Venezuelans benefit from a special and much more advantageous procedure when applying for international protection on humanitarian grounds.

Following a recommendation by the UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency), many countries have accepted that people of Venezuelan nationality be granted international protection due to the crisis in the country.

Since then, the Spanish State has given priority to Venezuelan nationals to apply for international protection.

The first thing to do is to request an appointment, not to request a stay but to get a first appointment to request an appointment for international protection. This first appointment is requested through the e-mail address provided for this purpose in each province. Normally, this is handled by the central offices of the police station.

At this first appointment, you must present your passport and a copy of it, the form with the Venezuelan entry or exit stamp, and a photograph of the person concerned.

The purpose of this first appointment is to present a declaration of interest in applying for international protection. But it is not granted directly at this time. This first appointment allows us to obtain a receipt of application, so that the Venezuelan citizen will no longer be in an irregular situation.

IAs Antonio Villena explains in the video, the second appointment for a Venezuelan citizen to apply for international protection in Spain varies depending on the time of year, but it usually takes a few months.

At this second appointment, the authorities will take a statement from the Venezuelan citizen and ask him/her why he/she is applying for international protection. They may also ask him/her how he/she arrived in Spain.

This answer is very important, because according to the agreements, the first country a Venezuelan citizen arrives in after leaving Venezuela is the country that must provide international protection.

For example, if a person leaves Venezuela via Colombia or Peru, they will not be able to apply for protection in Spain.

At this point, fingerprints are taken and you are given an NIE number and a file number.

This is when the deadlines begin, the so-called “carte blanche”.

Six months after receiving the white card, the person can work. After nine months (two more since he could work), he will have to renew it.

The advantage for Venezuelan nationals is that during the nine-month period before the renewal, the Spanish authorities usually grant a residence permit for international protection. If it is not within these nine months, it will be granted at the second renewal.

After one year, you can apply for your own residency if you work or have sufficient financial means, which has many advantages.