01How we handle a Granada case without you travelling
Most of an immigration application is paperwork: obtaining certificates, having them translated, checking them against the Immigration Regulations (Royal Decree 1155/2024) and filing them in good order. None of that requires you and your lawyer to be in the same city.
We work online throughout Spain. For Granada we follow the same method: an initial video call to decide the route, a document checklist written for your situation, a review of every document before filing, and electronic filing under our professional certificate. We keep you informed of any request for further information and of the decision.
If something has to be done in person and you cannot do it yourself, we cover it through our network of collaborating professionals.
02The Immigration Office in Granada
The Immigration Office of the Government Sub-delegation is at Calle San Agapito, 2, on the corner of Ribera del Beiro. According to the Government Delegation in Andalusia, it handles residence and work permits, residence for research, non-lucrative residence, family reunification, long-term residence, student stays, residence cards for family members of EU citizens and appeals, among other procedures.
It has one practical advantage: the same building houses a National Police unit that issues TIE cards, assigns NIE numbers, issues EU citizen certificates and deals with Withdrawal Agreement documents for British nationals. When a lawyer acts for you, the application is registered on the electronic portal and the office decides it on the digital file.
03Fingerprints and residence card in Granada province
Once your permit is granted, the foreigner identity card (TIE) is issued by the National Police, always by appointment. According to the Government Delegation, it can be done at these locations:
- Granada Immigration Office, National Police unit: Calle San Agapito, 2.
- Motril police station: Calle Aguas del Hospital. Convenient if you live on the Costa Tropical.
- Baza police station: Calle Alhóndiga, 18. Convenient if you live in the northeast of the province.
- The police office finder also lists the Provincial Immigration and Borders Brigade on Calle La Palmita.
04Who contacts us from Granada
The University of Granada welcomes many international, exchange and postgraduate students every year. EU citizens, such as Erasmus students, do not need a permit but must obtain the EU registration certificate if they stay more than three months. Students from outside the EU need a student stay and, for stays over six months, a TIE. We help with extensions and with moving to a work permit once studies end.
We are also contacted by researchers and postdocs hired by the university and by research centres in the city, for whom there is a specific residence permit for research that can include their family.
Beyond the city, the Alpujarra and the Costa Tropical, with Motril, Salobreña and Almuñécar, attract retirees and remote workers, many of them British. For them we handle non-lucrative residence, international teleworking and the Withdrawal Agreement TIE.
05Andalusian specifics worth knowing
Family reunification requires proof of adequate housing. The Regulations call for a report from the regional government or, where the region has delegated it, from the town hall, and it cannot be more than six months old when the application is filed. With farmhouses and rural homes in the Alpujarra, it is worth checking beforehand that the property meets the conditions.
If you are the unmarried partner of an EU or Spanish citizen, registration with the Andalusian Register of Unmarried Couples (Law 5/2002) is one way to evidence the relationship.
Non-lucrative residence does not by itself give access to public healthcare, provided in Andalusia by the Andalusian Health Service; private health insurance is a requirement and must be kept up for renewals.
06Consulates for Granada
There is no British consulate in Granada. The consulate in Málaga serves British nationals across Andalusia, Ceuta and Melilla, by appointment only, for British passports and documents. Your Spanish residence is a matter for the Spanish authorities, not the consulate.
US citizens in Granada are served by the consular agency in Fuengirola for passports and notarial services. Student and residence visas are applied for at the Spanish consulate in your country of residence, not in Spain.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to go to the Immigration Office on Calle San Agapito to file my application?
No. As lawyers we file through the electronic portal, which is compulsory for professionals, so you do not need a counter appointment. Your only visit in person is usually the fingerprint appointment, which in Granada city takes place in that same building.
I am an Erasmus student at the University of Granada. Do I need a permit?
If you are an EU citizen, no. If you stay more than three months, you must register and obtain the EU citizen registration certificate. If you are from outside the EU, you need a student visa or a student stay authorisation.
The university is hiring me as a researcher. Which route applies?
Usually the residence permit for research, which requires a hosting agreement or contract with the institution. It can include your spouse and children. We review the contract and prepare the application for the whole family.
I live in Almuñécar. Do I have to go to Granada for TIE fingerprints?
Not necessarily. The Government Delegation lists TIE issuing at the Motril police station, which is closer. You choose the office when booking, subject to availability.
I am British and have lived in the Alpujarra since before 2021. Which document do I need?
If you were resident in Spain before 31 December 2020, you are entitled to the Withdrawal Agreement TIE. We check your padrón registration and earlier documents, such as the green EU registration certificate, and handle the card or its renewal.
Do you have an office in Granada?
No. We work online throughout Spain, by video call. If your case needs a one-off task in person, our network of collaborating professionals covers it.