Regularisation routes (arraigo)

It is for anyone considering, planning or carrying out a move to Spain who is in irregular stay and wants to know which route may fit. After reading, you will know which regularisation route may suit you and what each one requires.

Start with "Ways to regularise in Spain and which route fits you". It shows every route side by side and helps you choose where to look first. From there, move to the page for your route: social ties, past work, a job offer, training, family ties, second chance, exceptional circumstances or the extraordinary regularisation.

This topic does not cover asylum rejection routes, scams selling papers or children's residence status.

Key rules

• Job offer hours: A job offer or contract for arraigo sociolaboral must be for at least 20 hours a week at no less than the minimum wage, pro rata.
• Absences: Absences of up to 90 days in total do not break your continuous stay.
• Presence required: Arraigo social, socio-formative and sociolaboral routes each need 2 years of continuous stay in Spain, counted back from the day you file.
• Permit length: Arraigo social and sociolaboral grant a residence and work permit of 3 years.
• Appeal deadlines: After a refusal you have one month for an optional appeal to the same office or two months for a court appeal, counted from notification.
• Clean record: You must have no criminal record in Spain or in any country where you lived in the past five years, shown with a certificate of good conduct.

Regularisation routes (arraigo): the whole process, step by step

• Choose your route in Ways to regularise in Spain and which route fits you: before you start, once you know how long you have been in Spain

• Check the 2026 one-off measure in Who the 2026 extraordinary regularisation covers; you choose one route, not both: before you file anything, since you cannot hold two applications for the same outcome

• Gather proof of 2 years of continuous stay, and a certificate of good conduct: before you file; the 2 years are counted back from the day you file

• Get the integration report from your town hall if you are going for arraigo social: before you file; reports are usually valid for a limited period, often 3 months, so ask your region

• Collect proof of at least 6 months of work if you are going for past work or a job offer (see the sociolaboral and laboral articles): before you file

• File your application with the Oficina de Extranjería of your province, usually online, while you are in Spain: once your documents are ready; in-person filing usually needs an appointment

• If you are refused, appeal to the same office or go to court, or file again once the missing requirement is fixed: one month for the optional appeal or two months for the court appeal, counted from notification

• If you were granted arraigo socioformativo, renew while you train and ask to change to a work permit after the course: initial permit lasts 12 months; the change comes after the course

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Passport — Residence through family ties (arraigo familiar), Humanitarian and other exceptional residence routes (circunstancias excepcionales)
• Proof of enrolment or admission in a regulated course leading to an official — Residence through training (arraigo socioformativo)

Income and work

• Proof of means of support or an employment contract — Residence through social ties (arraigo social) after the 2025 reform
• Job offer or employment contract signed by the employer — Residence through a job offer (arraigo sociolaboral)
• Proof that the employer is registered with Social Security — Residence through a job offer (arraigo sociolaboral)
• Proof that the employer can pay the salary offered — Residence through a job offer (arraigo sociolaboral)

Other documents

• A certificate of good conduct showing no criminal record in Spain or in any — Ways to regularise in Spain and which route fits you, Residence through a job offer (arraigo sociolaboral)
• Integration report — Residence through social ties (arraigo social) after the 2025 reform
• Certificate of good conduct from your country of origin and any country where — Residence through social ties (arraigo social) after the 2025 reform
• Birth certificate or Spanish family book — Residence through family ties (arraigo familiar)
• Marriage or registered partnership certificate from the civil registry — Residence through family ties (arraigo familiar)

Each article lists the other documents it asks for, where you need them.

Regularisation routes (arraigo): questions that cross several articles

Can I apply for the 2026 extraordinary regularisation and arraigo at the same time?

No, you are generally expected to choose one route, because one person cannot hold two applications for the same residence outcome. If an arraigo file is already pending, you may be able to keep it or withdraw it and use the one-off measure. Read Who the 2026 extraordinary regularisation covers and Ways to regularise in Spain and which route fits you.

Do the old or the new rules apply to my arraigo application?

Applications filed from 20 May 2025 follow the new rules, and earlier ones continue under the old rules. If you filed earlier, you can ask to switch to the new rules.

Where and how do I file an arraigo application?

You file with the Oficina de Extranjería of the province where you live, usually online with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, and you must be in Spain. Many people use a lawyer or representative, and in-person filing usually needs an appointment. Catalonia and some other regions handle parts of this themselves, so check locally.

What is the difference between arraigo social and sociolaboral in how long I must have been here?

Both need 2 years of continuous stay, but sociolaboral also needs a work relationship of at least 6 months. Arraigo social instead needs an integration report from your town hall. Read Residence through social ties (arraigo social) after the 2025 reform and Residence through a job offer (arraigo sociolaboral).