Spain’s National Police have issued an unprecedented nationwide alert after registering a 60 percent surge in reports of lost or stolen passports since mid-January. According to the General Commissariat for Foreigners and Border Control (CGEF), the spike coincides with the government’s 27 January royal-decree that will allow undocumented foreigners who can prove five months’ residence before 31 December 2025 to obtain a one-year residence-and-work permit.
Investigators say many reports are being filed by migrants who never actually lost their documents: producing a stamped denuncia (police report) dated weeks or months earlier helps them demonstrate that they were already on Spanish soil before the amnesty cut-off. Internal statistics show the sharpest increases among Pakistani (+867 %), Algerian (+356 %), Moroccan (+114 %) and Colombian (+39 %) nationals.
Navigating Spain’s fast-changing immigration requirements can be daunting, but VisaHQ’s dedicated Spain team (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) can streamline the process. Whether you need guidance on filing the correct police report, replacing a lost passport, or securing the right visa or residence permit, VisaHQ offers step-by-step assistance, document checks, and appointment scheduling to minimise errors and delays.
![Spanish Police Warn of 'Lost Passport' Scam as Migrants Seek to Qualify for 2026 Regularisation]()
Police unions have criticised the regularisation decree for creating a “pull-factor for fraud”, arguing that already-overstretched immigration desks are now handling hundreds of dubious loss claims every day. The CGEF circular instructs officers to carry out full identity checks and cross-reference each claimant with national and Interpol databases before accepting a report. Where a claimant is found to have an existing deportation order or criminal record, the information must be forwarded to the Aliens Brigade for urgent action.
Legal specialists warn that filing a false loss report is a criminal offence that can invalidate an amnesty application and lead to prosecution. Companies planning to hire regularised workers are therefore advised to keep thorough onboarding records and verify employees’ new permits once issued. HR teams should also update compliance protocols to ensure that staff hired under the extraordinary process remain legally authorised to work after the initial one-year term expires.
While migrant-rights NGOs condemn what they see as an atmosphere of suspicion, the Ministry of Inclusion insists the decree will “bring half a million people out of the shadow economy” and boost Spain’s labour supply in logistics, agriculture and care work. The alert nevertheless signals that authorities intend to balance social objectives with strict document-fraud enforcement, making early-stage due-diligence essential for both migrants and employers.
Investigators say many reports are being filed by migrants who never actually lost their documents: producing a stamped denuncia (police report) dated weeks or months earlier helps them demonstrate that they were already on Spanish soil before the amnesty cut-off. Internal statistics show the sharpest increases among Pakistani (+867 %), Algerian (+356 %), Moroccan (+114 %) and Colombian (+39 %) nationals.
Navigating Spain’s fast-changing immigration requirements can be daunting, but VisaHQ’s dedicated Spain team (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) can streamline the process. Whether you need guidance on filing the correct police report, replacing a lost passport, or securing the right visa or residence permit, VisaHQ offers step-by-step assistance, document checks, and appointment scheduling to minimise errors and delays.
Police unions have criticised the regularisation decree for creating a “pull-factor for fraud”, arguing that already-overstretched immigration desks are now handling hundreds of dubious loss claims every day. The CGEF circular instructs officers to carry out full identity checks and cross-reference each claimant with national and Interpol databases before accepting a report. Where a claimant is found to have an existing deportation order or criminal record, the information must be forwarded to the Aliens Brigade for urgent action.
Legal specialists warn that filing a false loss report is a criminal offence that can invalidate an amnesty application and lead to prosecution. Companies planning to hire regularised workers are therefore advised to keep thorough onboarding records and verify employees’ new permits once issued. HR teams should also update compliance protocols to ensure that staff hired under the extraordinary process remain legally authorised to work after the initial one-year term expires.
While migrant-rights NGOs condemn what they see as an atmosphere of suspicion, the Ministry of Inclusion insists the decree will “bring half a million people out of the shadow economy” and boost Spain’s labour supply in logistics, agriculture and care work. The alert nevertheless signals that authorities intend to balance social objectives with strict document-fraud enforcement, making early-stage due-diligence essential for both migrants and employers.
