How to Successfully Book an Immigration Appointment (Without Losing Your Mind)

Does this story sound familiar? You wake up, go online, refresh, fill in the details at lightning speed and... "No appointments available".

We are opening the big topic of appointments with this blog entry aimed at making your life easier and providing you with a practical guide to tackle this situation. As many of you may already know, and according to sources such as El País, immigration appointments in Spain are scarce (very scarce) and since we at Traam cannot process these appointments for you, we have prepared a survival guide with practical instructions and tricks to make it simpler and less frustrating.

In this article you will find: 

1. National Police: What procedures they carry out and the step-by-step guide for the appointment. The "Golden Trick": How to find out when appointments are released.

2. Foreigners' Offices: What procedures they carry out and how to submit applications (online vs. in person).

3. Deadlines and Fears: What happens if I can't get an appointment in time.

4. Warning: Why you shouldn't fall into the black market.

👮🏼 National Police: Procedure Guide and How to Obtain Your Appointment

First, we need to see what's what. What procedures correspond to the National Police? They are those related to physical documentation and identification.

List of Common Procedures:

✋🏽 Fingerprinting (initial, renewal, duplicate).

🆔 Collection of the TIE (Foreign Identity Card).

📄 Issuance of NIE and Certificates (of residence or non-residence).

🇪🇺 Certificate of registration as a EU citizen (“green card”).

🇺🇦 Ukraine conflict card.

🇬🇧 Brexit agreement card (British TIE).

✈️ Return authorisation and travel titles.

💌 Invitation letter.

Others: Certificates of residence, non-residence, concordance, renewal of asylum documents (“red card”). 

Note: These procedures are in-person only. There is no 100% digital option.

Step-by-Step Guide: The "Sede Electrónica"

Do I need an electronic certificate to request the appointment? 

No, you won't need an electronic certificate, although sometimes it can be advantageous, given that users who identify themselves with an electronic certificate may have priority or reserved appointments for those who use an identification method (as we have recently seen first hand). The Government is in the process of reforming and strengthening the appointment system to address availability issues.

Steps to Follow

1. Go to the Electronic Headquarters of Public Administrations.

2. Select the province where you reside (and where you need to carry out the procedure).

3. Select the office and the procedure:

   • First select the office (police station). 

   • Then expand the available procedures at this office. 

   • Be careful! Not all police stations carry out all procedures.

4. Once the procedure is selected, have ready:

   • NIE

   • First and last names

   • Nationality 

5. Fill in the details and click “Accept”. 

6. With a bit of luck, there will be appointments available, and they will ask you: 

   • Mobile phone (to receive the code via SMS). 

   • Email (to receive the appointment confirmation). 

   • Confirm the anti-robot code and choose date/time.

💡 Traam Tip: Before you go crazy trying, first locate which station carries out the procedure you need.

Example in Barcelona: If you want "Fingerprinting", try in the drop-down of offices until you see which one has that procedure activated (for example, Rambla de Guipúscoa 74).

What happens if there are no appointments?

You'll probably encounter this dreaded message:

ℹ️ "At this moment there are no appointments available. Soon, the Office will make new appointments available."

Do not despair. Here comes our piece of advice.

🌟 The "Golden Trick": How to Find Out When Appointments Are Released

Appointments are not released at random. They are usually released on one or two specific days of the week at an exact time (usually 08:00, 12:00 or 15:00, but it varies by province and office).

⭐️ Our Golden Advice: Since it is impossible to guess from home, go in person to the police station closest to your home (the one managing your procedure). With kindness and politeness, ask the officials on which day and at what time they usually release appointments on the website.

🤓 With this information in hand: Set an alarm, have the necessary details written down separately for quick copying and pasting, and log in 10 minutes before the set time. This way, you will be prepared at the ideal moment and, based on our experience, it will be much more likely that you will get an appointment.

🏢 Foreigners' Offices: What Procedures Do They Carry Out and How to Submit Applications (Online vs. In Person)?

📄 Here we are talking about applying for permits: residency applications, renewals, work authorisations, family reunifications, etc. In other words, all the other procedures.

How are they submitted?

Nowadays, the government wants almost everything to be online. 

Do I need a digital certificate?

