Your rights while an asylum claim is pending in Spain

Key rules

• Work: You can work once 6 months have passed since you lodged your asylum application, when the renewed red card says it authorises work.
• Red card: The red card is renewed every 6 months, by appointment, while your case is open.
• Travel: Leaving Spain can cause your claim to be treated as abandoned, so get legal advice before any trip.
• Reception: Reception places are for applicants who lack resources, and the stay is usually up to 18 months.

Your document while the claim is pending

You get a different document at each stage. When you formalise your application, you get a resguardo, a receipt. Once your case is admitted for processing, you get the white card (tarjeta blanca). After that you get the red card (tarjeta roja). The red card is valid for 6 months and is renewed every 6 months while your case is open. Renew it by appointment at the police office or the foreigners office.

These cards let you stay in Spain and use services such as healthcare. They do not give you residence. The checklist and documents block below list what to bring.

Reception: housing and support

Spain has a reception system for asylum applicants who lack resources. You must show that you have no means to support yourself. It is run by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, with NGOs as operators.

It gives you:

• a place in a reception centre or flat
• food, clothing and pocket money
• Spanish classes
• legal, psychological and social support
• interpreting

A second phase prepares you to live independently. It adds integration support and some help with rent. The stay is usually up to 18 months. It can be extended to 24 months for vulnerable people.

To get a place, first say you want to apply for asylum. You can do this at a police office, a border post or a detention centre. Then make your formal application in an interview with the police. Then ask for reception through social services or the system's own assessment. Some applicants are now placed under an updated model, so ask which one applies to you.

Work

You cannot work at first. Your first card says it does not authorise work ("no autoriza a trabajar"). You can work once 6 months have passed since you lodged your asylum application, when the renewed red card says it authorises work ("Autoriza a trabajar"). This applies if your case has not been resolved or rejected as inadmissible. The permit lasts as long as the card is valid. Your employer must register you with Social Security, and the normal work rules apply.

Healthcare

You can use public healthcare on the same basis as Spanish residents. This covers emergency and ordinary care. Vulnerable people can also get specialist and mental health care.

To get a health card (tarjeta sanitaria), take your resguardo or red card and your padrón registration to your local health centre. If you live in a reception centre, its staff will help you. Each region runs its own health service, so the steps differ a little by region.

Travel

Do not leave Spain while your claim is pending. Your white or red card is only valid for staying in Spain. It is not a travel document. If you leave, your claim can be treated as abandoned or withdrawn. Leaving Spain for the rest of the Schengen area is generally not allowed.

A trip to your country of origin is especially damaging. It suggests you do not fear persecution. Exceptions, such as serious humanitarian reasons, need authorisation before you go. Talk to a lawyer or the Oficina de Asilo y Refugio before any trip.

Where to get help

The organisations listed below can help with your application, reception and renewals. A free duty lawyer is also available. The quick answers below cover common questions.

Timeline and deadlines

• Formalise your application and get your resguardo: At the application interview with the police

• Ask for a place in the reception system: After you formalise your application; you must show you lack resources

• Receive your white card: Once your case is admitted for processing; it is valid for 6 months

• Renew your red card: Every 6 months while your case is open, by appointment

• Start work once the renewed red card authorises it: 6 months after you lodged your application, if your case is not resolved or inadmitted (earliest 180 days after application date)

• Finish the reception stay: Usually up to 18 months, extendable to 24 months for vulnerable people

Documents you need

• Resguardo, the receipt you get when you formalise your asylum application. It is issued at the application interview and you use it to start registering for services such as healthcare.

• White card (tarjeta blanca), which shows your application is under way. You get it once your case is admitted for processing, and it is valid for 6 months.

• Red card (tarjeta roja), your applicant document after the white card. It is valid for 6 months and renewed every 6 months by appointment at the police office or foreigners office while your case is open. It lets you stay in Spain and use services, but it is not a residence permit and not a travel document.

• Padrón registration (certificate that you are registered at your address in the town hall). You take it with your resguardo or red card to your local health centre (centro de salud) to get a health card (tarjeta sanitaria) from your regional health service.

Organisations that help asylum seekers and refugees in Spain

Where to get reception, legal and community help

• CEAR (Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado): Ask for legal help, reception and social support through its regional office.

• ACCEM: Ask for reception, integration support and help finding work through its regional office.

• Cruz Roja (Spanish Red Cross): Ask for reception places and humanitarian aid at your local branch.

• Red Acoge, Provivienda, Fundación Cepaim and Fundación Raíces: Ask for community, housing and integration support from the office nearest you.

• Oficina de Asilo y Refugio (OAR), Ministry of the Interior: Book the asylum application appointment online; the office works with the national police.

• Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration (national reception system): Ask about reception places, which this ministry runs through the national reception system.

• Duty lawyer service of the Bar Association (turno de oficio): Ask the police or the OAR when you apply for a free lawyer and a free interpreter.

• Spanish administration information line 060: Call 060 for general information on procedures; call 112 in an emergency and 016 if you suffer gender violence.

• Police stations, foreigners offices and NGOs such as Cruz Roja, CEAR and ACCEM: If you are from Ukraine, ask here about temporary protection registration, fingerprinting and your card appointment, as the special Ukraine centres may have closed or reduced hours.

Protection in Spain, quick answers

What document do I hold while my asylum claim is pending?

You first get a receipt (resguardo) when your application is formalised, then a white card and a red card once the case is admitted. The red card is valid for 6 months and is renewed every 6 months by appointment at the police or foreigners office. It lets you stay and use services such as healthcare, but it is not a residence permit.

Can my family join me if I have applied for asylum?

Not by reunification yet, but relatives already in Spain can be included in your application. If you are granted refugee status or subsidiary protection, your spouse or partner and dependent children or parents can get extension of protection. For family abroad, you can then request reunification through the Oficina de Asilo y Refugio or a Spanish consulate.

Can I work and use public healthcare under temporary protection?

Yes, temporary protection includes permission to work as an employee or self-employed without a separate work permit, and access to public healthcare. Register at your town hall (padrón), then ask for your health card at the local health centre. You can also use education and social services.

Can I travel abroad, including to Ukraine, under temporary protection?

Yes, you can travel abroad, including to Ukraine, and move in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180 days. Short trips do not remove your status, but a long absence can make you lose protection. Keep living in Spain and carry your Spanish residence document to return.