Alicante National Police arrested seven Egyptian and Syrian nationals in Alicante who presented falsified documents claiming they had enough financial resources to stay in Spain and establish residency.
Movements by the Migration Networks and Documentary Lies Combat Unit, part of the Group UCRIF, identified seventeen fraudulent documents within the files of temporary residence applications. The applicants had attached papers that, upon verification, proved to be counterfeit.
To obtain a temporary residence permit in Spain, foreign nationals must prove sufficient economic means to cover living expenses, accommodation, and return costs for both themselves and their dependents. These financial requirements must be maintained for the duration of the stay, and the permit holder is not allowed to engage in any business or professional activity during this period.
Seventeen sham applications belonged to citizens from Syria, Egypt, and Libya, including documents tied to minors accompanied by their parents.
Same address
Investigators found common patterns in several applications, including matching data such as the same residence address, similar bank balance documents, and even a high-value private school education certificate.
The National Police began the probe by consulting essential databases and coordinating with banking institutions abroad. The analysis revealed that the documents used to justify the claimed financial means were indeed fake.
Some of these forged certificates claimed balances ranging from sixty thousand to two hundred thousand euros. Many documents showed uniform characteristics in both their physical format and their stated content.
Address data also disclosed irregularities in the applicants’ stated residences. In addition, the school certificates submitted were determined to be counterfeit.
Following the gathering of evidence, authorities established a capture operation to locate and apprehend those responsible for using these fake documents to apply for residence, resulting in seven arrests for document forgery.
No background
The detainees include three men and four women, aged between 20 and 73, of Syrian and Egyptian nationality. None had a criminal record or an unsettled legal situation in Spain at the time of detention.
The police remind the public that foreign nationals must meet the rights and freedoms requirements when applying for and maintaining temporary or long-term residence. Common grounds for losing residence in Spain include failing to renew cards on time, run-ins with the law, working without authorization, undeclared earnings, prolonged departures from Spain, or accumulating debt to the Public Treasury or Social Security.
Similarly, incomplete documentary submission or legal issues during the application process can be sufficient grounds to deny a residence permit or even revoke an already granted one.