Spain’s Supreme Court strikes down blanket online-only immigration filing rule
The Supreme Court annulled the Immigration Regulation’s blanket electronic-interaction requirement, while allowing justified requirements for specific procedures.
Spain’s Supreme Court strikes down blanket online-only immigration filing rule
Spain’s Supreme Court has annulled Article 197.2 of the Immigration Regulation, removing its general requirement to interact electronically for residence and stay applications.
Specific categories of immigration procedures may still require electronic interaction where the requirement is properly justified and proportionate. Applicants should check the current instructions for their particular procedure; the ruling does not shut down online platforms or remove every electronic-filing obligation.
The judgment is dated 8 July 2026 and was published in the BOE on 22 September 2026. This is a court ruling about procedure, rather than a new visa or residence category.
Source: Supreme Court judgment, BOE-A-2026-19632 · Published 22 September 2026 https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2026-19632
Why it matters
Applicants must check the filing instructions for their specific procedure; not every electronic obligation has ended.
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