Ukrainians in Málaga

This guide is for people who live in Málaga or in the province of Málaga or have just arrived, and for those helping relatives. It covers local matters: where to file the protection application and get a TIE card, how to register your address in the municipality of Málaga, how to get a health card and register with the employment service, and where to go if you have no housing or money. The general rules are in the section Ukrainians in Spain.

# Which offices will you need in Málaga?

Temporary protection applications are accepted by the CREADE center, TIE cards are issued by the provincial immigration police, address registration is handled by GESTRISAM, a municipal body of the city hall (Ayuntamiento de Málaga), and health care and the employment service belong to the regional government of Andalusia (Junta de Andalucía).

Hours: the Oficina de Extranjería is open Mon–Fri 9:00–14:00. The Subdelegación registry section receives visitors Mon–Fri 9:00–17:30, and from 16 June to 15 September 8:00–15:00. GESTRISAM receives visitors Mon–Fri 8:30–14:00, and on Thursdays also 17:00–19:00 (except 15 June–15 September and 26 December–5 January); on the working days of Holy Week, fair week (feria) and from 26 December to 5 January, 9:00–14:00, and it is closed on 24 and 31 December. After 14:00, the number +34 951 92 92 92 works as an answering machine (option 1). OMAC offices and social services centers receive visitors Mon–Fri 9:00–14:00, Puerta Única Mon–Fri 9:00–14:00 and 16:00–20:00; SAE answers the phone Mon–Fri 8:00–20:00, AEAT is open Mon–Fri 9:00–14:00, and the consulate answers the phone Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00.

Addresses and phone numbers were checked against official websites on 13 October 2026. Check them again before your visit.

Sources give different addresses for CREADE. The Ministry of Inclusion, which runs the center (the Ucrania Urgente page and the answers to questions dated 20 May 2026), gives Avenida del Pintor Joaquín Sorolla, 145, 29017; the Consulate of Ukraine (page dated 20 April 2026) names the same street and number. The Ministry of the Interior website gives Avenida de José Ortega y Gasset, 201, 29006. Confirm the address when you book by phone.

# How do you book an appointment in Málaga?

Only CREADE books temporary protection appointments, by phone; for the TIE card and the Oficina de Extranjería you book through the state portal, for municipal offices through citaprevia.malaga.eu or by phone, and you go to the Subdelegación without an appointment.

# Temporary protection

In the province of Málaga, you book a protection appointment only through CREADE on +34 628 216 478, not through the state portal: there is no separate police booking channel. You file the application in person with National Police officers at CREADE itself. This arrangement exists in only two places in Spain, Málaga and Pozuelo de Alarcón near Madrid; in other provinces, applications are accepted by police stations. Read about the procedure itself on the page Temporary protection in Spain.

# TIE and other matters for foreigners

For the TIE card, an NIE at the police and permits at the Oficina de Extranjería, you book through the state appointment portal: choose the province, then the procedure. The portal lists the procedures of the Oficinas de Extranjería separately from those of the Cuerpo Nacional de Policía. For the TIE of people with temporary protection, the 2023 police instructions name the procedure “POLICÍA-TARJETA CONFLICTO UCRANIA”. TIE cards already issued for temporary protection have been automatically extended until 4 March 2027 (Orden INT/96/2026), so you do not need a new card for this.

In the city itself, there is one police point for foreigners’ matters: the Brigada Provincial de Extranjería y Fronteras at Pl. Manuel Azaña n.º 3. In the province, TIE cards are also issued by the police stations in Antequera (C/ Ciudad de Oaxaca), Vélez-Málaga (Calle Puerta del Mar, 4), Marbella (Avda. Arias de Velasco n.º 25), Estepona (C/ Valle Inclán n.º 1), Torremolinos-Benalmádena (C/ Skal n.º 12), Fuengirola (Avda. Conde San Isidro n.º 98) and Ronda (C/ Río Tinto n.º 2). Fees and deadlines are described on the page TIE in Spain.

