Author
Short overview of the reception system
The coordination and management of the reception of asylum seekers falls under the responsibility of the State Secretary for Migration (Secretaría de Estado de Migraciones, SEM) of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration. The SEM also supervises and coordinates the Directorate General of Migration (Dirección General de Migraciones), the Directorate General for Humanitarian Assistance and for the Reception System of International Protection (Dirección General de Atención Humanitaria y del Sistema de Acogida de Protección Internacional) and the Directorate General for Migration Management (Dirección General de Gestión Migratoria).[1] The SEM is competent for developing the Governmental policy on foreigners, immigration and emigration. In addition, through the Directorate General for Humanitarian Assistance and for the Reception System of International Protection, it develops and manages the comprehensive system for reception and integration of asylum seekers, refugees, stateless person, persons with temporary protection, and beneficiaries of the subsidiary protection.
The Asylum Law provides that reception services shall be defined by way of Regulation.[2] Up until 2022, detailed rules on the functioning of the Spanish reception system were provided through a non-binding handbook,[3] as the Regulation implementing the Asylum Law was pending from 2009. On 29 March 2022, the Government adopted the Royal Decree 220/2022, approving the Regulation governing the international protection reception system.[4] The new Regulation entered into force on 31 March 2022. It provides that the 2021 Reception Handbook and its Annex (version 5.0) on the procedure on managing the international protection reception plan will be applicable in case certain rules are not developed and detailed by the same Regulation. The DGSAPTI, trough the General-Sub direction of Programs of International Protection, is working on a new version of the Reception Handbook (version 6.0) together with the NGOs participating in the asylum reception system. The new handbook was expected to be published and implemented in the course of 2024, but at the time of writing of this report it has not yet been published.[5]
In principle, applicants for international protection are granted reception conditions and thus referred to a shelter as soon as they apply for asylum. Nevertheless, there have been major shortcomings in the reception system in recent years, rendering the access to reception difficult in practice (e.g. waiting periods reaching up to 1 month) and resulting in homelessness in certain cases.
The duration of reception conditions (accommodation, assistance and financial support) should last 18 months, and may reach a maximum of 24 for vulnerable cases, following the exceptional authorisation by the competent authority. The reception system is currently divided into three phases: 1) initial assessment and referral; 2) reception; 3) autonomy.
On 15 December 2022, the SEM adopted an instruction detailing the requirements for accessing and staying in the international protection reception system.[6] Among other issues, the instruction foresees that the phase of initial assessment and referral, despite being part of the reception system, does not count while calculating the 18-month (or 24-month) period of stay, and that just the other two phases are taken into consideration for the calculation of the duration.
In July 2023, the Disciplinary Regime of the asylum reception system entered into force.[7]
The State Secretary for Migration of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration directly manages four reception facilities for asylum seekers, which are collective centres. In addition, 24 NGOs run reception centres for asylum seekers, through funds granted by the State Secretary for Migration. Many of these facilities are apartments. It has to be noted that in 2022 there has also been changes in funding of reception facilities managed by NGOs, with the provision of direct funding to certain organisations.[8]
In February 2024, the Government reached an agreement with the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country to transfer to the latter the competence on the reception of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, as well as their integration.[9] In April, a Royal Decree officially established the transfer of competence.[10] Since 1 January 2025, the Basque Country started to manage the reception of asylum seekers, in collaboration with five NGOs (Accem, Red Cross, Movimiento por la Paz – MPDL, CEAR, Nueva Vida and San Juan de Dios) and with a total budget of 2.4 million Euros.[11] During the first year since the transfer of competencies, the Basque Country has assisted 154 persons in the autonomy phase of the asylum reception system.[12]
The Autonomous Community of Cataluña demanded to be authorised to carry out a similar regional management.[13] Different political parties voted against this transfer of competencies to Cataluña in September 2025.[14
Following a proposal made by the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, in July 2023 the Council of Ministers approved the funding of EUR 1.5 million until 2026 to the Spanish Olympic Committee with the aim of promoting sports within the reception systems for migrants and refugees.[15]
