Guide to Spain
Consulates in Spain

Role of Consulates in Spain

The Consulates provide support for their Nationals visiting or living in Spain. Consulates are the issuing authority in Spain for Passports and Visas for their respective countries as well as registering Births and Deaths of Nationals. They also provide various Notarial services, advice and information to Nationals.

Outside normal working hours, Consulates provide emergency services which a duty officer will provide information or attend in emergencies.

WHAT THE BRITISH CONSUL GENERAL CAN DO FOR BRITISH NATIONALS

The Conusul General offers help which is appropriate to the individual circumstances of each case, including:

1. Issuing replacement passports
2. Providing information about transferring funds
3. Providing appropriate help if you have suffered rape or serious assault, are a victim of other crime, or are in hospital
4. Helping people with mental illness
5. Providing details of local lawyers, interpreters and doctors and funeral directors
6. Doing all we properly can to contact you within 24 hours of being told that you have been detained
7. Offering support and help in a range of other cases, such as child abductions, death of relatives overseas, missing people and kidnapping
8. Contacting family or friends for you if you want
9. Making special arrangements in cases of terrorism, civil disturbances or natural disasters.
   

Some sevices are chargeable. Consulates display the current fees and the standards of service you can expect under Service First.

WHAT THE CONSULATE GENERAL CANNOT DO FOR BRITISH NATIONALS

1. Get you out of prison
2. Prevent the local authorities from deporting you after your prison sentence, or interfere in criminal or civil court proceedings
3. Help you enter a country, for example, if you do not have a visa or your passport is not valid, as we cannot interfere in another country’s immigration policy or procedures
4. Give you legal advice, investigate crimes or carry out searches for missing people, although we can give you details of people who may be able to help you in these cases, such as English-speaking lawyers
5. Get you better treatment in hospital or prison than is given to local people
6. Pay any bills or give you money (in very exceptional circumstances we may lend you some money from public funds, which you will have to pay back)
7. Make travel arrangements for you, or find you work or accommodation; or
   make business arrangements on your behalf.