The Spanish Government has implemented a reception and integration support program for asylum-seekers without sufficient economic resources to cover their needs or the needs of their family members. This reception program is managed by the Ministry of Social Inclusion in collaboration with specialised NGOs.
This program is divided into several phases, with a maximum duration of 18 months, that may be extended to 24 months for particularly vulnerable cases.
During said time, you will be provided with shelter within any part of Spain where an available placement exists. The integration support program includes social welfare, psychological support, aid and assistance for training and languages classes or support for finding employment.
The Ministry of Social Inclusion is responsible for the designation of placements. You must take into account that,although your personal circumstances will be taken into account, if you request a placement within the reception program you won’t be able to choose your place of residence because said decision depends upon the available placements within the state reception centre network.
How do I get into the reception system?
If you want to enter the reception system, you must contact the organisation that manages the reception of asylum-seekers in the province in which you are located. The entities responsible for the initial reception of asylum-seekers are CEAR, ACCEM and the Cruz Roja (Red Cross). Hereinbelow, you may check which entity to contact in your province of residence:
- In Madrid, contact the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) via the following email: [email protected]
- In Barcelona, if you are receiving support from any organization, you should ask your social worker to send a referral request to the Red Cross located at the Reception, Welcome, and Referral Center (CREADE), as it is the entity responsible for access to the Reception System in this province.
If you are an asylum seeker and are not receiving social assistance from any service or organization, you can go in person to CREADE, located at Calle Sant Fructuós, 80, in Barcelona, from Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. You can find more information about SAIER at this link.
- Contact CEAR via this link if you reside in any of the following provinces:
- Álava, Cádiz, Canary Islands, Gipuzkoa, Málaga, Seville or Biscay.
- Contact ACCEM via this link if you reside in any of the following provinces:
- Albacete, Asturias, Ávila, Badajoz, Burgos, Cáceres, Ciudad Real, Córdoba, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Huesca, A Coruña, León, Lugo, Murcia, Orense, Palencia, Pontevedra, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Teruel, Toledo, Valladolid, Zamora, Zaragoza.
- Contact the CRUZ ROJA (RED CROSS) via this link if you reside in any of the following provinces:
- Alicante, Almería, Balearic Islands, Cantabria, Castellón, Girona, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, La Rioja, Lleida, Navarre, Tarragona, Valencia.