The Spanish reception system’s lack of focus on vulnerability has been criticised by several organisations in recent years. In his 2024 annual report, the Spanish Ombudsperson highlighted that one of the main challenges faced by the asylum reception system is the lack of effective measures for the inclusion of applicants and beneficiaries of international protection. In particular, the Ombudsman expressed concerns on the lack of protection to many people at the end of the reception process, without having acquired the necessary tools to achieve autonomy, learn the language and without support networks or contact with regional and local entities and services. For this purpose, he made a recommendation to the State secretary for Migration, which has been rejected.[16]
In April 2025, asylum seekers, workers and volunteers of the organisation Rescate Internacional – one of the NGOs that is part of the asylum reception system – denounced undignified conditions, costs cutting and a lack of basic care in the facilities managed by the organisation. In addition, different refugees denounced the organisation for labour exploitation and sexual assault.[17]
In June, the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration announced the plan to create, in one year, 9,196 additional reception places, with the aim of increasing the number of places directly managed by the government compared to the current model, which is mainly run by NGOs.[18]
A report published by the State Secretary for Migration at the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration underlined that almost 50,000 people have been accommodated within the asylum reception system from January to June 2025, almost 70% of the total number of asylum applicants accommodated throughout 2024 (65,321). In addition, the report revealed that over the last ten years, the system has grown from 1,920 places in 2015 to 34,062 in June 2025, with 32,142 new places available.[19]
In July, the Municipality of Pozuelo (Madrid) ordered to close the Reception, Assistance and Referral Centre (CREADE, which was specifically created for the reception of persons fleeing Ukraine just after the outbreak of the war) due to the lack of a license for the accommodation of persons. It seemed that the decision was due to the possible accommodation of unaccompanied migrant children at the centre, thus a mere discriminatory decision.[20]
During the same month, the UN Committee on Human Rights expressed concern for the reports it has received concerning inadequate conditions and insufficient places at certain reception centres for migrants in Spain, particularly in Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands, while acknowledging the efforts made by the State to address this problem.[21]
According to data released by the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, in 2025 the reception system (both the asylum system and the humanitarian assistance one) accommodated 124,170 people. The system counted a total of 56,053 places, distributed between the International Protection Reception System (with 33,936 places), and the Humanitarian Assistance Program (with 22,117 places).[22]
[1] Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘Secretaría de Estado de Migraciones’, available here.
[2] Articles 30(2) and 31(1) Asylum Law.
[3] The first version of the Reception Handbook was published in January 2016 and other four versions were published in the following years. Please refer to previous updates of this report for more information on this regard.
[4] Boletín Oficial del Estado, ‘Real Decreto 220/2022, de 29 de marzo, por el que se aprueba el Reglamento por el que se regula el sistema de acogida en materia de protección internacional’, available here.
[5] Information provided by Accem’s reception service in March 2024, in February 2025 and in March 2026.
[6] Migrar con Derechos, ‘Instrucción SEM de 15 de diciembre de 2022. Acceso y permanencia sistema acogida protección internacional’, 15 December 2022, available here.
[7] Boletín Oficial del Estado, ‘Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones – Orden ISM/922/2023, de 6 de julio, por la que se desarrolla el régimen disciplinario del sistema de acogida en materia de protección internacional’, 3 August 2023, available here.
[8] Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘Subvenciones de concesión directa en el área de protección internacional, aprobadas por el Real Decreto 590/2022, de 19 de julio’, 19 July 2022, available here; Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘Real Decreto 1059/2022, de 27 de diciembre, por el que se modifica el Real Decreto 590/2022, de 19 de julio, por el que se regula la concesión directa de subvenciones a determinadas entidades para la financiación del Sistema de Acogida de Protección Internacional’, 28 December 2022, available here; Ministerio De Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘Orden ISM/535/2024, de 29 de mayo, por la que se modifica la Orden ISM/680/2022, de 19 de julio, por la que se desarrolla la gestión del sistema de acogida de protección internacional mediante acción concertada’, 29 May 2024, available here.
