15 people arrested for arranging fraudulent marriages to obtain residence permits

Spain's national police, in collaboration with Barcelona’s local police, have dismantled a criminal organization involved in arranging fraudulent marriages to obtain residence permits.

Fifteen members of the organization were arrested, and 18 fraudulent registrations of stable couples were annulled.

The criminals’ method involved formalizing stable partnerships between foreign citizens and Spanish women before a notary.

They then used this legal status as a couple to submit residence applications, either under the category of community resident or, in some cases, for family reunification.

Police investigations revealed that many of these Spanish women had previously reported the theft or fraudulent use of their personal documents.

Some were also registered without consent in homes where they did not normally reside.

According to the city council, the operation will help curb this fraudulent scheme and prevent similar acts in the future, particularly the "instrumentalization of Spanish women to gain irregular access to residence permits."