You can apply for asylum when you arrive in Spain at ports, airports and at the land borders of Ceuta and Melilla. You can also apply for asylum at Immigration Detention Facilities (CIE). It is important to explain why you have not already applied for asylum.
In these cases there is a special asylum procedure with reduced waiting times.
How to apply for asylum in these cases?
- Inform the police or Civil Guard that you want to apply for asylum.
- If you do not speak Spanish well, you can ask for the help of an interpreter.
- The police will interview you to register your asylum application.
- At ports, airports, land borders and CIEs, you must be assisted by a lawyer. You can apply for free legal assistance by a public defender or through NGOs that have specialised lawyers free of charge, or you can hire a private lawyer.
- During the interview, you will be asked personal questions and also why you cannot return to your home country and what happened to you or what you fear will happen to you if you return.
- If you have documents or other evidence to prove what has happened, you can present them during the interview.
- You will also be asked for information about your relatives. It is important that you correctly indicate their personal details (name, date of birth, relationship, etc.) as you may later apply to be reunited with them in Spain through the family reunification procedure.
Asylum applications are confidential. Nothing you say at the interview or any of the documentation you provide will be shared with anyone outside of the asylum procedure.
After the interview:
- You will have to remain at the port, airport, land border or CIE until there is a decision on whether or not the Spanish government will consider your asylum application.
- If they decide to consider your case, you will be authorised to enter and remain in Spain to continue with the asylum process.
- If they reject your application, you can ask for your asylum application to be re-examined. The administration must reply within 48 hours. During that time, you must remain at the port, airport, land border or CIE.
- If your application is rejected a second time, ask your lawyer about the possibility of lodging an appeal.