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Laura Córdoba and Katja Thirion. SUR
Mijas foreigners office dealt with nearly 30,000 enquiries in 2024
Town hall

Mijas foreigners office dealt with nearly 30,000 enquiries in 2024

The service, launched 40 years ago to help foreign residents, is working at full capacity as more people choose to live on the Costa del Sol

Lorena Cádiz

Mijas

Friday, 24 January 2025, 13:47

The number of consultations at Mijas town hall's foreigners department has been increasing every year as the Costa del Sol's popularity continues to grow. According to their figures, the team responded to 28,230 enquiries in 2024 alone, of which 9,580 were in person, 7,310 were by phone and 11,340 by email.

The service, launched some 40 years ago by Mijas town hall, was the first of its kind in Spain, responding to the many administrative, bureaucratic and language barriers faced by the ever increasing number of foreign residents.

Today, Mijas has approximately 90,000 registered residents, of whom almost 40 per cent are foreign nationals coming from 125 different countries. The vast majority of these are British, Scandinavian and German.

The department, now run by Katja Thirion and Laura Córdoba, is responsible for advising foreigners, facilitating their move to Mijas and helping them to settle in. It also works as a link with other municipal services and other government departments.

The most frequently asked questions are on the payment of taxes and fees, direct debits, adding and deleting information from the municipal register, census certificates, doubts related to the NIE foreign identity number and residence permits for citizens from the United Kingdom, among others.

There are also questions related to translations and services for victims of gender-based violence, as well as general questions about town planning, social services and the Andalusian health service.

Mailing list

The department also has its own mailing list where more than 5,000 foreigners, home owners' associations and social groups have registered for information in both English and Spanish.

They also organise activities, such as informative talks, collaborations with clubs and associations and an an international trade fair. They work with consulates and advertise language exchange workshops and provide essential services such as the coordination of the Viogenex working group to assist foreign victims of gender-based violence.

"This municipal department does essential work in providing information and resolving queries. We will continue to work to ensure that the foreign population continues to be attended to quickly and efficiently," said councillor Mario Bravo.

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surinenglish Mijas foreigners office dealt with nearly 30,000 enquiries in 2024