In this article you will learn how to carry out one of the most important (and useful) procedures as a foreigner in Spain. After submitting your initial application or renewal for your residence permit, you can check the status of your residency application online and verify whether it has already been approved or not. In the upcoming sections, we will explain everything you need to know in order do it, including a link to the platform and all the possible statuses you are going to find (and the meaning of each).
As we have mentioned, this procedure will allow you to verify the current status of your immigration file, and you will be able to do it completely online.
Moreover, it is 100% free (it has no cost), and at the same time very fast (it can be done in less than 1 minute).
It is undoubtedly one of the most useful immigration procedures you can carry out over the internet since 1. it avoids the need of going to the immigration office every time you want to know the status of your file, and 2. you can verify it periodically, so you will always be up to date in “real-time”.
It is important to note that this procedure is not available to EU citizens. That is, you can only check the status of an application as a non-EU citizen.
How to do it? It is very simple.
You simply have to enter the following link:
Check the status of your file here.
As you can see, you can access with the file number of your application or with your foreigner ID number. Both options will take you to the same result.
In the different boxes, you will need to type:
- Your NIE number; in capital letters and without spaces or dashes. Remember that it begins with the initials X,Y or Z and ends with a capital letter.
- Date of application in which you submitted the file.
- Year of birth of the applicant.
And you already have it! The current status of your foreigner’s file will appear on the screen. In the following sections we will explore what each of the possible states mean.
However, you still have two extra options to check out your file status:
Check your file by SMS
If you prefer to use an alternative method to the online consultation (which we recommend, since it is the fastest of the 3), you can also choose to consult the file via SMS.
How can you do it?
You must send a text message to the telephone number +34 638 44 41 44, using as the body of the message the word NIE followed by your identification number as a foreigner, again in capital letters and all together.
You will receive, totally free of charge, the status of your file in a new SMS message.
Get information via phone
You can also call directly to the phone number enabled by the public administration and consult your file personally.
The number you should call is 902 02 22 22.
2 important considerations
There is something you should take into account when consulting your file at the Administration’s Electronic Headquarters.
The fact is that we are talking about information of a merely informative nature. In other words, the status of your file that you see online is not equivalent to an official resolution.
It’s a platform to verify the progress of your application, but you can’t use it for legal purposes.
It will not be until you receive a postal mail at your address with the resolution (paper format) that you will be able to claim that the status is 100% official.
And, on the other hand, it is not updated in real-time. Allow some days of delay to see the current status.
Do you have any doubts? Get in touch with our immigration lawyers and receive personalized legal advice and all your doubts solved:
Possible statuses when consulting your immigration file
Once you have filled in all the data, you will see the current status of your file.
Below we detail all the possible states you will find and the meaning of each one:
"En trámite" or being processed
This is the first status that will appear chronologically speaking. Once you have prepared and sent all the documentation and it has already arrived at the immigration office, your file will start being processed.
In other words, the administration is studying your case in order to issue a resolution.
This process can take between 3 to 6 months, although it will depend largely on the region in which you are living.
That is because each autonomous community works separately, and depending on the number of foreigners and applications to be reviewed, the resolution time will be longer or shorter.
"Resuelto favorable" or favorable response
Do you see a favorable resolution in the “estado de resolución” box? Good news! This means that your application has been approved, and your residency has been granted.
After 15 days (maximum), you will receive a formal resolution by mail announcing the positive outcome of your application.
"Resuelto no favorable" or negative response
Otherwise, if the status is “resolved unfavorably” it means that your application has been rejected, and you have not been granted residency.
However, it does not end here: you can still get your residence permit even if your application has been rejected.
How? By initiating an appeal to the administration, showing that you are against the decision.
"En vía de recurso" or on appeal
Let’s suppose that you arrived at the previous case (decided not favorably) and you decide to start an appeal to try to obtain your residency anyway.
In that case, the status of our file will be changed to “on appeal”, indicating that the administration is taking the necessary steps to study it.
"Archivado" or archived
This is another status that generates many doubts.
If the file is “archived” it means that the administration has asked you for a series of documents that were missing from your file, and you have not provided them within the established time period.
This can be for two reasons. Either you have voluntarily withdrawn your application and therefore decided not to continue with the process; or you have not submitted the documents in time unintentionally after receiving the documentation (most likely because of a misunderstanding).
Once again, this situation has a solution: you can resort to the archive by means of an appeal for replacement in case you are a non-EU citizen, or a general appeal in case you are a European citizen.
"Trámite requerido" or procedure required
Finally, the last possible status that you can find when consulting the status of our file is “trámite requerido”.
This occurs in those cases in which we have lodged an appeal, the administration has studied it and requested a series of extra documents from us in order to finalize it.
Do you have any doubt? We are here to help
This is all you need to know to check the status of your residence permit application via internet. However, perhaps you still have doubts about your particular case, or do not understand how to proceed with your application.
If so, our team of lawyers is waiting to help you.
Get in touch with our lawyers and let us guide you step by step:
