The Directorate for Immigrant and Refugee Services is tasked with serving and welcoming people requiring specific support due to their immigration or foreigner status.
Barcelona City Council aims to provide existing services, programmes and facilities to everyone, irrespective of their national origin. There are, however, specific issues affecting foreign nationals upon arrival that require specialised services and specific obligations.
These specifics are set out in Framework Act 4/2000, of 11 January, on the rights and freedoms of foreigners in Spain, Act 12/2009, of 30 October, regulating the right to asylum and subsidiary protection, and Act 10/2010, of 7 May, on the reception of immigrants and people returning to Catalonia.
Barcelona: A Common Project
The aim of these services is to promote the inclusion of all immigrants in Barcelona’s social and community life, and to encourage all the city’s residents - regardless of where they come from - to feel that they are part of a shared endeavour and have a sense of belonging both to the city and to Catalonia as a whole.
In addition, the city endeavours to further develop policies for living together and social cohesion, and to guarantee equal opportunities for access to public services provided by the welfare state (such as education, health and housing).
These goals are shared across a broad network of organisations and associations in the city. These organisations and associations are deeply rooted in the realities of the city’s neighbourhoods and districts, where their work is essential. This is why they also receive institutional support through specific subsidies.
This website provides information on specific resources and services, as well as general procedures, such as the process of registering as a city resident, how to obtain a health card, etc.
Over 30% of Barcelona’s residents were born abroad. As such, the mandate of the Directorate for Immigrant and Refugee Services is to work both on welcome and arrival processes and on long-term social cohesion, equal opportunities and diversity.
In this regard, both the Directorate and City Council base their work on the principle of interculturality through the BCN Interculturality Programme, which has its own website.
Documents of interest
- The reception of immigrants and refugees. Barcelona Strategy 2022-2025 [cat]
- Mesura de govern per afavorir l’accés a la regularitat i prevenir la irregularitat sobrevinguda [cat]
- Carta d’EUROCITIES sobre la Integració de les Ciutats [cat]
- Immigration in Barcelona (statistics by Gabinet d'Estudis Socials i Opinió Pública) [cat]