The ink is barely dry on Spain’s extraordinary regularisation decree, yet evidence of the pent-up demand is already visible. On 29 January hundreds of Pakistani nationals formed 200-metre-long queues outside their country’s consulate in Barcelona trying to obtain the compulsory police-clearance certificate required to prove they have no criminal record. Consul-general Murad Ali Wazir told *El País* his office is now issuing around 1,000 certificates a day and has extended opening hours into evenings and weekends.(elpais.com)
Under the decree, any foreigner residing in Spain before 31 December 2025 and able to show at least five months of continuous stay is eligible for a one-year residence-and-work permit. One of the few non-negotiable documents is a criminal-record extract from the country of origin, translated and legalised. For communities with large diaspora populations—Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Moroccan—consular capacity has become the first choke-point.
For those daunted by the paperwork maze, VisaHQ can streamline much of the leg-work. Through its Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) the service offers step-by-step guidance, translation assistance, and secure courier handling for police-clearance certificates and other legalised documents, helping applicants avoid repeated trips to overstretched consulates.
![Long queues at Pakistani consulate in Barcelona as migrants scramble for police-record certificates]()
Barcelona’s municipal integration office has deployed volunteers to help applicants fill out online forms and book biometric appointments, but demand still outpaces supply. Migration NGOs warn that black-market “cita brokers” are charging up to €80 for a slot that should be free.
For employers the surge is a double-edged sword. Regularisation promises to expand the legal talent pool in logistics, agriculture and care work, yet staff may need time off to chase documents or travel to home embassies in Madrid or Paris if local consulates are saturated. Mobility teams should build flexibility into February and March rosters and consider reimbursing travel costs for essential paperwork.
Spanish authorities say they are liaising with high-volume consulates to allow group submissions, but no timetable has been confirmed. Companies placing short-term assignees from Pakistan should monitor appointment availability, as consular backlogs could also delay new business visas.
Under the decree, any foreigner residing in Spain before 31 December 2025 and able to show at least five months of continuous stay is eligible for a one-year residence-and-work permit. One of the few non-negotiable documents is a criminal-record extract from the country of origin, translated and legalised. For communities with large diaspora populations—Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Moroccan—consular capacity has become the first choke-point.
For those daunted by the paperwork maze, VisaHQ can streamline much of the leg-work. Through its Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) the service offers step-by-step guidance, translation assistance, and secure courier handling for police-clearance certificates and other legalised documents, helping applicants avoid repeated trips to overstretched consulates.
Barcelona’s municipal integration office has deployed volunteers to help applicants fill out online forms and book biometric appointments, but demand still outpaces supply. Migration NGOs warn that black-market “cita brokers” are charging up to €80 for a slot that should be free.
For employers the surge is a double-edged sword. Regularisation promises to expand the legal talent pool in logistics, agriculture and care work, yet staff may need time off to chase documents or travel to home embassies in Madrid or Paris if local consulates are saturated. Mobility teams should build flexibility into February and March rosters and consider reimbursing travel costs for essential paperwork.
Spanish authorities say they are liaising with high-volume consulates to allow group submissions, but no timetable has been confirmed. Companies placing short-term assignees from Pakistan should monitor appointment availability, as consular backlogs could also delay new business visas.
