Consular help in Spain

The topic is for anyone thinking about moving to Spain, planning a move or already living there. After reading it, you will know whom to call at your consulate, what to expect from them, and where their help stops.

Start with "What your embassy or consulate can and can't do for you". It sets realistic expectations before you need help. Then read "Finding your consulate and its out-of-hours number", so you have the right contact saved before an emergency.

The other articles cover specific situations:

• Help from another EU country's embassy
• Whether to register with your consulate
• Losing your passport and residence card
• Being arrested or detained
• Serious illness and repatriation
• Being stranded without money

Read them now, or come back to the one you need when something goes wrong.

Key rules

• What consulates won't pay: Your consulate will not pay hospital, hotel, legal or travel bills, or fines and bail.
• Emergency number: In any emergency involving danger in Spain, call 112.
• Police custody limit: Police can hold you for no longer than 72 hours before you must be released or brought before a judge.
• Legal help: You get a list of lawyers, not legal advice, and the consulate cannot step into Spanish court or police proceedings.
• Competent office: Your country's own site lists which office covers your province; an embassy-only country covers all of Spain from Madrid.
• Order: Get the denuncia first, then the emergency travel document, then the residence card duplicate.

Consular help in Spain: the whole process, step by step

• Find your consulate and save its out-of-hours number (see Finding your consulate and its out-of-hours number): before you need it

• Learn what your consulate will and won't do (see What your embassy or consulate can and can't do for you): before you need it

• In an emergency involving danger, call 112, then contact your consulate's emergency line: as soon as it happens

• If you are arrested, ask for your consulate to be told and know the custody limit (see Arrested or detained in Spain: your rights and the first 72 hours): within the first 72 hours, the longest police can hold you before release or a judge

• If you need money, compare transfer routes: cash pickup is fastest, bank transfers can take 1 to 3 days (see Stranded without money: what actually works): from minutes to 3 days, depending on the route

• If your passport and residence card are lost, report the loss to the police first, then get a replacement passport or emergency travel document (see Passport and residence card both lost: the steps in order): straight after the loss

• Book an appointment at the police foreigners' office to replace the residence card, with your police report, form, passport, photo and paid fee: after your passport is sorted; the new card usually arrives in 1 to 2 months

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Proof of identity and nationality — Passport and residence card both lost: the steps in order, Stranded without money: what actually works
• Your passport or national ID card — Help from another EU country's embassy, Should you register with your consulate?
• Recent colour passport photos — Passport and residence card both lost: the steps in order
• Valid photo ID to collect a cash transfer — Stranded without money: what actually works
• Proof of Spanish residence or an appointment — Passport and residence card both lost: the steps in order
• A passport or emergency travel document — What your embassy or consulate can and can't do for you

The home and the lease

• Proof of your Spanish address — Should you register with your consulate?

Other documents

• Completed application form for an emergency or temporary travel document — Passport and residence card both lost: the steps in order
• Police report — Passport and residence card both lost: the steps in order
• Proof of your planned travel — Passport and residence card both lost: the steps in order
• A signed promissory or repatriation agreement — Stranded without money: what actually works
• Birth — What your embassy or consulate can and can't do for you

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Consular help in Spain: questions that cross several articles

Can my consulate pay my bills or get me out of detention?

No, your consulate will not pay hospital, hotel, legal or travel bills, or fines and bail, and it cannot get a detainee released. It can check that a detained national is treated fairly. Read What your embassy or consulate can and can't do for you, then Arrested or detained in Spain: your rights and the first 72 hours.

Where do I find the official list of embassies and consulates in Spain?

The official list is the directory of foreign missions on the Spanish foreign ministry's website, the official website, with addresses and contact details. Confirm details on your own mission's site. Then see Finding your consulate and its out-of-hours number to work out which office covers your province.

Who do I call outside office hours in Spain?

Call your own embassy's emergency number, which most missions publish on their website or voicemail message, for urgent cases like arrest, serious illness, death or crime. For danger, call 112. See Finding your consulate and its out-of-hours number, and Serious illness or accident: consular help and repatriation.

Can an EU citizen use another EU country's embassy in Spain?

Yes, an EU citizen whose country has no embassy or consulate able to reach them in time can ask another EU country's embassy for help with arrest, serious illness, death, serious crime or an emergency travel document. It does not cover paying bills or legal advice, and costs can be reclaimed. Read Help from another EU country's embassy, then What your embassy or consulate can and can't do for you.

References

1. exteriores.gob.es