On Thursday, Spain's Directorate-General of the Police initiated a pilot program that automatically schedules fingerprinting appointments for foreigners who receive a favorable residency decision. This move eliminates the need to manually secure a spot in an overwhelmed system that had given rise to a profitable black market.
A statement from the Barcelona Bar Association highlighted that the new system will first be implemented in provinces with the highest number of procedures: Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga, and Murcia. Initial trials were previously conducted in Girona, Tarragona, Lleida, and other regions across the country.
Guillermo Morales Catá, the director of Legalteam, a Barcelona-based consultancy specializing in immigration, applauded the announcement in a Facebook video that garnered over 11,000 views within hours.
"Gone are the days when you had to pay a call center or a middleman to get an appointment with the police," Morales Catá declared at the start of his address, before detailing how the new system operates.
Under this innovative approach, foreigners who receive a positive decision will be notified via email and SMS with their appointed date. If no appointment is received within 20 days of the notification, individuals will need to request one through the usual online portal.
Initially, the pilot project will cover 10% of the cases resolved from this point forward. Authorities will decide on full implementation based on the initial outcomes.
The official statement emphasizes that the entire process is fully automated. Police Documentation Units do not have system access and cannot address issues, which must be directed through the User Support Center on the appointment website.
This measure is a direct response to a black market that had turned a simple need into a thriving business. Although the official cost for fingerprint appointments is relatively low, the scarcity of slots inflated black market prices to between 80 and 400 euros per appointment in Barcelona, with extreme cases reaching as high as 3,000 euros, according to prior judicial investigations.
In November 2024, the National Police dismantled a network that had been using bots to block the appointment server and monopolize slots for resale. Another arrest occurred this August for selling appointments at around 70 euros each.
Morales Catá clarified a crucial detail: the automatic system applies to stay or residency procedures managed by provincial Foreign Offices, but does not cover those who processed their permits under the special regularization. These cases are handled by the UTEX (Foreign Cases Processing Unit) based in Vigo, and remain outside the pilot for now.
"If there is a will to do things right, problems can be solved," concluded Morales Catá. "What will happen now to those who profited from your money by selling you a completely free appointment?"
Understanding Spain's New Fingerprint Appointment System
What is the purpose of Spain's new automated fingerprint appointment system?
The new system aims to eliminate the manual process of booking fingerprint appointments, thereby curbing the black market that exploited this need by automatically assigning appointments to eligible foreigners.
Which areas are first implementing this new system?
The system is initially being tested in provinces with high volumes of transactions, including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga, and Murcia.
How will foreigners be notified of their appointments?
Eligible foreigners will receive notifications via email and SMS containing details of their assigned appointments.