Author
The Asylum Regulation, which gives practical application to the previous version of the Asylum Law, makes specific reference to the provision of information to asylum seekers on their rights.[1] It provides that the Spanish administration, in collaboration with UNHCR and other NGOs who work with refugees, will elaborate leaflets for the provision of relevant information to asylum seekers in several languages.
The Ministry of Interior has published a leaflet, available online and handed to all applicants at the moment they express the will to ask for international protection, so that they can contact any organisation that provides support and assistance.[2] The information is available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.
In addition, the Asylum Regulation specifies that information on the asylum procedure and on applicants’ rights will be given orally by the authority in charge of the registration procedure, and in particular on their right to free legal assistance and interpretation service.[3]
Besides institutional information channels, other organisations design and disseminate information leaflets and brochures regarding the asylum procedure and related rights. The information may be provided in several languages, depending on the entity promoting the material.
In 2025, information provision was delivered by UNHCR through group sessions and individual counselling, reaching 16,800 people, most of them newly arrived individuals in need of international protection. In addition, a further 3,000 individual inquiries regarding asylum were addressed through in-person counselling, e-mails and telephone calls. The UNHCR online information platform for refugees in Spain (HELP) received more than 340,000 visits.
The Know Your Rights programme, implemented jointly with DLA Piper, reached more than 50 refugees from ten countries. Together, these channels supported refugees’ clearer understanding of rights, key protection issues and available services.
UNHCR shared more than 60 initiatives within the ‘Red-refugiadas’, a refugee-led organizations network.
UNHCR’s newsletters reached over 3,200 people, helping keep communities informed about programmes, opportunities and services offered by UNHCR and its partners.[4]
In October 2024, the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration launched a phone service (number +34 913990009) to inform about international and temporary protection. The service is provided by eight persons, and the information is given in eight languages: Spanish, English, French, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic and Farsi.[5]
[1] Article 5(1) Asylum Regulation.
[2] The leaflet is available here.
[3] Article 5(2) Asylum Regulation.
[4] Information provided by UNHCR in March 2026.
[5] Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘El Ministerio de Migraciones pone en funcionamiento una línea de atención telefónica sobre protección internacional y temporal’, 18 October 2024, available here; Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘Línea Acogida Informa’, available here.