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Immigration Lawyers in Spain

Advisors in Spain handles immigration and visa cases across Spain, from NIE and TIE applications to residency filings.

We handle NIE and TIE applications, empadronamiento, work, student, family and digital-nomad visas, and residency filings, and the lawyer handling your case runs it from start to finish.

Every case starts with the form below. Describe your situation, and an immigration lawyer who handles that exact type of work takes your case, in English or Spanish, whichever you are most comfortable in.

Your lawyer files directly with extranjeria, the Spanish immigration authority, from the first document to the final approval, and flags any tax question your route raises along the way.

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A sunlit street between traditional buildings in Madrid
Typical timing Weeks for paperwork, up to 3 months for a decision The page explains what can change it. How the work runs 7 steps From your enquiry through to completion. What to prepare 4 items See the documents and details you will need.

Who Needs an Immigration Lawyer in Spain

  • You need an immigration lawyer in Spain when your case involves employer or family sponsorship, a prior visa refusal, a criminal record in more than one country, or a deadline on an NIE, TIE, or visa filing you cannot afford to miss.
  • A previous visa refusal or entry ban follows you into every new application; a lawyer reviews what went wrong before you refile.
  • A criminal record check spanning more than one country needs certificates gathered, translated and apostilled from each country in the right order.
  • Employer and family sponsorship cases carry paperwork the sponsor has to produce too, and a lawyer manages both sides of that exchange.

A straightforward NIE for a property purchase, or a routine TIE renewal with no sponsorship, refusal or multi-country history behind it, is usually simple enough to file yourself. See our guide on getting an NIE or our guide on the TIE card for the self-serve steps.

What's Included When You Work With a Lawyer

The lawyer handles every step below directly, from the first form to the final registration.

  • NIE application. Your NIE, Spain's identification number for foreigners with economic, professional or social interests here, gets filed and followed up on your behalf. Read the NIE guide for the self-serve steps, or have your lawyer file this for you.
  • TIE card and residency registration. The lawyer submits your TIE application, the physical card that proves your residency status, and registers it with the right Oficina de Extranjeria. See the TIE card guide, or have a lawyer handle your TIE application.
  • Empadronamiento and social security registration. Registering your address at the town hall and, where the case needs it, a social security number both get handled alongside the residency filing. Details are in the empadronamiento guide, or have your lawyer register you.
  • Sworn translations and apostille coordination. Foreign certificates get routed to a MAEC-listed sworn translator and, where the receiving office asks for one, an apostille, so nothing gets rejected at the counter for a missing stamp. See the sworn translation guide and the apostille guide, or have the lawyer coordinate this for you.
  • A Spanish bank account, opened at no extra cost. Buyers and relocators inside a lawyer engagement get bank account assistance bundled in for free; it is not a separate line item. Ask about opening an account as part of your case.
  • Document checklists for your specific visa. Work, student, family, entrepreneur, self-employed and highly qualified professional visas each carry a different paper list, and the lawyer works from the version suited to your route. Driving-license exchange is a related step covered separately in our moving guide, not part of this engagement.

What You'll Need to Provide

Passport
A valid passport that meets the minimum validity period your visa route requires; the exact minimum varies by consulate and by case, so confirm it before you book an appointment.
Proof of income or sponsorship
Payslips, a contract or an employer's letter for work and sponsored routes, or fund statements for routes such as the non-lucrative visa, which requires proof of independent means and no Spanish employment.
Criminal record certificate
A certificate from every country you have lived in over the period each route specifies, translated into Spanish before it is filed. A certificate issued outside the EU needs an apostille; one issued to an EU citizen by their own member state is exempt under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191.
Proof of accommodation
A rental contract, a deed, or an invitation letter showing where you will live in Spain, matching the address you later register through empadronamiento.

How the Process Works

  1. You submit the qualification form

    A few questions cover your case and timeline. Answering them submits a service request to Advisors in Spain; nothing goes to extranjeria yet.

  2. A lawyer takes your case

    An immigration lawyer who handles your visa route and region takes your case directly and replies to you personally.

  3. You have an initial consultation

    Your lawyer reviews your situation directly with you, in English or Spanish, and confirms which route fits before any paperwork starts.

  4. Documents get collected and translated

    Certificates travel through sworn translation and, where the receiving office needs it, an apostille, before anything is filed.

  5. The lawyer files your case

    Your application goes in at the relevant Oficina de Extranjeros, consulate or notary, with the lawyer named as your representative.

  6. The lawyer follows up on your behalf

    Appointment delays, requests for further documents and status checks get handled by the lawyer, not left for you to chase.

  7. You get your approval and post-approval registration

    Once granted, the lawyer helps you collect the physical card or document and complete any registration the approval itself requires.

Timing: What to Expect and What Causes Delays

Weeks for paperwork, up to 3 months for a decision

The general legal maximum from a complete filing to a resolution.

