor that said I was healthy to travel abroad and free of communicable diseases. 2) DON'T trust their emails!!! An answer to a simple question is one thing but if you have a real exceptional type question their answer can't be trusted. This is my main reason for the low review. I live in Arizona and AZ state law prohibits background checks. I emailed them telling them I had an official document talking about this law but no AZ background check and asked what I should do. The response I got was "don't worry about it and bring what you have". I (mistakenly) took this to mean "you'll be ok; just bring all other documentation". When I got there (traveled all the way from AZ!!) the girl processing me sent me home and made me wait 2 more months to get an FBI background check (which I would've started a month earlier were it not for the email), and she was completely insensitive to and disregarded the email they had sent. 3) Booking: Appointments will appear to be super booked out very late. Email them and ask for an earlier appointment and they'll email you when they have a batch of cancellations and you can likely get a day you want. These emails you can trust ;) 4) The organization sending me to Spain claimed they had an agreement with the Consulate where I wouldn't have to pay the fee. Trust that the consulate will likely make you pay without exception! They acted like they'd never heard of Fulbright before and that I was crazy for implying I wouldn't have to pay. The girl actually laughed at me! 5) MAKE COPIES. You need a copy of everything and it's easy to miss on the website what you do and don't need copies of. Luckily if you forget there's a place down the street that'll do it easily if you forget something but WAY better to take care of it the first time. 6) Self addressed envelope: MUST have tracking. The wording on the consulate site makes it seem like it's optional but it's not. Follow directions on that one or you'll end up having to run to the post office down the street. 7) Get an appointment in the morning and you'll get served way faster. I got there at 9am and was called early because people didn't show up. I had to go back like 8 different times that day to re-submit stuff and there were significantly more people and more waiting as the day went on because they let people like me keep coming back and turning stuff in (and probably all the no shows were coming later). Good luck. Remember: DON'T TRUST THEIR EMAILS!! read more

I used the services of this consulate to obtain a study visa and was pleased with the experience. I was EXTREMELY paranoid due to reading reviews on here and on Google, but experienced nothing of the kind. I prepared my documents and checked and rechecked them. I ended up providing a photocopy that did not include a certain stamp, but the man working was lukewarm about it and allowed me to pop downstairs (there is a copy place is the adjacent mall if you end up needing it) and bring him only that document after taking the others as normal. He even served me before my appointment, as I was about thirty minutes early. I got my visa promptly in the mail after about two weeks. I truly believe (and witnessed firsthand from my time waiting at the consulate) that the vast majority of people who are hashing out horror stories about simple requests are simply unprepared. The man before me was missing numerous documents and seemed to be totally oblivious to which ones were even required for his visa. Jesus, what do you expect? Check online for what you need, and recheck that you have it all, and you'll be fine. Then why the low rating from me? This would be four star if not for the fact that appointments are booked up months in advance, they stay open only four hours per day (8:00-12:00), and that they process visas for only one hour and fifty minutes per day (9:10-11:00). I went looking for an appointment in June and got one due to a cancellation (more like the grace of god) in August. If not, the first was the ninth of September. I've never heard of a place with such ridiculous hours. read more

I emailed the Consulate and received detailed replies to each of my emails and questions in the same day. The lady who answered went ABOVE AND BEYOND sharing the things I needed to know and even somethings I didn't think of and actually where of great benefit to me. I have learned so much about what all of my options are and about how the Consulate can help me. Furthermore, I was informed of my status and I was sent important documents through email that I needed to fill out. When I went in person after that, the one on one experience was even better. I feel that in the Consulate I have people who are like friends and who I can trust, people who is going to look out for me and take the necessary time to do what it takes to resolve any situation. I don't recall having such a wonderful experience in a long time!! If you want to do ANYTHING related with this Consulate, I recommend contacting them through email first as well as making an appointment online. Best Wishes, Victoria read more

We were applying for a long term study Visa for 2014-15. I made an appointment online 7 weeks in advance and studied the list of required documents over and over again. After reading scathing reviews, I was concerned the appointment would be a crushing experience: It wasn't. I emailed the consulate twice before our appointment with questions. I received responses within 24 hours. My advice: 1. Show up early for your appointment. Ours was for 9:50 and we arrived at 9:15. The Consulate called several names who weren't there so we ended up being seen early. 2. Be overly prepared. Make a copy of every single document and bring the original documents (birth certificate, state ID card, etc). If you are not sure, bring it anyway. 3. Be sure to have required documents notarized. If you are polite and fully prepared, you should be fine. Again, email the consulate in advance if you have questions. Good Luck. read more

I am doing the Language & Culture Assistants program in Spain this fall, and I needed to apply for a student visa. I made my appointment almost exactly three months in advance in order to secure a preferred date and prepare all my necessary documents. You will need to follow their instructions on documents to a T, and on that note overprepare if you need to as their instructions can be inconsistent and can change each year (I applied for the program last year as well). The consulate had two different sets of instructions on the required documents for students/language & culture assistants, one set on the consulate's website and another set on the Spanish Ministry of Education's website. If you have an urgent question, do not email them. They take several days to answer emails. Call them - but remember they are only open from 8am-12pm M-F. I arrived for my 9:40am appointment at 9am. I went up to the front desk and told them I had arrived, and the lady told me to have a seat. They simply call everyone's name based on their appointment order and if you are there, they will take you. After waiting about an hour, the clerk looked at all my documents, took my passport, asked for the envelope (the only USPS envelope they take is Priority Mail Express), and gave me my receipt for the visa fees. All my documents were there, in the right order, all with copies, translations which may or may not have been necessary, and I even provided my flight info (not required). The clerk told me I should expect my visa in two weeks. I received it in 9 days (7 business days). They don't play around. read more

My rating would be higher if it wasn't for the attitude of the people who answer phone calls. It seems as though a phone call wastes their time. I felt very rushed both times that I called this place. The second time I called, the guy that answered suggested I email any other questions, when he didn't even answer my original question. I told him I had emailed them a few weeks back and never got anything back and he told me with attitude, "Well, I don't know how that happened. They reply every day." ...WELL, they didn't reply THAT day, or any of the following days, because I checked my spam, too. F that guy and the chick that answered the first time I called. Now, the day I had my appointment for the visa it was completely different. The lady that helped me was nice and didn't seem annoyed by my questions. When I told her I had just found out that I had to get the apostille for my FBI background check from Washington, DC, and not Downtown, she said not to worry and to just come back to drop it off when I had it. She told me that even though I didn't have the apostille my visa was still going to be processed. I also noticed she let other people that didn't have their money orders go and get them or pay in cash. There was a chick that was pretty late to her appointment and she didn't give her crap about it. So, this was a better experience. :) read more

This consulate is very well run: every time I come, everyone is friendly, accommodating and very knowledgeable!