Criminal law · Seville
For students, visitors and people who live here: arrests, fights and thefts during the Feria or Holy Week, drink-driving and court summonses. Ring us or send a WhatsApp at any hour, in English or Spanish.
Talk to a lawyer today
Anyone arrested in Seville city is taken before the duty judge at the court building on Prado de San Sebastián. Before that, the police will offer to take a statement, and you are entitled to talk to your lawyer before deciding whether to give one. Our number, +34 711 29 14 66, is answered day and night.
Written and reviewed by Jimena Sastre, criminal lawyer.
Updated on 4 October 2026.
We take arrest calls in the small hours, at weekends and during the Feria and Holy Week. We provide police station assistance 24 hours a day anywhere in Spain, and families abroad can deal with us entirely in English.
Exchange and study abroad students have the same rights as anyone held in Spain: an interpreter, the right to silence, a lawyer of their choice and a call to their consulate. We visit the student, speak to the parents wherever they are and explain what the judge has decided.
Offences carrying up to five years in prison are tried by the criminal section of Seville’s Tribunal de Instancia, and more serious ones by the Audiencia Provincial. Appeals go either to the Audiencia or to the High Court of Justice of Andalusia, depending on which court gave the judgment.
Unless the judge has taken your passport or told you to report to court, you can usually travel. You must give an address in Spain, or name a person, where court papers can be served, and come back when summoned. We tell you which applies to you before you book a flight.
Arrested a moment ago
Spanish law lets you stay silent, choose who defends you and ask for an interpreter. The police have at most 72 hours to release you or bring you before the duty judge.
Where to start
Send us a couple of lines on WhatsApp or ring us, and we will tell you what to do first.
I am accused of taking a phone or a wallet in a crowd
Since April 2026, taking a mobile phone counts as aggravated theft whatever it is worth. We get the street camera footage and check how you were picked out in the crowd.
There was a fight outside a bar or a caseta
Whether the injury needed stitches or treatment, and whether glasses or bottles were used, changes the charge. We get the A&E report and any footage quickly, before it is deleted.
I was breathalysed at a checkpoint
Above 0.60 mg per litre of breath it is a crime, usually dealt with as a rapid trial. With a foreign licence, the ban stops you driving in Spain for its whole length.
My son or daughter is studying here and has been arrested
We speak to you in English wherever you are, go to see your child and keep you posted on what the judge decides, including whether they can fly home before the trial.
I have been reported for domestic abuse
In Spain these cases go to a specialist court section, and a restraining order from the first hearing is common. Breaking it is a crime even if your partner contacts you or agrees to meet, so we go through exactly what you may and may not do.
Drugs or fuel cans were found in a boat or a warehouse
Moving drugs by boat leads to heavier sentences, and since April 2026 storing or carrying fuel without authorisation, known locally as petaqueo, is a crime in itself. We look closely at the surveillance and at each person’s real link to what was found.
I have been summoned to court as a suspect
Before the date we ask to see the file, so you know what you are accused of and on what evidence. Then we decide together whether you answer everyone, only your lawyer, or nobody.
I was robbed and fly home in a few days
You can ask the judge to take your evidence before you go, with the lawyers present, so it can be used at trial without you coming back. The court will also ask for an email address and phone number to keep you updated.
Worth knowing
Theft of up to 400 euros normally means a fine calculated over one to three months, and above 400 euros, six to eighteen months in prison. Since April 2026, stealing a mobile phone or a similar device holding personal data carries one to three years, regardless of its value. With violence or threats it becomes robbery, with two to five years.
If the injury needed medical treatment beyond first aid, the sentence is three months to three years in prison or a fine. Without that treatment it is a fine, and the case only goes ahead if the injured person reports it. A group brawl using dangerous objects carries three months to a year or a fine.
Driving with more than 0.60 mg of alcohol per litre of breath, or 1.2 g per litre of blood, is a crime even if you were driving well. The sentence is three to six months in prison, a fine or 31 to 90 days of community service, always with a ban of more than one and up to four years. Refusing the test carries six months to a year in prison and the same ban.
Hitting or mistreating a partner or former partner without causing injury carries six months to a year in prison or 31 to 80 days of community service, plus loss of the right to hold weapons. A minor threat carries the same. Breaching a restraining order means six months to a year in prison.
How we work
The person’s name and the police station where they are held is enough to start. We give you the fee for the station visit on that same call.
We see the person in private and explain the accusation, so they can decide whether to answer questions.
In front of the duty judge we ask for release and, where needed, propose conditions that make it possible, such as reporting to court or handing in a passport.
We ask for footage, medical reports and valuations, and appeal decisions that work against you.
If the judgment goes against you, we appeal it to the Audiencia or to the High Court of Justice of Andalusia, depending on which court gave it.
FAQ
Yes. For arrests, +34 711 29 14 66 is answered through the night, at weekends and on bank holidays. Anything else waits for office hours.
In the court building on Prado de San Sebastián, which also houses most of the investigating courts. Your summons gives the section, the court number and the time.
Not any more. Since April 2026, theft of a mobile phone carries one to three years in prison even if it is worth less than 400 euros.
If the judge releases him without conditions, he can travel, but he must leave an address in Spain or a person to receive court papers and return when summoned. If his passport was taken or he has to report to court, he needs the judge’s permission.
Yes. You can ask for your evidence to be taken by the judge before you leave so it counts at trial, and court notices will reach you by email or phone.
Refusing is a separate crime, with six months to a year in prison and a driving ban of more than one and up to four years. It usually ends worse than a positive result.
Yes. We attend courts across the province, and further afield when a case calls for it.
We quote the police station and duty court fee on the first call. If you then instruct us for the whole case, we send a written quote setting out what it covers.
Client reviews
Jimena Sastre ha sido una excelente abogada de inmigración que me ha guiado durante todo el proceso de solicitud de la nacionalidad española. Ha sido profesional, amable, siempre dispuesta a responder mis preguntas y me ha orientado correctamente. Su enfoque hizo que mi solicitud fuera mucho más sencilla y sin estrés, y la recomiendo a otros expatriados/inmigrantes que necesiten asesoramiento y asistencia legal para sus solicitudes de residencia o nacionalidad.
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