[9] El País, ‘El Gobierno cierra un acuerdo con el País Vasco para traspasar las políticas de integración de inmigrantes’, 28 February 2024, available here; Público, ‘El Gobierno acuerda con Euskadi el traspaso del sistema de acogida de personas migrantes’, 28 February 2024, available here; RTVE, ‘Euskadi asume las competencias de Cercanías, homologación de títulos extranjeros y acogida de refugiados’, 11 March 2024, available here.
[10] Boletín Oficial del Estado, ‘Ministerio de Política Territorial y Memoria Democrática – Real Decreto 367/2024, de 9 de abril, de ampliación de los servicios del Estado traspasados a la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco por el Real Decreto 2768/1980, de 26 de septiembre, en materia de Sanidad, Servicios y Asistencia Sociales (fase de autonomía del sistema de protección internacional)’, 19 April 2024, available here.
[11] Europa Press, ‘Euskadi asumirá el 1 de enero la gestión de proceso de acogida de migrantes beneficiarios de protección internacional’, 30 December 2024, available here; Euskadi.eus, ‘La gestión de la fase de autonomía del sistema de acogida refuerza el modelo vasco de acogida y permite diseñar de una manera integral los procesos de inclusión de las personas beneficiarias de la protección internacional y asilo’, 30 December 2024, available here.
[12] Euskadi.eus, ‘La fase de autonomía del Sistema de Protección Internacional del Gobierno Vasco atiende a 154 personas en su primer aniversario y logra el despliegue territorial en todo Euskadi’, 30 January 2026, available here.
[13] La Vanguardia, ‘Catalunya quiere participar en la gestión de la acogida de refugiados’, 9 December 2024, available here.
[14] El País, ‘Podemos mantiene su rechazo al traspaso de competencias de inmigración a Cataluña’, 22 September 2025, available here.
[15] Europa Press, ‘Aprobada una subvención al COE de 1,5 millones para favorecer el deporte en los centros de acogida’, 4 July 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/yc3truz2.
[16] Defensor del Pueblo, ‘Informe anual 2024’, March 2025, available here.
[17] El Salto Diario, ‘Recortes, despidos y desamparo: la crisis en los centros de acogida gestionados por Rescate Internacional’, 4 April 2025, available here; El Salto Diario, ‘Varios refugiados denuncian a la ONG Rescate Internacional por explotación laboral y agresión sexual’, 9 May 2025, available here.
[18] El Diario, ‘El Gobierno planea crear en un año 9.116 plazas propias para acoger a solicitantes de asilo sin depender tanto de ONG’, 19 June 2025, available here.
[19] Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘Informe sobre el sistema de protección internacional en España. Hasta junio 2025’, June 2025, available here; Europa Press, ‘Casi 50.000 personas han sido atendidas este año en el Sistema de Acogida de Protección Internacional de España’, 20 June 2025, available here.
[20] El País, ‘El Ayuntamiento de Pozuelo ordena cerrar el centro de inmigrantes por no tener licencia’, 31 July 2025, available here; El Diario, ‘Ucranianas acogidas en el centro que Pozuelo quiere cerrar para evitar recibir a menores africanos: “Eso se llama racismo”’, 3 August 2025, available here; Cadena Ser, ‘El intento de cerrar el centro para extranjeros de Pozuelo de Alarcón va directo a los tribunales’, 1 August 2025, available here; La Sexta, ‘Solo refugiados blancos: Pozuelo quiere cerrar el centro que acogía ucranianos para no recibir a menores africanos’, 1 August 2025, available here; El Diario, ‘Migraciones no ha recibido ningún requerimiento para el cierre del centro de Pozuelo’, 31 July 2025, available here; Tele Madrid, ‘Preocupación entre los refugiados del centro de Pozuelo ante la posibilidad de su cierre, 4 August 2025, available here.
[21] La vanguardia, ‘Comité de la ONU lamenta condiciones en puntos de recepción de inmigrantes en España’, 18 July 2025, available here.
[22] Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, ‘El Gobierno atiende a más de 124.000 personas en el Sistema de Acogida Estatal durante 2025, consolidando así una red de protección sin precedentes’, 5 february 2026, available here.