In recent months, Madrid has seen a rise in queues at government offices, where immigrants try to renew their documents. However, for many, this process is turning into an expensive problem: to get an appointment, they have to pay intermediaries who offer booking services for significant fees.
These queues aren’t for entertainment or exclusive events, but for the chance to remain in the country legally and keep jobs that often support not only the applicants themselves but also their families back home. According to official data, more than 270,000 people in Spain are waiting for decisions on their asylum applications, and for most of them, renewing their documents is a vital necessity.
Every day, dozens gather in the area of Pradillo Street in Madrid, mainly from Venezuela, Colombia, Mali, and Peru. These countries lead in the number of asylum applications in Spain. People are forced to wait for their turn to avoid losing their legal status and jobs. If documents expire, they lose their employment contracts—and, therefore, their means of subsistence.
The appointment booking system is set up in such a way that getting a free electronic slot is nearly impossible. Most applicants spend months repeatedly refreshing the website, hoping to catch an available time. As a result, many give up and turn to intermediaries who charge between €150 and €200 for the service. This illegal market operates openly, with ads for appointment slots found on social media and messaging platforms.
The problem is not limited to migration issues alone. A similar situation is observed in other government services, for example, in the Employment Service (SEPE), where appointments for unemployment benefits are also being sold, albeit at a lower price — about 10 euros. Comparable schemes are found within the social welfare system and even in some Spanish consulates abroad, where obtaining a visa has become impossible without additional costs.
The reason for this situation is a lack of resources and flaws in digital systems, which are unable to protect themselves from automated programs that massively book appointments for subsequent resale. As a result, foreigners, who are more often forced to pay for access to public services, are the main victims. According to statistics, two-thirds of all online appointments each month are related to migration issues.
Lawyers specializing in migration law note that attempts to reform the system have not yet produced tangible results. Some government agencies have managed to partially limit the activities of intermediaries, but in the field of asylum and related procedures, the situation remains unchanged. Making an appointment for fingerprinting or obtaining a foreigner’s card still requires payment — usually around 100 euros.
In 2023, the authorities attempted to address the situation: initial asylum applications were moved from an online system to phone and email. This helped reduce the widespread resale of appointments but did not solve access issues—now people pay others to spend all day calling or sending emails on their behalf.
The Ministry of Digital Transformation is developing a new secure registration system, which will require a digital certificate for identity verification. This system has already been piloted in the province of Castellón and has shown positive results. There are plans to expand it to other regions in the future.
Meanwhile, demand for intermediaries’ services remains high. Dozens of accounts appear on social networks and messaging apps offering fast appointments for a fixed fee. After payment, clients receive a confirmation and are later asked, if necessary, to state that the booking was made independently.
The question of how exactly intermediaries gain access to available appointments remains open: whether they use automated programs, have inside contacts at agencies, or simply spend sleepless nights at the computer. Authorities periodically report efforts to combat such schemes, but they have yet to completely eliminate the illegal market.
For many immigrants, this situation becomes an additional challenge. They are forced to pay for something that should legally be free and face bureaucratic barriers that complicate their integration into Spanish society.