# Municipal offices

You book GESTRISAM and OMAC appointments at citaprevia.malaga.eu or by phone on +34 951 92 60 10, +34 951 92 92 92 and 010 (charged at a special rate). People over 65 are seen without an appointment, but only for their own matters. GESTRISAM’s booking rules are strict:

• the appointment is personal and cannot be passed to another person, even with a power of attorney;
• only one appointment per day is allowed;
• come no earlier than 10 minutes before and check in at the ticket terminal of modules 1 or 2 with your DNI, NIE or passport; padrón is handled at module 1;
• you may be up to 15 minutes late; after that, the appointment is canceled automatically;
• you are asked to cancel 24 hours in advance.

People with a digital certificate can handle some padrón matters through the city hall’s electronic office (sede electrónica), and those without one book an in-person appointment.

# Work, taxes and the consulate

You book with the employment service SAE through the AppSAE app, the website or by phone on +34 955 625 695 (Mon–Fri 8:00–20:00, except public holidays). For an AEAT tax office, you book through the “Asistencia y Cita” service.

You book a consulate appointment through e-Consul (e-consul.gov.ua; the old address go.mfa.gov.ua redirects there). Visitors are received Mon 9:30–14:00, Tue 9:30–13:30, Wed 9:30–14:30 and 15:30–17:30, Thu 9:30–14:00. Finished documents are handed out without an appointment Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00. People in vulnerable and priority groups, and those who cannot book in the online queue, are seen by appointment arranged through the email [email protected]. Paper applications for the Ukrainian taxpayer card (RNOKPP) are accepted without an appointment: Mon 15:00–16:30 and Tue 13:30–15:00.

# How do you register your address (padrón) in Málaga?

In Málaga, you can register in the padrón (the municipal register of residents) only in person by appointment, at GESTRISAM in the Tabacalera building or at the district OMAC offices: there is no online registration, and under the annex to the form (version of 16 June 2026), more documents are needed with a rental contract.

The register is kept not by a general city hall service but by the autonomous body GESTRISAM, in its Negociado de Padrón de Habitantes section. Anyone who lives in the municipality can apply at any time; there is no fee. If the administration does not reply, the application is considered granted, and the longest processing time is 3 months. Online registration was introduced only temporarily in 2020, during the COVID state of emergency. The general rule is described on the page Documents for living in Spain.

# What documents does the city hall ask for?

• The Hoja de empadronamiento form (Mod.090), filled out and signed by all adults being registered. The cadastral reference of the home (referencia catastral) must be entered if there is one, and first and last names are written as in the ID document.
• ID document: for non-EU nationals, the TIE card with the NIE number, or the passport if you do not have one. Documents must be valid.
• Proof of address, one of these: a document of ownership (escritura, nota simple registry extract, property tax receipt IBI); a contract with an electricity, water or gas supplier (if the contract is old, a recent bill); a valid rental contract for permanent residence together with the latest rent payment receipt. A private rental contract must be accompanied by a copy of the landlord’s DNI, or the company’s tax number CIF if the landlord is a company.

Under the annex to the registration form (version of 16 June 2026; the city hall does not say from what date the rule applies), you also add to the rental contract:

• a contract or recent bill for water, electricity or gas for this apartment in the name of the landlord or the tenant;
• a copy of the landlord’s valid ID document (the CIF if it is a company; if the contract was signed by a representative, the document of representation).

If the documents do not prove that the person actually lives at the address, the municipality carries out checks and separately checks whether the landlord had the right to rent out the home. Forged contracts, the landlord’s lack of such a right or false information can lead to refusal or removal from the register by decision of the municipality (baja de oficio), and can also be a criminal offense.

# How do you register a child?

If only one parent registers the child, you need the consent of both parents (an authorization together with the other parent’s ID document) or a court’s permission. If a court gave custody to one parent, that parent adds a statement under their own responsibility (declaración responsable). If a court ordered joint custody and did not decide where the child should be registered, the registration will not be done until the parents submit the written consent of both or a new court decision on the child’s place of residence. If a court has not decided on custody, you add a statement under your own responsibility.

# What if you do not have your own contract?

The form has a section “Autorización de empadronamiento”. If other people are already registered at the address, the authorization is signed by an adult registered there who has a document giving the right to use the home. If nobody lives there and none of the people being registered is the owner or tenant, the authorization is signed by the owner or tenant, who submits their document.

