Nothing exemplifies Spanish bureaucracy quite as much as being turned away by a security guard at an empty public administration building because you don’t have a cita previa (prior appointment).
Fortunately, it appears that the mandatory cita previa, which became the norm during the pandemic, has its days numbered.
Spanish Minister of Digital Transformation and Public Function José Luis Escrivá announced on Wednesday that his ministry intends to eliminate the requirement of booking an appointment beforehand to enter the offices of the Social Security, the Hacienda tax agency or the DGT traffic authority, to name a few.
“It requires a regulatory change that we will see how to raise in Parliament as soon as possible,” Escrivá said.
The cita previa system was used in Spain before Covid-19, often haphazardly depending on the preferences of the civil servants at a specific branch, but it was during the pandemic that it became compulsory across all public administrations.
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It has been kept in place long after the coronavirus ceased to dominate public life, and rather than ensure that Spanish citizens and foreign residents were helped in an orderly and timely fashion, it’s often led to month-long waits to get an appointment.
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Numerous law firms have previously pointed out that it is illegal for Spain’s public bodies to make appointments compulsory.
Escrivá’s ministry has since admitted that under no circumstances should the cita previa be compulsory, and that what’s known as atención presencial (face-to-face customer service) has to be offered without an appointment.
The cita previa system has also been exploited by criminal groups who book up all appointments to then sell them at a premium to desperate citizens.
“In-person customer service at public administrations has no substitute,” the minister stressed during a press conference.
“When someone wants to retire, what they want is to have a conversation with an official.”
The ministry is currently testing AI-powered systems which will help to guarantee this appointment-free customer service helps vulnerable groups in particular.
That’s not to say that the prior appointment system will completely disappear in Spain, as for example it is likely that for matters relating to the foreigners’ office (extranjería) it will still be necessary to get an appointment for residency and visa processes.
Prior appointments may also still be offered as a way of avoiding having to wait a long time to be seen during busy times, only that it will optional rather than mandatory as it has been for the past three years in most public buildings.
Other goals set by the former Social Security Minister include lowering the legal jargon used in official communications with the public so it can be more easily understood and hiring more and generally younger civil servants for an ageing and depleted workforce.
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