Cita previa in Spain: how to get an appointment with each authority

Where each appointment is booked

Start here. Find the authority that handles your procedure, go in through the official link and, if you need the detail, open our full guide for that authority.

What you need before booking any appointment

Almost every failed booking has the same cause: starting without these four things clear.

1. An identification number. DNI if you are Spanish, NIE if you already have one, passport if not yet. Without it the system does not get past the first screen.
2. The exact procedure. Knowing you are going to "do the NIE" is not enough: the systems ask you to choose a specific procedure from a list, and each has its own calendar. Choosing the wrong one is the number one cause of the "no appointments available" message when there are in fact slots for the right procedure.
3. The province and sometimes the office. In Immigration the province is chosen at the start and cannot be changed along the way: if you get it wrong, you start again.
4. A valid phone and email. That is where the confirmation arrives. The Tax Agency, for instance, accepts foreign numbers but requires both to be confirmed before closing the appointment.

Some procedures also need a digital certificate or Cl@ve. If you do not have one yet, it is worth getting: with it many matters are settled without setting foot in the office and without an appointment.

Immigration appointment

This is the system with the most demand and the most problems. Immigration appointments are booked through the Administraciones Públicas electronic office, choosing the province first and then the type of procedure. According to the office itself, who must book depends on the permit: for initial residence and work permits as an employee it is the employer or their representative; for family reunification, the sponsoring relative; for residence permits for minors or persons lacking capacity, the father, mother or legal guardian, without the minor attending; and for the rest, the foreign national or their representative.

In the same office you can also check the status of your file with no appointment and no certificate, just the file number.

Full guide to the immigration appointment: which procedure to choose in each case, fingerprints, card collection, renewals and what to do when there are no slots.

DGT appointment

The DGT is by far the authority with the clearest rules. Its electronic office states that it tries to give the appointment within fifteen days of the request, that attention is Monday to Friday in the mornings, and that some large offices also open on Thursday afternoons. Requesting an appointment is a free service with no commission: if a website charges you for it, it is not the official one.

There are two important exemptions: people aged 65 or over can attend without an appointment during the enabled hours, and those with mobility problems who must go to the headquarters after visiting an assessment centre do not need to book either.

You can check, change or cancel your appointment from the electronic office itself, from the miDGT app or by calling 060.

Full guide to the DGT appointment: foreign licence exchange, transfers, registration and which procedures need no appointment.

Social Security appointment

The key here is knowing which body you are going to. The INSS manages pensions and benefits; the TGSS, affiliation, registrations and contributions; the ISM serves the maritime sector; and the SEPE, which many people lump in with them, is a different body that manages unemployment.

INSS and ISM appointments are booked in the Social Security electronic office. TGSS affiliation and contribution matters are mostly resolved from the Importass portal, often with no appointment or visit.

Full guide to the Social Security appointment: how to get a Social Security number as a foreigner, registering as self-employed and what can be done without going to the office.

Tax Agency appointment

The Tax Agency offers three options and it pays to choose well: an in-person appointment at an office, immediate phone attention from a specialist, or virtual assistance by chat. To identify yourself you need Cl@ve, an electronic certificate or an electronic DNI, and the system will ask you to confirm a phone number (foreign numbers accepted) and a valid email where the confirmation will arrive. Once created, the appointment can be modified to change place or date, or cancelled altogether.

Full guide to the Tax Agency appointment: income tax season, census registration with forms 036 and 037, and the NIF for non-residents.

No appointments available: what you can do

It is the most frequent situation and almost always has a way out. In order of what works best:

1. Review the procedure you chose. Before assuming there are no slots, check that the selected procedure is the one for your case. Each has its own calendar, and one is often full while another has slots.
2. Try another office in the same province. Within a province there are usually several offices with independent calendars.
3. Keep trying at different times of day. Calendars are not refilled continuously: slots appear in batches and are also freed when others cancel.
4. Check whether your procedure needs an appointment. At the DGT, for example, some matters are expressly excluded from appointments. At the Tax Agency and Social Security, a large share of procedures are filed online with a certificate or Cl@ve.
5. Delegate the filing. Registered gestores administrativos hold a professional certificate and can file many applications online on behalf of clients. In those cases neither appointment nor travel is needed.

Booking by phone

Not every authority gives appointments by phone, and numbers change over time. The channel confirmed in the electronic office itself is the DGT, through 060: automated information 24 hours a day and an agent Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00, with a specific number for calls from abroad. For Social Security and the Tax Agency, check the phone numbers published on their official websites, linked below, because those are the only up-to-date ones.