Securing a residence-card (‘TIE’) appointment in Spain has become so difficult that an ‘alegal market’ of bots and intermediaries now resells slots for up to €200 each. Following a damning report from the Economic and Social Council (CES), the government on 12 January unveiled a multi-pronged plan to end the practice.
Secretary of State for Migration Pilar Cancela said officials are piloting personalised access codes for the online booking platform. The codes—tied to an applicant’s passport or NIE number—should prevent third-party bots from hoarding appointments and reselling them. A nationwide rollout is pencilled in for the first quarter of 2026.
An inter-ministerial task-force (Inclusion, Territorial Policy and Interior) will also audit booking data to flag suspicious patterns and propose legal changes that criminalise large-scale appointment trafficking. In parallel, immigration offices are receiving a second wave of additional staff after an initial reinforcement last October. The aim is to cut wait times that currently stretch to several months in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.
![Spain to Stamp Out Black-Market ‘TIE Appointment’ Scams with Personalised Codes and Extra Staff]()
For applicants who prefer professional support during this transition, VisaHQ can provide end-to-end assistance. Through its Spain-dedicated platform (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), the company tracks appointment availability, helps compile the correct paperwork and keeps users informed as the new access-code system rolls out.
For corporate mobility teams the crackdown is welcome news. Many assignees—especially Britons seeking post-Brexit residency and family-reunification applicants—have faced costly delays or felt pressured to pay informal ‘gestor’ fees. Once the new safeguards are live, HR should advise transferees to book directly through official channels and to ignore offers that claim to guarantee faster appointments.
In the meantime, companies should plan for continued lead times of eight-to-twelve weeks for initial TIE cards and renewals, factoring the lag into assignment start dates and payroll setup.
Secretary of State for Migration Pilar Cancela said officials are piloting personalised access codes for the online booking platform. The codes—tied to an applicant’s passport or NIE number—should prevent third-party bots from hoarding appointments and reselling them. A nationwide rollout is pencilled in for the first quarter of 2026.
An inter-ministerial task-force (Inclusion, Territorial Policy and Interior) will also audit booking data to flag suspicious patterns and propose legal changes that criminalise large-scale appointment trafficking. In parallel, immigration offices are receiving a second wave of additional staff after an initial reinforcement last October. The aim is to cut wait times that currently stretch to several months in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia.
For applicants who prefer professional support during this transition, VisaHQ can provide end-to-end assistance. Through its Spain-dedicated platform (https://www.visahq.com/spain/), the company tracks appointment availability, helps compile the correct paperwork and keeps users informed as the new access-code system rolls out.
For corporate mobility teams the crackdown is welcome news. Many assignees—especially Britons seeking post-Brexit residency and family-reunification applicants—have faced costly delays or felt pressured to pay informal ‘gestor’ fees. Once the new safeguards are live, HR should advise transferees to book directly through official channels and to ignore offers that claim to guarantee faster appointments.
In the meantime, companies should plan for continued lead times of eight-to-twelve weeks for initial TIE cards and renewals, factoring the lag into assignment start dates and payroll setup.
