Immigration & Removal · Spain
Find a deportation lawyer in Spain who knows the system
A removal or refusal decision is an administrative act, and administrative acts in Spain can be questioned through defined legal routes. We help you find a lawyer whose practice covers removal, residence and contentious-administrative litigation, so you understand your position before you decide anything.
- Removal and residence files explained in plain English
- Lawyers admitted to a Spanish Colegio de la Abogacía
- Free matching — you decide whether to instruct anyone
No obligation. First response usually within 24–48 hours.
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The situation
Removal decisions in Spain: where a lawyer actually fits in
A removal or expulsion order does not have to be the end of your time in Spain. These are administrative decisions, and Spanish law gives you defined routes to question them: an administrative appeal within one month, or a claim before the contentious-administrative courts. The hard part is rarely knowing that such routes exist — it is finding a lawyer who understands both the administrative file and the court that will review it. That is what this page is for. We are a matching service, not a law firm. You describe your situation once, in your own words, and we introduce you to a deportation lawyer in Spain whose practice covers removal, residence and administrative litigation.
Spain in practice
How the Spanish system handles removal and administrative challenges
Immigration decisions in Spain are administrative decisions, and they sit inside a court system organised by order of jurisdiction and by region. The notes below explain how that structure works, which time limits matter and what legal aid and fees look like before you instruct anyone.
How an administrative decision is challenged
Spain follows the continental civil-law model, so the rules that govern your case come from written legislation rather than from earlier judgments. Challenges to administrative acts begin in the Contentious-Administrative Courts; appeals are heard by the High Court of Justice of the relevant Autonomous Community, and cassation goes to the Supreme Court in Madrid, which unifies the interpretation of the law.
The one-month window for administrative appeals
The ordinary administrative appeals — the recurso de alzada and the recurso de reposición — must be brought within one month. That is a short window, and losing it can close the administrative route altogether. A lawyer will identify precisely which act is being challenged, which body issued it and which route keeps your options open.
Who is entitled to represent you
Practising law in Spain requires membership of a Colegio de la Abogacía, and a lawyer admitted in one Bar may practise throughout the country. Qualification follows a law degree, the specialist access master and the state aptitude examination under Law 34/2006. Before the higher courts, technical direction by an abogado and representation by a procurador are the ordinary requirements.
Free legal aid and court fees
Free legal aid under Law 1/1996 can cover a lawyer, a procurador and experts, and exempts you from procedural costs where household income stays below a threshold linked to the IPREM — generally twice that indicator, raised to three or four times with dependent family members. Applications are filed with the Colegio de la Abogacía of the competent court. Natural persons are also exempt from the tasa judicial.
Which court, and in which language
Jurisdiction is territorial: administrative cases start in the Contentious-Administrative Courts, while the High Courts of Justice sit at Autonomous Community level. Certain administrative matters affecting the whole of Spain fall to the Audiencia Nacional. Proceedings are conducted in Spanish, and co-official regional languages may be used where applicable. Constitutional rights are protected separately through the recurso de amparo.
What a Spanish lawyer costs
Lawyers’ fees in Spain are freely agreed between lawyer and client, and there are no binding official tariffs, although Bar Associations publish non-binding guideline criteria. If you lose, a court may order you to pay the other side’s costs, capped at one third of the amount in dispute for lawyers’ and procuradores’ fees in declaratory proceedings. Ask for the fee arrangement in writing first.
All country data on this page is drawn from official Spanish and European Union sources (BOE, European e-Justice Portal, CGAE), consulted in 2025.
- European e-Justice Portal — National justice systems: Spain
- Royal Decree 135/2021 — Estatuto General de la Abogacía Española
- Law 1/1996 — Free legal aid (asistencia jurídica gratuita)
- Law 39/2015 — Administrative Procedure Act (one-month appeal)
- Civil Code (Código Civil) — limitation periods
- Consejo General de la Abogacía Española (CGAE)
Common concerns
What worries people most
Three situations we hear about constantly when someone contacts us about a removal file in Spain.
A decision you did not expect
An expulsion or refusal resolution arrives by post or in person, often in Spanish and in technical wording. You may not be sure whether it is final, whether it has already been enforced, or which body issued it.
Too many possible routes
Administrative appeal, court claim, or both in sequence — each with its own body, its own paperwork and its own timing. Choosing the wrong one can cost months, and the file does not wait while you decide.
Distance, language and paperwork
Court papers and notifications are in Spanish, and regional languages may appear in some Autonomous Communities. Documents issued abroad usually need translation and formalities before they can be used, which takes time you may not have.
How we help
Matching you with the right Spanish lawyer
We are not a law firm. We are the shortest route from your problem to a lawyer who works on it.
Practising lawyers, verified
Every lawyer we introduce holds membership of a Spanish Colegio de la Abogacía, which is compulsory in order to practise in Spain. We match on your area of law, not simply on the country you are in.
One description, several options
You explain the situation once. We then identify lawyers whose practice covers removal, residence and contentious-administrative work, so you can compare approach and fees before you commit to anything.
Clear on what happens next
Your lawyer explains which act is being challenged, the one-month window for an administrative appeal and whether the court route is still open. You get a realistic picture of the steps, not a promise of an outcome.
Costs discussed up front
Spanish lawyers’ fees are freely agreed, so you can ask for a written estimate, ask how the free legal aid thresholds under Law 1/1996 apply to you, and ask who bears costs if the case goes against you.
Cross-border matters
Other countries our users search from
Removal and immigration files are frequently cross-border, with family, work or property in more than one jurisdiction. Clients also look for specialist lawyers in these countries:
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What does a deportation lawyer in Spain actually do?
A deportation lawyer in Spain works on the administrative side of removal: reading the resolution and the underlying file, checking how it was notified, preparing an administrative appeal within the one-month window and, where appropriate, bringing a claim before the contentious-administrative courts. The same lawyer often advises on residence and documentation questions that run alongside the removal file.
How long do I have to challenge an administrative decision in Spain?
The ordinary administrative appeals — the recurso de alzada and the recurso de reposición — must be brought within one month. That is a short window, and how it is calculated depends on how and when you were notified. A lawyer should therefore see the document itself as soon as you can send it.
Can I get free legal aid for an immigration case in Spain?
Free legal aid under Law 1/1996 can cover a lawyer, a procurador and experts, and exempts you from procedural costs. The right depends on household income measured against the IPREM indicator — generally twice that amount, and three or four times where there are dependent family members. Applications go to the Bar Association of the competent court.
Do I have to pay court fees in Spanish administrative proceedings?
The tasa judicial applies to the civil and contentious-administrative orders, but it is owed only by legal persons such as companies, associations and foundations. Natural persons are exempt, and the labour and criminal orders are not subject to the fee at all. A lawyer will confirm how this applies to your particular claim.
Which court will hear my case in Spain?
Administrative challenges begin in the Contentious-Administrative Courts at first instance. Appeals are heard by the High Court of Justice of the relevant Autonomous Community, and cassation by the Supreme Court in Madrid, which sits in Civil, Criminal, Social, Contentious-Administrative and Military Chambers. Certain matters affecting the whole of Spain fall to the Audiencia Nacional.
How does your matching service work, and what does it cost?
You send us a short description of your situation. We review it and introduce you to lawyers whose practice covers removal and administrative litigation in Spain. Being matched is free and there is no obligation to instruct anyone. We do not practise law ourselves and we do not promise any particular outcome.
Next step
One description is enough to start
Send us the essentials: the decision you received, the date shown on it, and what you would like to achieve. We use that to match you with a deportation lawyer in Spain, free of charge and without obligation.