Europe
Spain.
Spain's Criminal Code (Ley Orgánica 10/1995) makes failing to help a person who is helpless and in manifest, grave danger a criminal offense when help can be given without risk to oneself or others. Separately, Ley 45/2015 de Voluntariado sets a legal framework for volunteering through organizations, and Ley 49/2002 gives tax incentives for donations to qualifying nonprofits.
Is there a legal duty to help a stranger?
YesArticle 195 of the Criminal Code (title: 'De la omisión del deber de socorro') punishes anyone who does not help a person who is helpless and in manifest and grave danger, when this can be done without risk to oneself or third parties, with a fine of three to twelve months. Paragraph 2 applies the same penalty to a person who is unable to help but does not urgently request outside aid, and paragraph 3 sets prison terms where the person who omitted help had caused the victim's situation by accident (6 to 18 months) or through negligence (6 months to 4 years).
Are people who help protected?
LimitedNo statute specific to good-faith rescuers was found in the sources reviewed. The Criminal Code's general 'estado de necesidad' provision (art. 20.5) exempts from criminal responsibility a person who, to avoid harm to oneself or another, injures a legal interest or breaches a duty, if the harm caused is not greater than the harm avoided and the necessity was not intentionally provoked by that person. Under Ley 45/2015, civil liability for harm caused by volunteers in organized programs rests with the volunteer organization toward third parties.
How the government promotes giving and service
Ways to give and volunteer
Spain has a strong network of national nonprofits, including the Red Cross, and many local services are run by Catholic and other faith-based groups. The one thing to know first: an independent evaluator and public registries let you check a charity before you give.
Check a charity before you give
An independent nonprofit that evaluates Spanish charities against transparency and good-practice standards and publishes the results (in Spanish).
Give your time
Give money, blood or a donation
In an emergency or a crisis
Before you act
- Street collectors, phone calls and fake online campaigns can be scams, so check the group on Fundación Lealtad or the official registry and donate through its own website.
- Ask collectors for authorization and ID.
- Foreign residents and visitors should check immigration rules before volunteering, and many sites are only in Spanish.
This list does not cover every local group, religious services or political causes, and it is not a recommendation of any one charity. Checked 2026-10-28. Listing an organization is not an endorsement, and none of them has endorsed this site. Some official sites block automatic checks, so a link may need a second try.
One thing worth knowing
Ley 45/2015 art. 3.3 states that isolated or sporadic acts outside volunteer organizations, and acts done for family, friendship or good-neighbor reasons, are not 'voluntariado' under the law, so its protections and incentives are aimed at organized volunteering.
What this does not mean
This guide relies on Spanish-language statute texts read in the original; quoted meanings are summaries, not official translations. Article 195 sets a minimum duty and says nothing about rewarding rescuers, and tax percentages and rules may have changed since the consolidated texts consulted. This is not legal advice. This is a plain-language summary of public sources, not legal advice, and it does not rank countries. No government named here has endorsed this site. Not reviewed by a lawyer. Statutes were read in public sources and may have changed. Last checked October 26, 2026.