DocuEspana (Spanish Immigration Procedures)DocuEspana
Guidance translation. If in doubt, the Spanish version and the official sources prevail. Applications and forms must be submitted in Spanish.

Procedures Why this exists

How a procedure goes, and where it stalls

An immigration procedure is seven steps, and no two of them are in the same place. This is the whole route, and the point where it usually starts over.

How it goes, step by step

The route of any procedure. Under each step, where it usually goes wrong.

  1. Work out which procedure is yours

    You start from a name: "arraigo", "renew the card", "bring my mother over".

    The official name is almost never the one people use, and some procedures look very much alike.

  2. Find out which papers they ask for

    You look for the document list for that specific procedure.

    The list is spread across your province's information sheet, the form and the fee, and each office may ask for something more.

  3. Gather the documents

    Some you download; others you have to go and request, then wait for them.

    Some expire while you get the rest, so the order you request them in matters.

  4. Fill in the form and pay the fee

    You download the EX form that applies and generate the 790 form for the fee.

    There are several 790 fees and they are generated on different portals. The wrong one cannot be fixed at the counter.

  5. Book an appointment

    The appointment is booked online, and depending on the province and the procedure it takes persistence.

    The date you are given does not move: everything has to be ready before it, not after.

  6. File

    You go to the office, wait your turn and hand over the folder.

    If one paper is missing, the application is not registered.

    You go back to step 3.

  7. Wait for the decision

    From here the deadline depends on the procedure, and each page states it.

What each procedure page carries

This is not a promise: it can be checked by opening any procedure.

  • The documents as a list you tick off as you get them, saved in your browser.
  • The form to fill in, linked on the Ministry's official website.
  • The fee that applies, who pays it and where it is generated.
  • Where it is filed and by when.
  • The official source for each section and the date it was last reviewed.
  • The same thing in eleven languages, and on three sheets if you print it.

What this site does not do

  • We do not book appointments and we do not file anything on your behalf.
  • We are not the public administration or a law firm, and this is not legal advice.
  • We do not replace your Immigration Office's information sheet: that one overrides this page.
  • We do not keep your data: the list you tick off lives in your browser and never leaves your device.

What this site is for

None of this is fixed by a website. What can be done is having the full list in one place before you book the appointment, rather than after losing it.

See the 26 procedures

Have you spotted something wrong?

We keep this guide by hand and immigration rules change often. If something does not match what the official source says, tell us and we will fix it.

  • The review date shown in the footer: if it is old, we probably know already.
  • The official source linked on this entry: if it changed recently, tell us what it says now.

The email already includes the page, the language and the review date. You only have to tell us what you saw and, if you can, link the official source that contradicts it.

Write the email

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