Lawyers Marbella

Criminal record in foreigners

Having a criminal record is a circumstance that certainly does not benefit us. In the case of foreigners, it can create obstacles when finding a job, presenting themselves to an opposition, and of course having problems to renew the visa or passport. In very serious cases, it can lead to expulsion from the country. In any case, there is an option that allows us to erase that background once a time has passed: this is known as the cancellation of criminal records. If you want to know more, we invite you to continue reading.

Cancel term background

According to the Spanish Penal Code in its article 136, to cancel the criminal record the following term must have been fulfilled:

  • Six months for minor penalties.
  • Two years for penalties not exceeding twelve months and those imposed for imprudent crimes.
  • Three years for the remaining less serious sentences less than three years.
  • Five years for the other less serious penalties equal or superior to three years.
  • Ten years for serious penalties.


During this period of time, new crimes must not have been committed, or they can not be canceled.

Immigration lawyer

To make this process it is very convenient to help yourself with an inmigration lawyer, because you will have previous experience in these cases. Also, if something goes wrong, it will help you solve it or claim it. The cancellation is made through an application to the Ministry of Justice, which will have 3 months to respond us.

Contact our Office
So that we can help you, it is necessary to ask for a prior appointment, either by phone or online. Remember that in our office in Marbella we can also do many other immigration procedures, such as requesting Spanish nationality, requesting family reunification, assisting foreigners who are in a CIE -Immigration Detention Center-, etc. We will answer as soon as possible.

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