Being able to do your paperwork online is undoubtedly a huge advantage.
The General Secretariat of Immigration and Emigration in Spain allows you to carry out a large part of the documentation processing in the Government sub-delegation by telematic means.
In this article, you will find all the procedures for foreigners in Spain that can be done online. We will also see what documentation and requirements you will need to meet in order to carry them out correctly without leaving home.
Proceeding with all the immigration formalities you can do online can be very advantageous in most cases.
Obviously, we find people who will always prefer the face-to-face path. They want to have a person from the Spanish administration in front of them so they have a chance to ask all their questions. That provides greater confidence.
However, there are two main benefits that you will gain by doing your paperwork online.
Firstly, convenience. You won’t need to make an extra effort to find an appointment with the immigration office; you won’t have to miss a day of work to attend that appointment. In short: you will be able to do everything from home.
But there is another advantage, perhaps not so obvious. As we saw in the case of submitting your Spanish nationality application, doing that online will get you an answer much quicker.
The initiative to create a telematic channel for administrative communications between the government and the foreigner was designed precisely to speed up processing times.
So make sure to take advantage of that!
Do you have any doubts? Get in touch with our immigration lawyers and receive personalized legal advice and all your doubts solved:
What you need before starting: digital certificate, electronic DNI or Cl@ve
To carry out most of these procedures you will need to prove your identity electronically. You can do it with:
- Digital certificate or electronic DNI, the most common route for foreigners with a registered NIE.
- Cl@ve PIN or Cl@ve Permanent, an alternative Government system that does not require installing a certificate in the browser.
Without one of these methods, you will not be able to complete most of the procedures that you will see below.
Which immigration processes can be done online?
Let’s see, one by one, all the procedures with the foreigner’s office that you can do online as a foreigner or expat.
Getting an appointment with the Immigration office
One of the most useful procedures you can complete online is to request an appointment with the foreigner’s office located in your region.
If you want to present the required documents for your application and need an appointment in person for that reason, you must do so through this link.
Don’t you know where your nearest office is located?
You can find the nearest one here.
If you don’t have a digital certificate and can’t get an appointment online, we can help you out. You just need to send us an email at info@immigrationspain.es, and we will get your appointment in record time.
Download and pay the corresponding fee for your procedure
Each procedure requires the payment of a specific fee.
For example, when you enter Spain to get your residence permit, you must pay a small amount of money to get fingerprinted, which you then need to attach and submit together with the rest of the documents.
The thing is that this payment can be made online. You can download and pay either of the two existing fees online.
And this is true both for obtaining your residence permit and for renewing it.
There are 3 different fees that you can pay online:
- Fee 052, for residence permits and other documentation for foreign citizens, which you can pay here.
- Fee 062, for work permits for foreign citizens, which you can pay online here.
- Fee for Spanish citizenship by residency application. Keep in mind that it is managed at the electronic headquarters of the Ministry of Justice, not at the Ministry of Migration
In order to make this payment online, you must have an electronic Spanish ID (DNI), cl@veor a digital certificate. You make the payment and then send the settlement. It’s that easy!
If you do not have either of these documents, you must make the payment in person at a bank or any other collaborating entity.
Check the processing status of your immigration file
You can consult online, free of charge, information on the processing status of your immigration file once you have presented all the necessary documentation.
Once you send all the necessary documentation to get your authorization or residence card, you will be able to check the status of your application online.
That is to say, if it has been resolved (approved or denied), or if it is still in process.
You are requested to enter your NIE number or file number to this link, and you will be able to check the status.
There are different status possibilities, and here you will find a quick guide on the meaning of each.
Furthermore, you can also check the status of your citizenship application in real-time.
Applying for family-related residencies
There is a specific set of residence authorizations that, until now, had to be applied for in person after getting an appointment at the immigration office.
We are talking about:
- Family reunification visa
- Family member of an EU citizen
- Arraigo
- Children under 18 years old born or not born in Spain
Submit the renewal of your residency card
During the period between 60 days before and 90 days after the expiration date of your card, you must renew it.
However, this process may be easier than expected. You have the option of doing it online, without the need to leave your home!
Again, you will be requested to provide an electronic ID card, cl@ve or digital certificate to do this.
Which are all the renewals can you submit online?
- Family regrouping
- Non-lucrative visa
- Regular work permit, as a self-employed worker (“por cuenta propia”) or as an employee (“por cuenta ajena”).
- Work permit as a highly qualified
- Modification of family, social, or sociolabor arraigo to a residence and work permit.
Getting your long-run residency
After having lived legally in Spain for 5 years, you can apply for your long-term card.
We already explained in our article about how to renew the EU family member card that the process can be done online.
But this also includes the procedure for permanent residency.
Thus, you can apply for your long-term card without having to go to the foreigners’ office in person.
Submit remaining documents to a file being processed
Finally, what happens if you forgot to attach a specific document to your application? Should you make a new appointment with the immigration authorities to submit it again?
It is not necessary. It is possible to submit the documents that are missing from your foreigner’s file online as well.
That is, for procedures that you have in process and that require some extra documentation, it can be uploaded directly from the internet through the Mercurio Platform
Again, you will need the digital certificate to do this.
You just need to access this link to upload the missing documents.
Submit remaining documents to a file being processed
To finish the process of obtaining citizenship in Spain, you must take the oath of the Spanish legal system and the Constitution at the Civil Registry of the municipality where you are registered.
To do this, it is important to get an appointment first.
In many cases, you will have to go in person to get it. However, it is also possible that your Civil Registry has a platform available for you to get your appointment online.
Sending all your documents to the DGT to exchange your home-country driving license
Would you like to drive in Spain? Then you will need to exchange your home-country license for one valid in Spain.
Depending on your country of origin, the process is quite straightforward, and it can be done partially online through the DGT’s website (you’ll still need to attend in-person to hand in your prior driving license).
Make an appointment to pick up your TIE
Unlike in the past, when only with your receipt could you return to the police office after registering your fingerprints to collect your residency card (TIE), things have now changed.
Nowadays, you need to make an appointment to pick up your TIE, and you can do that online.
Click here and find out the step-by-step process, as well as the direct link to get started.
What's a digital certificate and Cl@ve and how to get one for your immigration procedures?
As you may have noticed, the digital certificate, as well as the electronic DNI and the Cl@ve platform, is something completely necessary in most of the procedures that you can do on the Internet.
We are talking about an electronic certificate that allows you to confirm and prove your identity online in order to carry out any procedure with legal validity.
In other words, it is the “electronic signature” that allows you to carry out procedures securely with the Spanish Public Administration.
If you do not have one and would like to get it, you can find all the information here.
Frequently asked questions about online immigration procedures
Do I need an appointment if I do my immigration procedures online?
What happens if I don't have a digital certificate or Cl@ve?
Can I know if I have been approved for residency without going to the immigration office?
Would you like to apply for an initial residence authorization, renewal, or get you appointment with the immigration online but don’t know where to start?
We can make it easy for you.
you just need to contact our team of lawyers and let us manage everything for you. Simply attach the documentation we will ask you according to your case by email, and we will be in charge of the rest!
Speak with one of our
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One Reply to “Immigration Procedures You can do Online in Spain”
Thank you for the very useful information. If you apply for renewal of residence in person, and the status becomes “TRAMITE-REQUERIDO”, can you submit the missing document online? What will happen if I cannot submit the document at this time of crisis? Thank you in advance for your help.