Not everyone who offers advice on immigration paperwork in Spain is a lawyer. Before you pay anyone, take two minutes to check whether they are actually on a register. The check is free and you can do it yourself.
Where to look them up
Censo de Letrados — Abogacía Española
The official roll of lawyers (abogados) in Spain.
Ask for their name and colegiado number, then search this roll. Anyone who will not give you their number should not be given your money.
Consejo General de Colegios de Gestores Administrativos
A gestor administrativo is a separate, regulated profession — allowed to file paperwork, but not a lawyer. They have their own register.
Ask which colegio they belong to and check it through this council's site.
Free help — try this before you pay anyone
Justicia gratuita (turno de oficio)
[VERIFY] — Spain has a state system of free legal assistance for people on low incomes, but we could not open justiciagratuita.es from our server, so the link above is the parent site. Use it to find your local colegio de abogados for the conditions and the application route. We have deliberately printed no figure or threshold here.
Warning signs
- Anyone who "guarantees" you a permit. No one can guarantee an outcome.
- They ask for cash and will not give you a receipt or a factura.
- They refuse to give a colegiado number, or keep putting it off.
- They ask you to sign blank forms, or a poder you cannot read.
- They keep your original passport. No adviser needs to hold your original documents.
- They charge you to register on the padrón or to book a cita previa — things you can do yourself for nothing.
What it should cost
Fees are not fixed and vary between advisers. We print no figure here because we have no confirmed official schedule for one. Before any work starts, ask for a written presupuesto with each item listed separately, and get it in writing whether the government tasa is included.
If it has already happened to you
You can file a fraud report (denuncia). Being undocumented does not stop you from reporting a crime committed against you. Take receipts, messages and any bank transfers with you.
Colegio de Abogados — complaint against a lawyer
If the person really is a registered lawyer, you can complain to their colegio. Find the colegio's contact details through this site.