When the office asks for an interview or extra evidence

Key rules

• Request name: A formally notified written request for documents counts as a requerimiento, whatever it is called.
• Informal contact: Answer phone or email requests in writing and promptly, even if they were not formally notified.
• Missed interview: If you cannot attend for a justified reason, write to the office with proof as soon as possible.
• Alerts: Email and phone alerts are only a courtesy and do not decide whether a notice is valid.

When does the office ask for more?

Offices call you in when they need to check the facts. The usual reasons are:

• doubts about whether a marriage or de facto partnership is genuine, in family reunification and EU-family cases;
• checks on arraigo social or family ties;
• documents that look doubtful or do not agree with each other;
• some asylum, student or work cases.

Consulates can do the same for visas. Whether a call comes depends on the individual office. In couple cases the officer often interviews each partner separately and compares the answers.

How you will be told

How you are notified depends on how you filed. If you filed online, or a lawyer represents you, expect electronic notification. If you filed on paper, expect a letter by post or a visit to the office. If a letter cannot be delivered, the notice may be published in an official public bulletin, so do not rely on the post alone.

Register your email and phone for alerts. Alerts are only a courtesy. A notice is valid even if you never got the alert.

Which deadlines apply

The name of the request does not matter. A written request to fix defects or supply documents, formally notified to you, is treated as a requerimiento. You have 10 working days to answer. You can ask in writing for more time before the deadline runs out. If you do not answer, the office can treat your application as withdrawn (desistimiento) and archive the file.

Requests for evidence during the decision stage generally also give 10 days. If you do not respond, the office may decide on the evidence it already has.

A phone call or email without formal notification may not start the legal clock. Do not ignore it. Reply promptly and in writing, and keep a copy.

Preparing for an interview

1. Read the summons. It says what is asked and what happens if you do not come.
2. Reread your application. Your answers must agree with it.
3. Gather your documents. The documents list below shows what to bring.
4. In couple cases, expect questions on how you met, daily routines, family and home details. Answer truthfully and consistently.
5. If you do not understand the language, ask for an interpreter or bring one if the office allows it.
6. A lawyer or representative may come with you if the office allows it.
7. Arrive early.

If you cannot attend

Missing an interview can mean your file is decided without your information, which can mean a refusal, or that it is archived. If you have a justified reason, such as illness, write to the office as soon as possible, with proof, and ask for a new date. Offices usually accept a new date for a justified reason, but you have no automatic right to one. An unjustified absence can seriously harm your file.

Timeline and deadlines

• Reply in writing to any phone or email request for extra evidence, even if it was not formally notified: as soon as you receive it

• Answer a formally notified request for documents, whatever it is called: within 10 working days, counted from the day after the notification

• Ask in writing for more time if you cannot make the deadline: before the original deadline ends

• Write to the office with proof if you cannot attend an interview for a justified reason, such as illness: as soon as you know

• Arrive for the interview with your documents: early on the day of the summons

Documents you need

• The summons you received, which the office issued to call you in.

• Your original passport.

• Your residence documents.

• Originals and copies of everything you filed with your application.

• Your empadronamiento (certificate of registration at your town hall address), when it supports your situation.

• Your tenancy contract, when it supports your situation.

• Evidence of your relationship or situation, such as photos, travel records, messages, bills and bank accounts, as relevant to your case.

Checklist

• Register your email and phone for alerts, and remember alerts are only a courtesy.

• Check your electronic notification inbox or your post regularly, depending on how you filed.

• Read the summons or request for what it asks and what happens if you do not respond.

• Treat any written request for documents as a requerimiento, whatever it is called.

• Reread your application so your interview answers agree with it.

• Bring the summons, your original passport, your residence documents and originals plus copies of everything you filed.

• Bring evidence of your relationship or situation, such as empadronamiento, tenancy contract, photos, travel records, messages and bills.

• Ask the office if your lawyer or representative may come with you.

• Write to the office with proof straight away if you cannot attend, and ask for a new date.

What to watch out for

• Missing an interview: If you miss an interview you were required to attend, the office can decide your file without your information, which can mean a denial, or archive the file. Contact the office in writing with proof as soon as possible and ask for a new date.

• Ignoring an informal request: A phone or email request may not clearly start the legal deadline, but ignoring it can still hurt your case, and the decision may be made on the evidence already in the file. Reply promptly in writing.

• Assuming an unlabelled request has no deadline: A formally notified written request to supply documents counts as a requerimiento whatever it is called. If you do not answer, the office can treat your application as withdrawn and archive it. Check the notice for its period and answer before it ends, or ask for an extension in time.

Check the summons or notice for the consequences it states.

Frequently asked questions

Can I bring a lawyer to an immigration interview?

Yes, a lawyer or representative may go with you, but only where the office allows it. Ask the office before the date. Answer the questions yourself, truthfully and in line with your application.

Do I need to answer a phone call or email asking for extra documents?

Yes, answer it promptly and in writing, even if it is not formally notified. A call or email alone does not clearly start the legal deadline, but ignoring it is risky. If the same request later arrives as a formal notice, the deadline in that notice applies.

Can I ask for a new date if I cannot attend my interview?

Yes, you can ask for a new date if you have a justified reason, such as illness. Write to the office as soon as possible and attach proof.

What will the officer ask me in a couple or family case?

Expect questions about how you met, your daily routines, your family and details of your home. Officials often interview each partner separately and compare the answers. Review your application beforehand so your answers match it.