Yes. It is done through the Mercurio platform (state) or regional agency (if applicable, depending on the subject and competencies).

What if I don’t have a certificate?

You have three options:

1. Get the certificate with the FNMT (sometimes it's tedious 🥴).

2. Delegate to a professional (the Traam option 🚋).

3. Do it in person (in-person option - we will see more on this later). 

The Online Route (Mercurio Example, The Most Common)

When you enter the Mercurio platform, you will see that you have options for “individual access,” which requires your own certificate, or “representative access,” which requires a certificate from a third party and a notarial power of attorney/apud acta, or “professional access,” for gestores, social graduates, or lawyers.

🔴 The problem with doing it alone: The platform is complex, often has technical errors, and you need a digital certificate. 

🟠 The disadvantages of delegating the procedure to a third party or traditional professional: They charge a lot for this and you have no online tracking or control of the process. Also, in some cases, they will need notarised powers of attorney to represent you.

🟢 The Traam solution: We manage your procedure quickly, digitally, and securely. 

• You do not need your own digital certificate.

• You do not need to go to a notary to sign a power of attorney for representation.

• You avoid technical errors that can hinder your procedure management process.

• You have online tracking of your procedure through our platform. 

The In-Person Route

If technology is not your thing and you prefer to go to the Foreigners' Office to hand in the papers in person, you will also need a prior appointment. 

1. Go to the section of Government Delegations for Immigration matters. 

2. Select your Autonomous Community.  

3. Follow the specific instructions for your province. Each Foreigners' Office tends to have its own processes and procedures.

Practical example (Barcelona): Upon entering, you will see informational guides. You will encounter three scenarios:

• Online only: They will tell you "don't even try", only via Mercurio (we refer you back to the previous option). 

• Hybrid: They will indicate how to make an appointment; sometimes by filling out a web form, other times by sending a specific email with your personal details, calling a specific phone number...

• Delegated to another body: In Catalonia, for example, initial work permits are handled by the Generalitat, not the State.

⚠️ Important: Read the instructions for your province carefully before attempting to book an appointment, or you will waste your time requesting an appointment incorrectly or for a procedure that can only be done online. So be careful!

🗓️Deadlines and Fears: What Happens If I Can’t Get an Appointment On Time?

It depends on what appointment you are looking for: 

National Police Immigration Procedures (TIE/CUE/NIE)

Do not panic, you are in a regular/legal situation, you already have your authorisation/visa/right to reside in Spain, and not having the physical document does not mean you will fall into an irregular situation. You have some leeway, don't worry. The authorities are aware of the situation and the difficulties in meeting the required deadlines.

That said, do not skip carrying out the procedure, and try to get an appointment as soon as possible, and if possible, request the appointment within the required time frame, even if the date of the appointment is for a future day beyond the deadline.

Foreigners' Office (Extranjería) Immigration Procedures

If you have to request an initial authorisation, modify, or renew the current one and you miss the deadline by not getting an in-person appointment, you could fall into a irregular situation, that is, you lose your legal status by failing to meet the requirements for a residence authorisation.

Recommendation: In such cases, don't take risks. The online route (with Traam, for example) is the only way to ensure that you submit your request "in due time and form" and obtain an instant justification receipt, without depending on whether there are appointments available or not.

🚫 Do Not Participate In the Black Market

We know that desperation can be overwhelming, but participating in the appointment resale market is illegal. On the internet, you will find call centers or “ghost” fixers who charge you for an appointment. At Traam, we completely discourage these practices: they fuel organised crime and block the system for everyone else.

📝 In Summary

Police (fingerprints / TIE / CUE / NIE)

Always in person. Use our trick to ask at the station the schedule of the appointments. That said, to ensure success, hire Traam: we help you prepare all the documentation, fill out the official forms, and pay the fees on your behalf at an unbeatable price. You will only need to go in for the fingerprint.

Foreigners' Office - Extranjería (papers / applications)

Prioritize the online route. It is faster, safer, and does not depend on impossible appointments. In this case, the ideal is to have a professional who handles the comprehensive management of the process. Forget about installing digital certificates or fighting for an appointment: trust Traam and let the paperwork stop being a worry.