The National Police announced on 11 December the arrest of 48 suspects who allegedly ran a lucrative racket forging domestic-partnership documents to secure EU-family residence cards for Moroccan nationals. The ten-month investigation—dubbed ‘Operación Vínculo’—spanned the provinces of Málaga, Barcelona, Tenerife, Jaén and the North African enclave of Melilla.
According to investigators, the gang charged up to €12,000 per applicant, creating false rental contracts, bogus municipal registrations and notarised certificates claiming the couple lived together as a ‘pareja de hecho’. The status grants a five-year residence card with full work rights. Police estimate the network generated more than €30 million and facilitated over 300 fraudulent permits.
Businesses and individuals navigating Spain’s residency and family-reunification rules can streamline the process by using a specialist service such as VisaHQ, which offers clear checklists, document pre-screening and real-time application tracking for Spanish permits (https://www.visahq.com/spain/).
![Spanish Police Dismantle €30 Million ‘Fake-Partnership’ Residence-Permit Ring]()
For employers, the bust is more than a criminal curiosity: the same EU-family card is legitimately used by multinationals to bring in non-EU spouses under family-reunification rules. Immigration offices have already been told to flag files that match the scam’s profile, meaning genuine applications may face extra scrutiny, interviews or home visits during the first half of 2026.
Compliance teams should audit existing employee documentation, verify relationship evidence and prepare guidance for staff renewing family cards. Legal advisers expect heightened due-diligence thresholds—especially in Catalonia, where most of the fake partnerships were notarised—and warn that retroactive permit cancellations could trigger payroll and tax headaches.
The operation underscores how fraud proliferates when legal pathways are perceived as expensive or slow. It also signals the Interior Ministry’s intent to clamp down on loopholes as Spain pivots toward more skills-driven immigration channels.
According to investigators, the gang charged up to €12,000 per applicant, creating false rental contracts, bogus municipal registrations and notarised certificates claiming the couple lived together as a ‘pareja de hecho’. The status grants a five-year residence card with full work rights. Police estimate the network generated more than €30 million and facilitated over 300 fraudulent permits.
Businesses and individuals navigating Spain’s residency and family-reunification rules can streamline the process by using a specialist service such as VisaHQ, which offers clear checklists, document pre-screening and real-time application tracking for Spanish permits (https://www.visahq.com/spain/).
For employers, the bust is more than a criminal curiosity: the same EU-family card is legitimately used by multinationals to bring in non-EU spouses under family-reunification rules. Immigration offices have already been told to flag files that match the scam’s profile, meaning genuine applications may face extra scrutiny, interviews or home visits during the first half of 2026.
Compliance teams should audit existing employee documentation, verify relationship evidence and prepare guidance for staff renewing family cards. Legal advisers expect heightened due-diligence thresholds—especially in Catalonia, where most of the fake partnerships were notarised—and warn that retroactive permit cancellations could trigger payroll and tax headaches.
The operation underscores how fraud proliferates when legal pathways are perceived as expensive or slow. It also signals the Interior Ministry’s intent to clamp down on loopholes as Spain pivots toward more skills-driven immigration channels.
