Where to file or "put" the papers

Where to "put" the papers. Undoubtedly one of the most frequent questions asked by foreign citizens who want to regularize their situation in Spain is the place where they should start the procedure.

There are several options, but in practice, the most reliable and the only one that guarantees a quick resolution of the foreigner's file is to carry out the procedure through a licensed lawyer specially qualified to intervene in foreigner's procedures.

On the occasion of Covid 19, an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Justice and the General Council of Lawyers. By means of this agreement, lawyers who are members of the Bar Association can be specially authorized to handle immigration cases.

1. The advantages are as follows;

• The file is processed telematically by means of exclusive applications created to interact directly with the civil servant team.
• Direct communication with the staff and faster resolution of any incident.
• The lawyer acts as guarantor of the veracity of the documentation incorporated in the procedure, replacing the officials who previously collated the documentation.
• Registration numbers and tracking codes are obtained on the spot.
• Secure reception of notifications since they reach the lawyer, which avoids problems caused by changes of address.
• Lawyers are supervised in their performance by their Bar Association, and are covered by liability insurance for any failure caused by their performance.

Issues to consider.

• Every registered lawyer has a professional card and is registered in a census of the Colegio General de la Abogacía that you can consult on the Internet. This way you can check if the professional who is going to attend to something as important as your regularization has the necessary technical capacity.
• Be wary of lawyers who do not attend you in a stable office or premises, and meet with you in bars or similar spaces. This is not the usual practice of a lawyer whose Bar Association provides coworking spaces that they can use if they do not have premises or an office.
• Law Firms where there are several professionals are always more reliable. If for any circumstance one of its members, for example, becomes ill, the rest of the team will be responsible for the procedure.
• Always demand an invoice or receipt for any amount of money paid as fees or charges.

Never do the following

• Go to locutorios or similar places that assure you that they present the file. They do not have access to the specific platforms of the lawyers and will not be responsible for any incident.

To present the documentation in the registry of a City Hall. The competent Administration to resolve immigration issues is the General State Administration. The City Councils do not have competence in foreigners. They will limit themselves to receive the documentation and in theory send it to the competent agency for foreigners. This practice delays the file and is also causing countless failures. In addition, certain files such as, for example, changes of card modality and other similar ones will be directly inadmissible.

Contact us for any further clarification