In-person procedures for the regularization of immigrants begin
The applications can be made remotely since last Thursday
New step to apply for the extraordinary regularization of immigrants. Starting this Monday the 20th, the counters will open to carry out the procedures in person. However, it will be with a mandatory prior appointment at the Social Security offices and at Correos. Since Thursday the 16th, applications can also be made online. More than half a million people living in Catalonia and Spain irregularly will be able to benefit from the new measure until June 30. In-person appointments will be handled in more than 370 Correos offices and more than 60 Social Security offices throughout the State. In addition, there will also be four communities that will have the option to carry out procedures at the immigration offices: this will be the case in Madrid, Alicante, Valencia, Almeria, and Murcia. For each of these windows, a specific schedule has been established. Thus, in Catalonia, Correus (Post Office) offices will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the Social Security windows will be available for these requests between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.Possible collapse
The federation of Catalan Social Action Entities (ECAS), the Obrim Fronteres Coordinator, and the Regularització Ja movement warn of the risk of these offices collapsing from Monday. A few days before this extraordinary regularization was launched, they already warned the Spanish government that clear criteria and sufficient personnel were needed.
To handle the more than 150,000 anticipated applications (60,000 in Catalonia), the entities demand that the device be dimensioned with a logic of "anticipation, sufficiency, and territorial coverage" to guarantee access to the procedure. For this reason, they advocate for activating all official registries and thus facilitating in-person processing, providing multilingual information, and asking consulates and embassies to expedite the obtaining of passports and criminal records.
Who can request regularization?
Regularization is a procedure essentially aimed at those who have either applied for asylum before January 1, 2026, or are in an irregular administrative situation and arrived in Spain before that same date. Furthermore, those who request it must have resided in the State for at least five months before making the application, cannot have a criminal record, and cannot be a "threat to public security".
When and where should the procedures be carried out?
If these requirements are met, the interested party can request regularization at any time of the day through the telematic portal since last Thursday. From this Monday, April 20, you can also make an appointment to process it in person at one of the Social Security, Post Office, or immigration offices until June 30.
What documents are needed?
To request regularization, you must fill out and submit the form available on the enabled website – a process that can be done independently or with specialized advice –, and you also need a copy of your passport, registration certificate, or travel document. In addition, the interested party must also prove that they have been living in Spain since before January 1, 2026, and submit the criminal record certificate.
How is residence in Spain proven?
To prove that they have been living in the State before the indicated date, both asylum seekers and persons in irregular situations may submit public or private documents containing data that identify them and that are dated. In addition, persons in irregular situations will also have to prove one of the following situations: having worked with a legal contract in Spain, having minor children in their care or living with dependent persons, or proving that they are in a situation of vulnerability.
Certify the situation of vulnerability
If the interested party is in an irregular and vulnerable situation, they will have to download a certificate on the website of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations. The document must be accredited by entities registered in the Electronic Registry of Foreigners Collaborators (RECEX), such as the Red Cross and Cáritas, or by social services.
The criminal record certificate
To process the regularization, you must also present the criminal record certificate, or an equivalent document, issued by the authorities of the country of origin or the countries where the person has resided for the five years prior to arriving in Spain. In cases where it is proven that the criminal record could not be obtained within one month, and by providing a sworn declaration, the person may also request an extended period, of a maximum of three months, to obtain the document through diplomatic channels.