If the people registered at the address have no document for the home, one of them fills out the section “Declaración de residencia”, and the authorization is still signed by the person who has the document for the home, and that document is submitted too. Copies of the ID documents of those who gave the authorizations are attached. Printed authorizations with an electronic signature are not accepted.

Málaga City Hall does not publish a separate registration procedure for people without a permanent address. The only thing officially described is the way into the network of help for homeless people through the Puerta Única service (see the section on help).

# How do you renew your registration and get a certificate?

Non-EU nationals without a permanent residence permit renew their registration every two years, before it expires. A written statement that you intend to stay in the register is enough; you can file it online or in person. If there is no reply, the application is considered rejected.

A registration certificate (volante), individual or collective, is issued free of charge: on the spot or online with a digital certificate. There is also an online service without a certificate: you enter your NIF, NIE or passport and date of birth, and choose the type of certificate and the reason for the request. For an application for the minimum living income (Ingreso Mínimo Vital), the historical certificate is not suitable: you need the “Informe Individual Histórico de Domicilio”, which is issued only in person at an OMAC or at GESTRISAM.

# Where can you get help in Málaga?

People with temporary protection get help first of all from CREADE, which has free legal advice and an employment service; after that, from the municipal social services centers for the address where they actually live, and people without housing from the Puerta Única service.

By appointment, CREADE opens access to the state reception system (Sistema de Acogida); the conditions are described on the page Aid for Ukrainians in Spain. The Andalusian employment service SAE works at the center: it gives job guidance and registers holders of temporary and international protection as job seekers. Every Tuesday from 9:30 to 13:30, the Servicio de Orientación Jurídica a Extranjeros (SOJE) of the Málaga Bar Association gives free advice there to applicants for and holders of international and temporary protection; you book through the CREADE phone line. The ministry lists this service among the center’s services.

The round-the-clock line of the reception network for the province of Málaga belongs to CEAR: +34 951 561 071, and from 19:00 to 7:00 also +34 679 013 654. The ministry’s free information line on temporary protection: +34 91 399 00 09.

Municipal social services are run by the Área de Derechos Sociales, Diversidad, Igualdad y Accesibilidad: C/ Concejal Muñoz Cerván, 3, Módulo 3, 29003; +34 951 92 60 11, +34 951 92 84 41; [email protected]. The city has 12 community social services centers (Centros de Servicios Sociales Comunitarios), one per district, except the Carretera de Cádiz district, which has two. You choose the center by the address where you actually live, not by the address in the padrón.

Four municipal financial aids are available through these centers: for unforeseen social hardship, for temporary housing, for keeping a rented home in special circumstances, and family aid for families with minor children. To get them, you must be registered in Málaga’s padrón and live here. A woman who is a victim of gender-based violence may be exempted from the padrón requirement if registration puts her safety at risk (ordinance, Art. 7.1 a). For the temporary housing aid, an exception from the padrón and residence requirements is also possible on referral from the municipal service for homeless people (Art. 13.4). Municipal services do not cover chronic basic needs and refer people to pensions, the minimum living income, unemployment benefit and the regional minimum income Renta Mínima de Inserción Social.

The Puerta Única service is the single entry point to the network of places for homeless people in Málaga: it assesses the situation and refers people to one of 344 reception places. For homeless migrants it offers intercultural mediation: support, interpreting, help with documents and access to social services. Street teams (Unidad de Calle) work every day from 8:00 to 21:00 and help, among other things, with consular documents. The round-the-clock municipal shelter Centro de Acogida Municipal (C/ Donoso Cortés, 2, 29002; +34 951 926 064) accepts people only on referral from Puerta Única.

Community organizations whose Málaga addresses are published on official websites:

• CEAR Málaga: Avenida de Fátima 3, 29009; +34 951 561 071. CEAR also runs a reception center in Antequera, +34 951 56 10 51.
• ACCEM Málaga: Pasaje Gordón 5, Plaza del Pericón, 29008; +34 952 22 40 76, [email protected].
• Red Cross (Cruz Roja): the city hall names it among the members of the network helping homeless people, together with Cáritas Diocesana, Málaga Acoge and other organizations.

