Booking your immigration appointment is a free procedure — you don’t need to pay anyone to get one. But losing it over a silly detail (the wrong procedure in the dropdown, a mistyped NIE, forgetting to cancel when you already know you can’t make it) is much more common than it sounds. Here’s the full, step-by-step guide.
1. Where to book it
On the official site sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es, under “Cita Previa Extranjería.” If you’d rather ask for help by phone, you can also call 060.
2. What to have ready before you start
Your NIE or passport number, your province, and the exact procedure you’re submitting — the site’s dropdown has dozens of options with very similar-sounding names, and picking the wrong one is one of the most common ways to lose your appointment without even realizing it until the day itself.
3. When new slots tend to open up
New slots open up as other people cancel, at times that vary and aren’t fixed. There’s no guaranteed official schedule, so the most reliable approach is checking the site regularly rather than trusting a specific hour you read on some forum or group chat.
4. A submission appointment and a fingerprint appointment aren’t the same thing
5. If you can’t find a slot
Keep checking the site periodically — new slots open up every few days. Also check whether your procedure can be submitted online, with no in-person appointment needed — not all of them allow it, but some do. If you’ve gone a long time without getting one, it’s worth having someone look at your specific case.
Common mistakes that cost you the appointment
- Booking the wrong procedure in the dropdown, even if it sounds similar to yours.
- Mistyping your NIE or passport number, so the appointment ends up under the wrong details.
- Letting the date pass without cancelling once you know you can’t make it — cancel from the site itself: it frees the slot for someone else and avoids being marked as a no-show, which makes booking a new appointment harder at some offices.
- Showing up without one of the documents your checklist called for, which can force you to book all over again.
How appointments are booked and their availability can change without notice. Always check sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es for the most current information.
Verified content, already published on our own How to get your immigration appointment page, which itself points to sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es and the 060 information line.