What to consider when choosing an immigration lawyer in Barcelona?
Immigration is a complex legal undertaking in Spain. You have to comply with several laws before you are accepted as a citizen of the country… You need to be careful when undertaking the process, to avoid risking a denial. It is important to have an experienced and reliable immigration lawyer to help you escape the likely pitfalls.
From the Notary, we do not provide the same services as the lawyer nor we can help in any immigration process. Here you can find more information on the function of a Notary.
We don’t pretend to recommend a specific immigration lawyer in Barcelona. In this article, we’ll have a look at the key areas to check when choosing an immigration lawyer to make your decision easier.
Checklist to choose the right immigration lawyer in Barcelona
Where’s the lawyer based? What’s his experience? Can the experience be proven? What’s the service price… Here are some key questions you must answer before you decide to work with one or another lawyer.
Lawyer Must Be a Barcelona-Registered Solicitor
It is easy for non-qualified lawyers in Barcelona to set up websites and start offering services online. You may end up with sub-quality service and make mistakes that cost you your citizenship. The first step when evaluating immigration lawyers is to check if they are registered as counsels of General Advocacy in the country and get their registration number for cross-checking.
Any qualified lawyer in Barcelona will provide it on their website or upon request without a problem.
If the person you are talking to will not be the one that handles the process for you, you should ask for the details of the Barcelona lawyer who will handle the issues and check if they are registered.
Check Their Areas of Experience
In addition to immigration, if you’re planning to make others things in Barcelona or any other city in Spain, then, consider choosing a lawyer with a wide experience.
If you’ll later need some guidance on how to process various others processes, such as buying a property, renting space, or creating a company, tax assistance as a foreigner… We recommend you to choose a lawyer with experience in these areas too.
All these things may require expertise in specific areas such as real estate, tax and corporate law. You do not need to hire another solicitor to guide you through these legal issues. Instead, look for an immigration lawyer who has experience in any of the areas mentioned above. Explain the kind of legal assistance you need and seek to know if the immigration lawyer Barcelona has the required experience.
Ask if They Have Handled Requests from Residents of Your Country
Immigration laws vary according to the country one is coming from. For example, people that come from EU countries are subjected to different laws from those that come from non-EU ones. While no one is discriminated against, there are several steps that may be specific to the country.
Here is an example. If you wish to apply for a non-lucrative residency visa, the law requires you to have at least 26,000 euros in a bank account to gain entry to the country. However, residents from some countries may be required to have much more before their applications can be processed.
It is important to pick a lawyer Barcelona that has experience handling clients in your country. They know the specific laws that apply in your country and can guide you in complying with them.
Check the Reviews
It is good to check what other companies are saying about the law firm. The internet has made it easier to find reviews from customers who have already used their immigration advice in Barcelona to determine the quality of their legal services. You may also ask for references to customers who have used the same services in the past. Do not just look at their website, check objective third-party reviews.
This point is applicable for any services you’ll need in Barcelona. In case you need a Notary in Barcelona, checking their customer reviews will help you to make the right decisions. You can check JLA Notarios’ reviews directly on Google maps.
Check the Prices
It is important to check what the lawyer Barcelona is charging for their services so that you are sure you are able to afford it. Do not be tempted to pick the lowest-priced service in Barcelona. However, ensure that they have met all the above requirements and priced their services competitively.
Differences between Notaries and immigration lawyer in Barcelona
As we already mentioned, from JLA Notarios we don’t provide legal services for immigration. In general, Notaries in Spain use to formalize legal documents such as contracts, purchases of land, mortgages, wills and inheritances, constitution of companies and mercantile contracts…
Some services we do offer in relation with immigration are:
- Spanish citizenship oath or Actas de juras de Nacionalidad
- Notarized invitation letter or Actas de invitaciones
The Spanish citizenship oath is the final document to get the Spanish nationality but the previous procedure has to be done by the solicitant or by a lawyer.
The Notarized invitation letter or Acta de invitación is an official document in which one person (living in Spain) invites another person (living out of Spain) to visit the country.
You can find more information on the Notario in spain and Notary services in this article:
If you still need more information afterwards, do not hesitate to contact us through the contact form, by phone, email and even WhatsApp!
