Spain – Pilot Program Automatically Assigns Fingerprinting Appointments for Select TIE Card Applicants 

All November Global Immigration Updates:

• UK – Home Office Rolls Out Mandatory Multi-Factor Authentication for SMS Users and Sets Deadline to Prevent Account Deactivation
• Canada – Recent Changes to Express Entry CRS and OINP Award Additional Points to Eligible Foreign Nationals 
• Spain – Pilot Program Automatically Assigns Fingerprinting Appointments for Select TIE Card Applicants 
• Saudi Arabia – Skilled Workers Now Eligible to Relocate to the Kingdom with Dependents; Increased Salary Requirement to Meet Saudization Rates 
• France – Standardized Issuance of 12-month Talent Visas Across Jurisdictions
• Germany – Temporary Residence Measures for Eligible Ukrainian Nationals Extended
• Japan – Revised Eligibility Criteria for Permanent Residence to Take Effect in April 2027
• Vietnam – Decree 393 Introduces New Pathways and Requirements for Foreign Talent and Employers

Spain has launched a pilot program under which the mandatory in-country fingerprinting appointment for the Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE) card is automatically scheduled once the visa has been approved.  

Please note, however, that this pilot program currently only covers the visa categories that are regulated under Spain’s general immigration regime. Categories that are regulated by the Entrepreneur’s Act, which include visas for highly qualified professionals, intra-corporate transferees, digital nomads, and entrepreneurs, are not included in the pilot program. As such, fingerprinting appointments for Entrepreneur’s Act visas must still be scheduled manually through the online system. 

With the automated system, fingerprinting appointments for the impacted visa categories are typically assigned within 48 hours of the visa resolution being issued. The date, time, and location (i.e., police station) of the appointment is sent to the applicant via email or SMS. If the applicant is unable to attend the appointment, they must cancel it before the scheduled date, and a new appointment will be automatically assigned. With this pilot program, applicants do not have the option to select a preferred time, date, or location, and should make every effort to attend the initial appointment to avoid delays in obtaining their TIE card. 

This pilot program aims to address the ongoing shortage of fingerprinting appointments. If it is successful, these automated appointments will likely be extended to additional visa categories.