Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Ministry of Interior, Directorate General for International Protection
1.2. Contact organisation unit
Deputy Directorate-General for Institutional Relations and Information on International Protection
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
Calle Arturo Soria 109, 28043 Madrid, Spain
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
31 March 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
31 March 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
15 September 2025
3.1. Data description
Data collection on asylum statistics contains statistical information based on the Article 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection.
Asylum applications:
Asylum, first time and subsequent applicants by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Persons subject of asylum applications pending at the end of month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applications withdrawn by citizenship, age, sex and type of withdrawal (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applicants having had their applications processed under the accelerated procedure by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Applicants having benefited from material reception conditions at the end of the reference year;
Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors by citizenship, age and sex.
Decisions on asylum applications:
First instance decisions on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted at first instance decision by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors);
Final decisions in appeal or review on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted as final decision in appeal or review by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors).
Resettled persons:
Resettled persons by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and country of previous residence;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and resettlement framework.
In March 2022, the European Commission activated the Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC for people from Ukraine seeking refuge.
Temporary protection:
Decisions granting temporary protection by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Beneficiaries of temporary protection at the end of the month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors).
3.2. Classification system
Same as Eurostat.
For resettled person, only the national resettlement framework (Other) is available.
See table 3.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Migration and asylum – Asylum statistics.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Same definitions as Eurostat.
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.5. Statistical unit
Persons.
3.6. Statistical population
Foreigners and stateless persons.
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.7. Reference area
Spain
3.8. Coverage - Time
Time coverage according to Regulation (EC) No 862/2007, from January 2008, eventually January 2021.
Data on first-time asylum applicants are not available from January 2008 to December 2009.
Data on withdrawn asylum applications are not available for June 2013.
Data on withdrawn final decisions are not available from 2008 to 2012.
Data on resettled persons are not available for 2008.
See table 3.8. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Number of persons.
Calendar month, calendar quarter and calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
Asylum statistical data provided respect all confidentiality clauses established in European and National data protection frameworks:
Spanish Data Protection and Digital Rights Act 3/2018, art. 5, that refers to Regulation (EU) 2016/79.
Regulation (EU) 2016/79 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
From the Asylum database (EXPHS), a daily copy is made to a mirror database (EXPED). This copy is performed through nightly loading processes.
In this copy, no anonymization of personal information is carried out.
From this mirror database, the necessary information for the generation of EUROSTAT files is loaded daily into binary files. These files are in binary format and are therefore secured, as they can only be read through QLIK Sense. Additionally, for the generation of these files, database views are used, which expressly exclude any data that could identify individuals, such as Tax Identification Numbers (NIF) or names and surnames.
For the generation of the information sent to EUROSTAT, no personal data that could identify asylum seekers is used. Only for statistical purposes is the information sent to EUROSTAT grouped by age, gender, and nationality.
On the other hand, data security and integrity are ensured through access to all applications via username and password, and no services are published outside the Ministry's internal network.
8.1. Release calendar
The calendar of statistical operations of the Ministry of the Interior is approved annually.
No standard quality assurance currently in force. Internal Cross-check of data generated by the Asylum Office and data obtained by the TIC sub-Directorate within the Ministry of Interior.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Asylum statistics in Spain are mainly based on administrative sources, following the requirements of the Regulation (EC) 862/2007 and the quality of the data may be assessed as Good.
However, some datasets are affected by the errors: double counting of applicants, long lag periods to register data from the date where the event took place and registration of adults as unaccompanied minors.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The statistics collected under Regulation 862/2007 are used by a wide range of users at national, European and International level to cover various users need.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
User satisfaction surveys are not conducted.
12.3. Completeness
The required disaggregation for all datasets is complete.
See table 12.3. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not applicable.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Data on unaccompanied minors are overestimated due to recording errors in the registration process, so UAM data usually need a validation process. Hence the first submission data are estimated.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable
13.3.1. Coverage error
Coverage errors occur at the moment of extracting the table from the database. In this moment, not all data regarding the reference period are recorded yet.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Data on unaccompanied minors are overestimated due to recording errors in the registration process, so UAM data usually need a validation process. Hence the first submission data are estimated.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable.
13.3.2. Measurement error
Not applicable.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.4. Processing error
A processing error may occur when extracting a table from the database. In this case, the error is detected and corrected.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Data are submitted on time.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not available
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not available
14.2. Punctuality
Data are delivered on time.
See table 14.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The asylum statistics are comparable between all regions of Spain, there is only one national system of accumulating and processing the data.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Data are comparable over time.
See table 15.2 in annex `Quality report tables Asylum`.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Not applicable.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not applicable.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
The comparability process is being evaluated.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
There is internal coherence.
Not available.
17.1. Data revision - policy
Eurostat revision policy followed.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Data revision is scheduled twice a year.
See table 17.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
Administrative Database Software "ASILO", owned by the Spanish Ministry for Home Affairs, Directorate-General for International Protection, and Directorate general for humanitarian assistance and the international protection reception system (for material reception conditions).
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Monthly for asylum applications.
Quarterly for asylum decisions in first instance.
Annually for asylum decisions in final instance and resettled persons.
18.3. Data collection
Data on asylum statistics are collected on monthly, quarterly or annual basis.
18.4. Data validation
Asylum data validation procedures are performed monthly, but for certain types of procedures (border procedure) or certain territories (Canary Islands, Ceuta, Melilla...), they may be performed more frequently.
Data on unaccompanied minors are overestimated due to recording errors in the registration process, so UAM data usually need a validation process.
Data collection on asylum statistics contains statistical information based on the Article 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 of Regulation (EC) No 862/2007 on Community statistics on migration and international protection.
Asylum applications:
Asylum, first time and subsequent applicants by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Persons subject of asylum applications pending at the end of month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applications withdrawn by citizenship, age, sex and type of withdrawal (also for unaccompanied minors);
Asylum applicants having had their applications processed under the accelerated procedure by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Applicants having benefited from material reception conditions at the end of the reference year;
Asylum applicants considered to be unaccompanied minors by citizenship, age and sex.
Decisions on asylum applications:
First instance decisions on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted at first instance decision by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors);
Final decisions in appeal or review on applications by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision (also for unaccompanied minors);
Decisions withdrawing status granted as final decision in appeal or review by citizenship, type of decision and type of reason (also for unaccompanied minors).
Resettled persons:
Resettled persons by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and country of previous residence;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and type of decision;
Resettled persons by citizenship, age, sex and resettlement framework.
In March 2022, the European Commission activated the Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC for people from Ukraine seeking refuge.
Temporary protection:
Decisions granting temporary protection by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors);
Beneficiaries of temporary protection at the end of the month by citizenship, age and sex (also for unaccompanied minors).
15 September 2025
Same definitions as Eurostat.
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Persons.
Foreigners and stateless persons.
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Spain
Calendar month, calendar quarter and calendar year.
Data on unaccompanied minors are overestimated due to recording errors in the registration process, so UAM data usually need a validation process. Hence the first submission data are estimated.
Number of persons.
Specific programming processes from database.
Administrative Database Software "ASILO", owned by the Spanish Ministry for Home Affairs, Directorate-General for International Protection, and Directorate general for humanitarian assistance and the international protection reception system (for material reception conditions).
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables Asylum’.
Monthly, quarterly and yearly.
Data are submitted on time.
The asylum statistics are comparable between all regions of Spain, there is only one national system of accumulating and processing the data.
Data are comparable over time.
See table 15.2 in annex `Quality report tables Asylum`.