The regional government runs the initiative “Andalucía con Ucrania”: WhatsApp +34 681 109 747, [email protected], general information line 012 or +34 955 012 012.

The Consulate of Ukraine in Málaga serves Andalusia, Murcia, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla; its address and hours are given above. The duty phone +34 636 54 80 17 (WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, Signal) is only for threats to life or deaths of Ukrainian citizens. Passports are also issued by the state enterprise DP “Document” (State Migration Service of Ukraine); its services are paid, and addresses and booking are on pasport.org.ua. There is no DP “Document” center in Andalusia: according to pasport.org.ua, in Spain there are centers only in Madrid, Valencia and near Barcelona. The usual way to get a passport abroad is through the consulate.

We did not find officially confirmed contacts of Ukrainian community organizations in Málaga: the only official mention of such organizations is in a 2019 consulate news item.

# How are Málaga and Andalusia different from other regions?

Málaga is one of two places in Spain where the temporary protection application is filed at a CREADE center; padrón here is done only in person and with extra documents, and the health card and job seeker registration are handled by the regional government of Andalusia.

# Language

The Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia does not establish a second official language: it only mentions support for the Andalusian linguistic variety (modalidad lingüística andaluza). So, unlike in Catalonia or Valencia, there is no regional language here that could be required alongside Spanish.

# The health card

The card (tarjeta sanitaria) is issued by the Andalusian health service SAS. Holders of temporary protection are entitled to public health care: in the databases they are recorded with the code “Título 58 Protección Temporal”, and the co-payment for medicines is 40% of the price. Go to the primary care center (centro de atención primaria) nearest to where you live with the BDU application form and the receipt for your protection application or the protection decision. Your name will be recorded as it appears on the receipt, which also shows the NIE.

Under the general SAS rule, the first card also requires a DNI or NIE and a registration certificate (certificado de empadronamiento) as proof of residence in Andalusia. When the card is issued, you are assigned a center and a family doctor or pediatrician. The virtual card can be activated only after you have received the physical card at least once: with Cl@ve (the state electronic identification system) or a digital certificate, through ClicSalud+ or App Salud Andalucía. Questions about the card are handled by the round-the-clock Salud Responde line: +34 955 54 50 60.

# Work

You can register with the employment service SAE from age 16; a non-EU national must have a permit that gives the right to register with the public employment service and must live in Andalusia. The form is filled out online or in AppSAE: with Cl@ve or a digital certificate, the registration takes effect at once. Without them, you create a login and password, but then you need an appointment at an office to confirm your identity. Registration with SAE is mandatory if you apply to SEPE for unemployment benefit. The general rules are on the pages Work in Spain and Unemployment benefit in Spain.

# Benefits

Andalusia’s regional minimum income (Renta Mínima de Inserción Social) has its own conditions on how long you must be registered in the region and on a previous refusal of the minimum living income; they are described on the page Aid for Ukrainians in Spain. To apply for the minimum living income in Málaga, you will need the “Informe Individual Histórico de Domicilio” certificate (see the section on padrón).

# Waiting times

We did not find official reports on waiting times for appointments in Málaga.

# What has not yet been officially confirmed?

The main Málaga rules are confirmed, but check four things yourself:

• Whether people with temporary protection need a padrón certificate for the health card: the general SAS page requires it, while the page for Ukrainians does not mention it. Take the certificate with you.
• The procedure name “POLICÍA-TARJETA CONFLICTO UCRANIA” comes from the 2023 police instructions. Check it on the portal when you book.
• The city hall page gives two different phone numbers for Puerta Única: +34 951 926 093 in the text and +34 951 926 071 (social services center No. 1) in the link. If you cannot get through, call the municipal information line +34 951 926 010.
• The city hall website gives the address of OMAC Teatinos-Universidad as Calle Pablo Bruna, 1, while the electronic office gives Calle Diego López de Zúñiga, 12. Check the address when you book.

# What should you read next?

• Temporary protection in Spain
• TIE in Spain: getting and renewing the card
• NIE in Spain
• Arraigo in Spain: a temporary residence permit for people who already have ties to Spain
• Taxes in Spain
• How to open a bank account in Spain
• All city guides for Spain