Securing a slot in Spain’s online “cita previa” system has become the Achilles’ heel of corporate mobility programmes. A report released on 19 November 2025 warns that appointment scarcity at extranjería offices in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia is now delaying residence-card issuance by up to three months, derailing start dates for foreign hires and exposing companies to over-stay fines.
The crunch stems from surging demand for skilled talent, pandemic-era staffing shortages in public offices and persistent IT glitches that randomly drop queued users. To make matters worse, an underground market has flourished: bots scoop up free appointments and resell them for €30–€200, leaving legitimate applicants empty-handed and further clogging the system.
![Cita Previa Backlog Hits Employers as Spain’s Immigration Appointment System Buckles]()
For businesses, the operational fallout is tangible. Onboarding timelines stretch, project deliverables slip and assignees risk losing legal status if renewals expire before they can obtain a new TIE. Companies now scramble to submit files four to six months in advance, monitor provincial availability daily and, in some cases, fly staff to smaller cities where slots open sooner.
Authorities acknowledge the problem and promise relief—1,200 temporary clerks have been authorised for 2026 and a new centralised appointment portal is in beta testing—but practitioners are sceptical. “We’ve heard similar pledges since 2023; tangible results have lagged,” says immigration lawyer Laura García.
Until the backlog eases, experts urge HR teams to build appointment lead-time buffers into mobility budgets, leverage digital platforms that automate slot-sniping legally, and educate employees about the legal risks of working without a valid card—even when the delay is outside their control.
The crunch stems from surging demand for skilled talent, pandemic-era staffing shortages in public offices and persistent IT glitches that randomly drop queued users. To make matters worse, an underground market has flourished: bots scoop up free appointments and resell them for €30–€200, leaving legitimate applicants empty-handed and further clogging the system.
For businesses, the operational fallout is tangible. Onboarding timelines stretch, project deliverables slip and assignees risk losing legal status if renewals expire before they can obtain a new TIE. Companies now scramble to submit files four to six months in advance, monitor provincial availability daily and, in some cases, fly staff to smaller cities where slots open sooner.
Authorities acknowledge the problem and promise relief—1,200 temporary clerks have been authorised for 2026 and a new centralised appointment portal is in beta testing—but practitioners are sceptical. “We’ve heard similar pledges since 2023; tangible results have lagged,” says immigration lawyer Laura García.
Until the backlog eases, experts urge HR teams to build appointment lead-time buffers into mobility budgets, leverage digital platforms that automate slot-sniping legally, and educate employees about the legal risks of working without a valid card—even when the delay is outside their control.
