Cross-location fingerprinting
In larger cities such as Madrid or Barcelona, the number of foreigners is high and the workload of the police stations is enormous. Therefore it is impossible to get an appointment to get your fingerprint done when you want to apply for a residence card.
It is difficult to get an appointment, and there are even a lot of “dealers” in the market, who sell them. Therefore, many people ask if they can go to another city to get their fingerprints done.
Yes, you can go to other cities to have fingerprinting, but you should be in the same province.
For example, if you live in Madrid, you can also go to the town around Madrid to have your fingerprints pressed, just not to another province. About this, you should notice when you make an appointment on the website to have your hand stamped that the number appointment is made in provinces.
If you choose Madrid, then all the available numbers of police stations in the Madrid area will appear. If there is a surrounding town, you should select it as soon as possible. Each police station is only responsible for fingerprinting foreigners in the province where it is located.
Therefore, you cannot go to other provinces. For example, Madrid residents cannot go to Toledo to have their fingerprints fingerprinted. If you cannot get an appointment in your province, or if it takes a long time to be approved, you will have to wait patiently.
Can I apply for it at my place of work?
If a person’s home and work are not in the same place, is it possible to apply at the place of work?
Regarding this point, you should note that the jurisdiction of the police department is regulated by the place where each person lives, not the place where he/she works. If the place of work contract, or one’s store, is not in the same province as the place of residence, everyone should take the place of residence as the standard.
Is there any way to get a quick appointment for fingerprinting?
No, there is not. Many applications for residence can be processed online. However, there is no other way to get a number for fingerprinting, but to spend more time to get a number. The scarcity of appointment (citas) has seriously affected the lives of foreigners in Spain, and many foreigners’ organizations, bar associations and rights groups have protested to the government.
