The Office of UNHCR in Spain works to protect the rights and well-being of asylum-seekers and refugees in Spain, and provides advisory services and collaboration to the Spanish authorities and provides support and help for communities of refugees.
UNHCR in Spain also collaborates with NGOs to help refugees and asylum-seekers exercise their rights and also to facilitate their inclusion within the Spanish society. Moreover, UNHCR in Spain also carries out training and public information activities in relation to international protection.
In Spain, UNHCR participates in the asylum procedures by analysing and issuing recommendations in relation to requests for asylum. Moreover, UNHCR in Spain also participates with speaking rights, but without voting rights, in Spain’s Inter-Ministry Commission for Asylum and Refuge (CIAR), where decisions are adopted, on a monthly basis, in relation to which cases are to be resolved with some type of international protection (asylum, public assistance or humanitarian reasons), and which cases are to be rejected or archived.
However, the office of UNHCR in Spain does not provide legal assistance, nor does it manage any assistance or direct aid on an individual basis, however we are able to offer you information regarding the asylum system in Spain and about how to contact the specialised organisations that provide their services free of charge. You may obtain information via this web portal, our webpage and social media, and you may also obtain face-to-face assistance at our office situated in Madrid or via telephone.
Finally, we work to promote the participation of refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless people in the programs that concern their lives. We support the processes of independence and resilience so that refugees, international protection applicants and stateless people may become leaders and agents of change so they can provide their knowledge and experience to other people within the community. In this regard, we have implemented projects that aim to improve access to relevant information, enhance the communication with our office in order to detect challenges and opportunities within the international protection system, support groups, initiatives and associations chaired by refugees, as well as training, empowerment and volunteer opportunities.
The services of UNHCR are free of charge
All of the services provided by UNHCR are free of charge, whether services provided directly by UNHCR or through the implementing partners thereof. If any person, including any employee of UNHCR or any other organisation affirms to be able to help you to receive a service from UNHCR in exchange for money or any other type of favour, please immediately communicate the incident to the Representative of UNHCR in Spain.
To file a complaint related to any actions or services provided by UNHCR in Spain, please contact the Representative of UNHCR via this form or by email to: [email protected]. Complaints shall be dealt with confidentially.
Contact Information
The UNHCR Office in Spain offers the following services to the public:
In person: ACNUR will be relocating to a new office in Madrid soon. Starting July 15, 2024, in-person consultations will be temporarily suspended and will resume by appointment once the new office is open.
- By phone: 91 077 21 50 from Monday to Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Email: [email protected]
- Contact form, by clicking on this link
- Website: https://www.acnur.org/es-es/
- Social networks: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter
Contact our team on the ground:
The Office of UNHCR in Spain has staff permanently situated at some of the areas where the greatest number of migrants and refugees enter Spain. Hence, the Office of UNHCR in Spain has four teams, one in Melilla, another in Algeciras, that covers the whole province of Cádiz and Ceuta, another in Málaga, that also covers Granada and Almería,and another in the Canary Islands.
If you’re in Ceuta or Melilla, and if you have requested asylum or you want to and you need to contact UNHCR, we hereby provide you with the following telephone numbers:
Ceuta
For queries regarding asylum and international protection in Ceuta: +34 603 43 54 50
- Operating hours: Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm
- Language options: Spanish, Arabic, English, French.
Melilla
For queries regarding asylum and international protection in Melilla: (+34) 699 577 360
- Operating hours: Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 2:00 pm
- Language options: Spanish, Arabic, English, French.