Getting an appointment at the Immigration Office (Extranjería) in Alicante or in other provinces in Spain has been a serious challenge since March 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. If you have been trying to get an appointment without success, you may be able to submit your application through the online platform MERCURIO.
In order for you to access and apply online, you need to install two components on your computer: the Digital Certificate and Autofirma. To do that, you may need to take a look into the tutorials Asociación Babelia has prepared to help you install both applications:
- Obtaining a Digital Certificate in Spain for residency application purpose… and other purposes
- Installation of AutoFirma for residency purpose… and other purposes
Once you have installed both of these, you can start the application. Asociación Babelia has developed the following unofficial tutorial to guide you through the process.
This document is intended for UK Nationals and their family members who wish to apply for Residency in Spain and fall under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement. If you need more information about what documents you need to provide, please complete our contact form so a member of our team can contact you.
Good luck!
Technical Requirements
Before starting, make sure that:
- Your Operating System is updated
- AutoFirma Application is correctly installed on your computer
- Your Digital Certificate is correctly installed on your computer
- Your internet connection is stable
Procedure step by step
- Access the Mercurio online platform by clicking on the following link: https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/pagina/index/directorio/mercurio2
Scroll down and click on: ‘Acceder a solicitudes…’ as shown in the image below:
2. Scroll down and click on ‘CONTINUAR’:
3. Then click on ‘CONTINUAR INDIVIDUAL’
4. Then on ‘CONTINUAR PRESENTACIÓN’
5. Once the system has identified you through your digital certificate, your name and NIE will appear on the screen. Then click on “Presentar nueva solicitud” first and select your province on the drop-down list; e.g ‘Alicante’
6. Then, select the procedure:
- EX-20 for UK nationals and their dependents also UK nationals (this is the example we are using in this guide)
- EX-21 for family members of UK nationals from a third country (this applies for example to a Chinese husband of a UK national who is already resident or has at least submitted their residency application).
- EX-22 is for border workers from the UK
All three procedures are for UK nationals and their family members who fall under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement.
Then select “CONTINUAR“
7. Now complete the fields with the applicant’s details: Passport number, NIE, Surname, Name, etc.
Once done, click on “CONTINUE“.
Note that all fields with (*) are compulsory.
8. On the next step (“Datos del presentador“), complete the fields as in the previous step and then click on “CONTINUE“. If the applicant and the ‘representative/presenter’ (person submitting the application) who is the Digital Certificate holder are NOT the same person, then you will need to fill out and upload this authorisation form signed by the applicant allowing the Digital Certificate holder or representative/presenter to submit the application on behalf of the applicant.
9. In the next step (“DOMICILIO DE NOTIFICACIÓN”) you will need to select the notification address (email and phone number) where you wish to receive communications from Extranjería. This is important if the ‘representative/presenter’ (the digital certificate owner) is a different person from the applicant. This is the case when an applicant is using someone else’s digital certificate to submit an application on their behalf. In this instance the applicant is still able to choose his/her address as the notification address.
Please note that, in order for you to receive any further communication from Extranjería through the electronic platform you will need to check the box below on the left side of the screen (“Consiento que las comunicaciones y notificaciones…“).
10. Select your situation
Select the category that fits your individual situation. Most first time applicants will have to select one of the five options available for “TEMPORARY RESIDENCY”:
- Employee in Spain (Trabajador por cuenta ajena): for applicants who are working as employees under a contract in Spain, they are affiliated with the Social Security System and have a Social Security number.
- Self-employed in Spain (Trabajador por cuenta propia): for applicants who are working as self employed or ‘Autónomo‘, they are affiliated with the Social Security System and have a Social Security number.
- Not working in Spain with sufficient economic means and healthcare coverage (No activo): for applicants who are not working in Spain but can show sufficient income in addition to healthcare coverage.
- Student with sufficient means and healthcare coverage (Estudiant‘): for students enrolled in Spanish educational institutions, who can show sufficient income in addition to healthcare coverage.
- UK national, family member of the other UK national mentioned in the previous sections: for those applicants who are dependent on another UK national who is already resident or who has at least applied for residency. This is the case for instance, when submitting an application on behalf of a minor as dependent on a parent or on behalf of a spouse as dependent on the spouse who already has residency.
In this guide, we are using option 3.
Once you have selected the appropriate option, check the box below to confirm that the information and documentation provided in the application are correct and leave the second box unchecked to allow Extranjería to ask other public administrations for information related to your application if needed. Finally, click on “CONCLUIR“.
11. In the following pop-up window, click on “Aceptar” to confirm that you agree to the terms and conditions 
12. Select “PRESENTACIÓN ELECTRÓNICA“
13. On the next pop-up window select “Aceptar” to confirm that the person submitting the application is present in Spain.
14. Now, it is time to upload the documents to support your residency application according to the category you’ve selected in step 10.
- Select “Examinar” to upload the document from your computer. Our advice is to start with your passport (full passport, properly organised and scanned as a single document, including the blank pages).
- From the drop-down list (Seleccione tipo de documento), select the type of document.
- 1st category is for the passport
- 2nd category is for proof of being employed in Spain
- 3rd category is for proof of being self-employed in Spain
- 4th category is for proof of healthcare coverage for those who do not work in Spain
- 5th category is for proof of sufficient economic means for those who do not work in Spain
- 6th category is for proof of enrollment in studies in Spain for students
- 7th category is for proof of healthcare coverage for students
- 8th category is for declaration or proof of sufficient economic means for students
- 9th category is for PERMANENT RESIDENCY
- 10th category is for any other documents
- Once a document is uploaded and its category selected, click on “ADJUNTAR DOCUMENTO“.
Repeat the previous three steps as many times as necessary.
Once you have uploaded all the documents needed, scroll down and click on “CONTINUAR” (see two images).
15. You’re almost done! Now you need to sign and record your application by clicking on “FIRMAR Y REGISTRAR“
16. You will be asked to confirm the selected digital certificate. Click on ‘OK’ if that’s the correct one
17. Finally, you need to download and save the document that shows your application has been submitted, click on “DESCARGAR RESGUARDO” on the left and save it to your computer. Then go back to the same page and click on “DESCARGAR PRESENTACIÓN” and save this as well.
That’s it! CONGRATULATIONS, your residency application has been submitted, so now you need to wait for further communication from Extranjería.
Until then, you can keep track of the status of your application by sending an SMS with your NIE (example: NIE X0101010Y) or the number of your application (example: EXPE 0101010101010101) to the following phone number: 600 12 43 77. It is our understanding that this is a free service.
You can also check the status of your application through the following link: https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/pagina/index/directorio/infoext2
GOOD LUCK!
