The National Police announced on 11 December that they have dismantled an organised crime network that engineered more than 300 fraudulent residence permits by arranging sham domestic-partnership registrations between Moroccan nationals and Spanish women. Forty-eight people were arrested in coordinated raids in Málaga, Barcelona, Tenerife, Jaén and Melilla after a ten-month investigation code-named ‘Operación Vínculo’.
According to investigators, ringleaders charged up to €12,000 per applicant. They provided false rental contracts, bogus municipal registrations and notarial certificates needed to register as a ‘pareja de hecho’ in Catalonia—paperwork that grants a five-year EU-family residence card with full work rights. The gang allegedly pocketed over €30 million before police moved in.
For corporate mobility managers the case is a red flag: the same “familiar comunitario” card is commonly (and legitimately) used by multinationals to bring in non-EU spouses. Authorities have already instructed regional immigration offices to review files that resemble the fraudulent profile, which could lengthen processing times for genuine applications during the first half of 2026. Companies are advised to audit employee documentation, verify relationship evidence and prepare for potential revocations that could affect payroll and social-security registration.
![Police Break Up €30 Million ‘Fake-Partnership’ Visa Ring Stretching Across Five Spanish Provinces]()
Companies looking to stay ahead of these tightening controls can also turn to VisaHQ’s dedicated Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) for end-to-end assistance with family-reunification paperwork and other mobility needs. The platform’s document-checking tools, live status updates and expert consultants help ensure that applications meet the new, stricter standards—minimising delays and safeguarding business continuity.
Legal experts predict a tightening of due-diligence thresholds, especially in Barcelona where most of the fake partnerships were notarised. Additional interviews, home-visits or extended cooling-off periods may become standard. The Interior Ministry also plans to recover any welfare benefits wrongly claimed by beneficiaries of the scam.
The bust highlights the lucrative black-market that thrives whenever regular migration pathways are restricted. It also underscores the importance of robust compliance programmes for employers that rely on Spain’s family-reunification route as part of their global mobility toolbox.
According to investigators, ringleaders charged up to €12,000 per applicant. They provided false rental contracts, bogus municipal registrations and notarial certificates needed to register as a ‘pareja de hecho’ in Catalonia—paperwork that grants a five-year EU-family residence card with full work rights. The gang allegedly pocketed over €30 million before police moved in.
For corporate mobility managers the case is a red flag: the same “familiar comunitario” card is commonly (and legitimately) used by multinationals to bring in non-EU spouses. Authorities have already instructed regional immigration offices to review files that resemble the fraudulent profile, which could lengthen processing times for genuine applications during the first half of 2026. Companies are advised to audit employee documentation, verify relationship evidence and prepare for potential revocations that could affect payroll and social-security registration.
Companies looking to stay ahead of these tightening controls can also turn to VisaHQ’s dedicated Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) for end-to-end assistance with family-reunification paperwork and other mobility needs. The platform’s document-checking tools, live status updates and expert consultants help ensure that applications meet the new, stricter standards—minimising delays and safeguarding business continuity.
Legal experts predict a tightening of due-diligence thresholds, especially in Barcelona where most of the fake partnerships were notarised. Additional interviews, home-visits or extended cooling-off periods may become standard. The Interior Ministry also plans to recover any welfare benefits wrongly claimed by beneficiaries of the scam.
The bust highlights the lucrative black-market that thrives whenever regular migration pathways are restricted. It also underscores the importance of robust compliance programmes for employers that rely on Spain’s family-reunification route as part of their global mobility toolbox.