What delays it

Appointment waits vary by province and by office, and no national figure is published. The TIE has to be requested within one month of entering Spain, of the authorization being granted, or of it taking effect. Incomplete documents, and certificates still waiting on a sworn translation or apostille when the file goes in, push a case back further.

What to prepare now

Gather your passport, criminal record certificate and proof of income or sponsorship before the qualification form goes in, and start any sworn translation early since MAEC-listed translators book up around visa season.

Tax and legal points your advisor will raise

Spanish tax residency depends on time spent in the country. Spend more than 183 days in a calendar year in Spain and the Agencia Tributaria treats you as tax resident, whatever visa or permit you hold, and that status change follows automatically once the threshold is crossed.

Some residency routes interact with tax regimes that carry their own rules. The non-lucrative visa and the digital nomad visa both raise questions about the Beckham Law special tax regime and, above certain asset levels, wealth tax. A tax advisor works out your exposure to each from your own income, assets and filing history. A route toward Spanish citizenship raises a separate question again, since citizenship and tax residency are decided under different rules and do not move together automatically.

The lawyer handling your case flags which of these questions apply during the initial consultation, before any filing starts. The visa and immigration hub covers the full range of cases we handle.

Visa categories, deadlines and the sourced timing figures on this page are current as of August 20, 2026, and are reviewed every six months against BOE, extranjeria and consulate guidance.

Tell Us Your Deadline

Tell us when you need this resolved, and it is flagged when we review your enquiry.

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Common questions

Is an immigration lawyer worth it?
Yes, if your case carries employer or family sponsorship, a previous refusal, a criminal record spanning more than one country, or a filing deadline you cannot afford to miss. Those are the cases where one rejection costs months and a refiling starts the clock again. A routine NIE for a property purchase, or a TIE renewal with none of that history behind it, is usually simple enough to file yourself.
How much does an immigration lawyer in Spain cost?
Fees vary by case complexity and visa route. You get a quote in writing before any work starts.
Is it hard for an American to immigrate to Spain?
Not for a well-documented case. The friction sits in the appointments and the certificates: appointment waits vary by province and by office, and no national figure is published. The TIE itself has to be requested within one month of entering Spain, of the authorization being granted, or of it taking effect, under article 209.1 of Real Decreto 1155/2024. Every foreign certificate you file, starting with the criminal record check, has to reach the Spanish office in Spanish and with its origin proved. A certificate from outside the EU carries an apostille; one issued to an EU citizen by their own member state is exempt from it under Regulation (EU) 2016/1191, whose closed list covers absence of criminal record. On the translation, a MAEC-titled sworn translator is the usual route and not the only one: Article 17.1 of the Reglamento approved by Real Decreto 724/2020 gives official character to four kinds of translation. A lawyer books those appointments and sequences the paperwork so the documents are ready in the order each office asks for them.
Do I need a lawyer to get an NIE in Spain?
No, unless your case is more complex than a straightforward application. Most in-person NIE requests at a police station or consulate are simple enough to file yourself using the NIE guide. A lawyer helps when you are applying from abroad, your appointment keeps getting rejected, or the NIE sits inside a larger residency case.
What's the difference between a gestor and a Spanish immigration lawyer?
A gestor is an administrative agent who fills in forms and manages routine paperwork. A gestor is not a lawyer, solicitor or attorney, and cannot represent you in a legal dispute or give you legal advice on your case. An immigration lawyer holds a law degree, is registered with a colegio de abogados, and can contest a refusal or argue your case if extranjeria pushes back.
Who handles my case?
An immigration lawyer who handles your visa route, region and situation. They reply to you directly and stay your contact through the case.
What happens after I submit the form?
We read every enquiry ourselves and aim to reply by email with next steps within one business day. The lawyer handling your case communicates with you directly about the filing.
How long does it take to get a TIE card?
No national figure is published for the wait between booking an appointment and collecting the card, and it varies by province and by office. What is fixed is the deadline to request the TIE: one month from entering Spain, from the authorization being granted, or from it taking effect. The appointment backlog, not the paperwork itself, is usually what pushes the timeline out.
Can a lawyer help me open a Spanish bank account?
Yes, when the account opens alongside a case the lawyer is already running for you. That assistance is bundled into the engagement at no extra cost. Opening an account on its own, with no other case attached, is a separate service covered on our bank accounts page.

Why Work With Advisors in Spain

Advisors in Spain assesses your immigration requirements and identifies the appropriate delivery arrangement, and we coordinate any tax question it raises.

  • Every lawyer meets the same standard before taking a case.

    We do not take on a case we cannot handle well, and every lawyer on the team meets the same standard before they start work. We say so plainly if your case is not something we handle.

  • Every lawyer works in English or Spanish.

    You explain your case once, in English or Spanish, to the lawyer handling it.

  • Coordinated support for related matters.

    Immigration filings, the tax questions they raise, and whatever follows: we coordinate related requirements, with responsibility and scope agreed for each service.

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We review your enquiry today. If you have not heard back within two working days, write to us and we chase it the same day.

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