Mónica Pastor, Councillor for Citizen Security, revealed yesterday, Monday February 2nd, that they will complete this process in a single appointment and take the documentation with them.
The service will be provided at the Orihuela Costa Security and Emergency Centre, eliminating the need to go away from the coast for a basic treatment that was previously required in other cities.
The key novelty is the deployment of a National Police Integrated Documentation Vehicle (VIDOC), which has the same capabilities as a stationary documentation unit and can complete the entire process—identification, processing, and issuance—in a single visit. Pastor clarified, “Residents come in, complete the process, and leave with their ID card or passport, without having to return another day or wait for it to be delivered later.”
Appointments must be requested using the City Council’s online portal, in the area dedicated to identification and documentation requirements. Submitting the request does not result in automatic confirmation; this is provided later by email, as specified on the site, to minimise confusion among users.
The first day of service will be February 24th, from 9:00 to 12:30, and up to 50 documents, including ID cards and passports, will be processed per established method.
Individual appointments are scheduled, and payments are paid in cash at the centre. The charge is €12 for a national identity card (DNI) and €30 for a passport, with legal allowances for large families.
The municipal website provides information on the requirements and papers for passport renewals, first registrations, and issuance for both adults and youngsters.
The Councillor for Citizen Security stated that this initiative “responds to a need of the residents of Orihuela Costa and represents a real improvement in citizen services,” while also reaffirming the Security and Emergency Centre’s role as a point of reference for administrative services.
More services
The 4,700-square-meter building in La Zenia opened four years ago at half capacity, housing the National Police Immigration Office, which processes the NIE (Foreigner Identity Number) and the residence certificate, as well as the Local Police facilities, which operate 24 hours a day and were previously located in City Hall premises in Playa Flamenca.
At the moment, it was declared that the Guardia Civil’s office would be available immediately for complaints. However, computer issues and the installation of the Guardia Civil’s private network slowed the process until months later, when this service became available, which had previously required inhabitants to travel 10 kilometres to the barracks in Torre de la Horadada.
The Generalitat invested 2 million euros in these facilities to improve response times for firefighters, civil protection, forest brigades, and the SAMU base.
The Consell project, which begun in 2010 but stagnated in 2012, was reactivated in 2020 by the government coalition of the PP and Ciudadanos parties, who awarded the contract to Doalco for more than €2 million. However, the completion of the first story, which remained unfinished, cost an additional €600,000.
This is a critical infrastructure project for coastal residents, who have held numerous protests and demonstrations in front of the unfinished building to demand a center that they believe will significantly improve security in this densely populated area, particularly during the summer months, by allowing for faster response times. Orihuela Costa has a steady population of 30,000, which triples during the summer.
Related news
In 2024, the National Police strengthened the Immigration Office with the goal of increasing the issuance of documents for foreign citizens, who represent a large number of residents, with the expectation of issuing up to 10,000 documents per year, including assignments of Foreigner Identification Numbers (NIE), Certificates of Membership in the European Union (CUE), NIE concordance certificates, residence certificates, and duplicate NIEs.
Author: Derek Appleton
Other Articles
No Comment! Be the first one.