Services for British nationals in Spain

Urgent assistance

To contact the Emergency Services in Spain call 112. To report a crime to the Spanish police in English, call 902 102 112 (lines open 9am to 9pm).

If you’re in Madrid, northern or central Spain and you urgently need help from the British Embassy (eg if you’ve been attacked, arrested or lost your passport), call +34 91 714 6300. If you’re in the UK and concerned about a British national in Spain, call 020 7008 1500.

Get or renew a passport

The British Embassy can’t help with passport enquiries. Contact Her Majesty’s Passport Office if you need help.

If you can’t get a new or replacement passport in time to travel, you may be able to get an emergency travel document.

Get an emergency travel document

You can apply for an emergency travel document if you’re abroad and your passport has been lost or stolen, damaged or expired, and you can’t get a new or replacement passport in time to travel.

If you are due to travel in the next 24 hours, contact us as soon as possible

If you are travelling in the next week and your passport is not available, you may be able to apply for an ETD. You can go to your nearest consulate and normally obtain an ETD on the day. You must bring your travel details for all applications plus proof of your address in Spain if the ETD is for a round trip. You should arrive at the consulate at least an hour before the scheduled closing time.

Apply online for an emergency travel document if you:

• are over 16 years old and
• are a British citizen and
• have previously owned a British passport

Contact us to apply for an emergency travel document if you are:

• over 16 years old but have not owned a British passport before or
• not a British citizen or
• applying for a child under 16 years old

Once you have contacted us, you will be advised to make an appointment to apply for an emergency travel document at the British Embassy Madrid.

Get a visa

The British Embassy can’t help with visa enquiries.

If you’re not a British national, you may need a visa to travel to the UK. Check if you need a UK visa

If you’re a British national travelling abroad and need to apply for a visa to visit a particular country or check if you need a visa, see the entry requirements on our foreign travel advice for the country you want to visit.

For more information on visas, see UK visas and immigration.

Marriage and civil partnerships

For information on getting married in Spain, see getting married abroad.

Register a birth or death

Find out how to register a birth or register a death in Spain. You can’t register a birth or death at the Embassy.

Bereavement support

If you’re in the country where the death occurred contact us. If you’re in the UK and hear of the death of a relative from a third party, you should contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on 020 7008 1500.

Read our guidance on bereavement following the death of a British national in Spain

Support if you’ve been arrested

We’ll do all we can to contact you within 24 hours of being told that you’ve been detained or arrested and will give you a prisoner pack with information for British prisoners in Spain. We cannot get you out of prison, prevent the local authorities from deporting you after your prison sentence, or interfere in criminal or civil court proceedings.

Notarial and documentary services

See the full list of notarial and documentary services we provide.

Legalisation services

The Embassy does not provide legalisation services.

Ask the UK government to get a UK document legalised (certified as genuine).

Pensions and benefits in Spain

Information about access to state pensions and benefits when living in Spain.

Healthcare in Spain

A guide for British nationals living, or planning to live, in Spain on the different ways to access healthcare.

Residency requirements

A guide explaining the new rules for British citizens applying for residency in Spain, what documents are required, and information on the right to reside in Spain for both British citizens and non-EU family members. The guide includes information about registering on the Padron with your local town hall.

Buying property in Spain

Information to help you make a full and considered decision about buying a property in Spain.

Local service provider lists

Use our list of English speaking lawyers and interpreters if you need help with official transactions in Spain. Please note that inclusion in this list does not constitute official endorsement by the British Consulate or the UK government.

How else we can help

In addition to the services listed above we can also:

• provide information about transferring funds
• provide appropriate help if you have suffered rape or serious assault, are a victim of other crime, or are in hospital
• help people with mental illness
• offer support and help in a range of other cases, such as child abductions, missing peopleand kidnapping
• contact family or friends for you if you want
• make special arrangements in cases of terrorism, civil disturbances or natural disasters or other crises abroad

For more information on the services we can provide, see Support for British nationals abroad: A guide.

What the Embassy cannot do for you

Although we try to help British nationals in a wide range of situations, we also cannot:

• help you enter a country, for example, if you don’t have a visa or your passport is not valid
• 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.
• get you better treatment in hospital or prison than is given to local people
• pay any bills or give you money (in very exceptional circumstances we may lend you some money from public funds, which you’ll have to pay back)
• make travel arrangements for you, or find you work or accommodation
• make business arrangements on your behalf

Consular fees

We charge fees for some of our services. See the full list of consular fees in Spain