Ready, set, Epiphany!!  We drove to DC last Wednesday ready to apply, got to the embassy, and after walking around the area in the bitter cold (and stopping at Starbucks) because we were early, we were excited to find the embassy…  And see a sign on the door that they were closed!  Oops.  The website didn’t indicate they would be closed, but it would have been a good idea to check the Spanish festival calendar!  We had no idea that it was Epiphany – el Dia de Los Reyes.

So today we tried again.  We arrived just before 9:00 and were glad to wait inside after going through the metal detector.  We were the first ones into the office.  At the window, we told them we were there to apply for non-lucrative visas, and they took our folder of forms.  They said we could go get coffee or just wait there while they organized the forms.  I felt a little uneasy that we didn’t get to say “and here’s our financial proof, and this is the original of this document”, etc.

We noticed that the paper instructions in the waiting area had slightly different requirements than what was on the website, which was interesting.  Mostly about the number of copies needed, I think.  Neither of them said we needed the two forms (ex-01 and the M form) that the Wagoners advised were needed, but they did include those forms in the final packets they kept, and they made sure we signed them.

After waiting about 45 minutes trying to keep the baby somewhat quiet and out of trouble, they called us back to the window.  She said everything was very well organized, and that it looked good!  She did not think we would have any trouble with approvals, and said we should hear back in about a month. She made copies of all of our passports (because she didn’t see copies in our packets – I wonder if that’s something they should add to their requirements list?), took our huge stack of cash, and said she would email us if the officials in Granada wanted anything different.  I was relieved to hear that they weren’t likely to reject us outright if they wanted more documentation, but instead wil give us a chance to provide it.

Interestingly, we didn’t have to present each of the kids to them for in-person verification.  I guess they could easily see us all in the waiting area and ascertain that these kids matched the applications.  The picture above is the folder of stuff we got back – extra copies they didn’t need.  They only kept 1 copy of each of the forms, the photo, the financial statement, the letter of intent, but they kept the original plus one copy of the background check with apostille, and medical certificate.  For me and the kids, they kept 2 of the birth, marriage and medical certificates.

All in all, it went smoothly!  My only concern now is that we did not use a certified translator.  I hope that doesn’t end up being a problem!