One in three attempts to book an appointment fails.

Have you tried to request an appointment at the Foreigners' Office and found that none are available? You are not alone. A study by the OCU analyzed 1,800 requests for prior appointments in various administrations and the result is that in a third of cases the process fails. That is, 18% of the time you end up without an appointment, and in another 11% they give you one in a city that is not yours. Sometimes not even close: 200 kilometers from your home.

The study focused on procedures such as renewing the DNI, changing the owner of a car, the life certificate, or requesting benefits from the SEPE. And the results vary greatly depending on where you live. Granada and Oviedo are the ones that work best; Madrid, Valencia, and Alicante are the worst. In Guadalajara, you don't even need an appointment for many procedures. The average waiting time is around seven business days, but be careful: in Soria or Bilbao, the life certificate can take more than 40 days.

If you are a foreigner, this affects you completely because many residence or nationality procedures are in person and you need an appointment no matter what. If you don't have a digital certificate, you have to call by phone or request it online, and if the system fails—which it does—you are left stranded. The OCU asks that an appointment be guaranteed in at least 95% of attempts and that the maximum waiting time be one week. But today the reality is different: in one out of five cases, the wait goes beyond two weeks.

What to do then? Above all, plan. If you know you are going to need a procedure, request the appointment as soon as possible. If they give you an appointment in another city, consider whether the trip is worth it or if you can try in another province. Always have your documents at hand: passport, NIE, digital certificate if you have one. There is no magic trick, but patience and organization help. So you know: move in advance.

However: some organizations allow entry without an appointment in certain cases, such as the Civil Registry for the life certificate. Check before you go. And if you find yourself in a dead end, seek support in associations or stop by our Telegram channel.

If you have difficulties with your appointment or procedure, write to us on Telegram: https://t.me/cita_extranjeria