Documents & getting started
Which office books which appointment (cita previa)?
Every appointment is booked by the office that runs the procedure, and there is no single booking site for all of them. Booking is free everywhere on this list. Here is who books what in Barcelona.
Which office books which appointment
| Procedure | Who books it | How to book |
|---|---|---|
| Padrón, council paperwork, volants, council tax | Barcelona City Council, at an OAC (Oficina d’Atenció Ciutadana, a council citizen help office) | Book at ajuntament.barcelona.cat/cita, do it online at barcelona.cat/tramits, or call 010 — free from within the metropolitan area, or 931 537 010 from outside it, at the ordinary rate. An OAC will see you without an appointment for information or to hand in documents. Anything else needs a cita previa (advance appointment). |
| TIE, residence permits, arraigo, family reunification | The state, at an Oficina de Extranjería or a Comisaría de Policía | Start on the “Cita previa de extranjería” page on the sede electrónica of the Ministry of Public Administrations, scroll to the bottom and press the grey button “Acceder al Procedimiento” — it is a button, not a link, which is why people give up on that page. It posts you to icp.administracionelectronica.gob.es/icpplus. Choose Barcelona. |
| Health card (TSI, targeta sanitària individual) | Your CAP (centre d’atenció primària, the public health centre for your address) | Go in person, or use the online form run by CatSalut, the Catalan health service. There is no central booking site for this, and you must be on the padrón (Barcelona City Council’s register of residents) in a Catalan municipality first. |
| Tax, income tax and any letter from Hacienda | AEAT (Agencia Tributaria, the Spanish tax agency) | Information, assistance and appointments on 91 333 5 333. Basic tax information on 91 554 87 70. Offices are found through the office finder on the AEAT sede electrónica. |
| Immigration advice, arraigo, asylum, voluntary return | SAIER (Servei d’Atenció a Immigrants, Emigrants i Refugiats, Barcelona City Council’s free service for migrants and refugees) | Book at ajuntament.barcelona.cat/cita/saier, or call 93 153 28 00. Booked appointments are attended by telephone. |
| Arraigo reports, the integration-effort report and the document de veïnatge | The council’s PIA, Punt d’Informació i Arrelament | Phone 93 256 44 76 or email pia at bcn.cat (where this guide writes “at”, type the at-sign). Walk-in information at Carrer Tarragona 141, 9.00 to 15.00. |
| Philippine passport and consular documents | The Philippine Consulate General in Barcelona | No appointment needed as a general rule — Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 601, Mon to Fri 08:30 to 16:30. One exception matters: the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs says an appointment is necessary for a lost passport, so phone +34 938 288 312 and ask before you travel. See the consulate answer for the rest. |
Two different bodies own the TIE queues:
| Procedure type | Booked through |
|---|---|
| Procedures at immigration offices | Delegaciones y Subdelegaciones del Gobierno |
| Procedures before the Cuerpo Nacional de Policía | Ministry of the Interior |
So a card appointment and an application appointment are not the same queue. Who must request it also depends on the procedure:
- Family reunification: the appointment must be requested by the sponsor, not the relative abroad.
- An initial employed-work authorisation: it must be requested by the employer.
- A minor, or someone who needs support: the parent or legal representative applies, and the minor does not have to attend.
The booking system assigns the office and shows it on your confirmation; read it carefully before you travel, because the Barcelona office address is not published on any page that can be read.
What it costs
Free. Booking an appointment costs nothing at any of the offices above, and there is no appointment charge anywhere on the state’s extranjería fee table. The only money in a procedure is the procedure’s own tasa (government fee), and where there is one you pay it at a bank, not to a person.
What to bring
- Your identity document.
- The reference number of the case you are asking about, if you have one.
- The confirmation, on paper or on your phone.
Arrive early enough to find the door.
How long it takes
Appointment waits vary by office and by month, and nobody publishes a reliable figure. Immigration appointments in Barcelona are the ones that run out fastest, so check for slots at different times of day and keep checking. Council appointments are usually quicker, and the padrón can be done online with no appointment at all.
What happens next
You get a confirmation with a reference, a date and an office. Take it with you. If you cannot attend, cancel through the same system so the slot goes back into the pool.
What goes wrong
- People pay for a free appointment. Sponsored adverts, forwarded WhatsApp links and shopfronts offer to “get you a cita” for a fee. They are selling you something the state gives away, and they are not the office. Start on the official page, follow its own button, and check the web address before you type anything in.
- Sharing your booking code, NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero, the foreigner identification number) or passport number in a group chat. Anyone with the code can cancel or move your appointment.
Useful words
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Cita prèvia, cita previa | advance appointment |
| Tràmit, trámite | procedure |
| Sede electrónica | a public body’s official online office |
| Justificante | receipt or proof |
| Expediente | case file |
| Gestor, gestoria | a private paid paperwork agent, not a public office |
| Sin cita | no appointment needed |
Read next
- How do I register on the padrón?
- Do I need papers?
- NIE or TIE: which one do I need, and how do I get it?
- What is 010, and what can it actually do for me?
Official source
Sede electrónica de las Administraciones Públicas, “Cita previa de extranjería”, which lists which appointments must be requested by the employer, by the sponsor, or by the person themselves.
Sources & checks
Sede electrónica · Cita previa de extranjería ↗
Fact-checked against the official source shown above. Not yet reviewed by a community admin. For procedures, confirm current requirements with the relevant official service.