How long a decision should take and how to check your file

Terms used

• Oficina de Extranjería — The Oficina de Extranjería is the local immigration office that receives and decides residence and work applications.
• Arraigo — Arraigo is a residence permit for people who have built roots in Spain, for example through work, family or social ties.
• NIE — The NIE is your foreigner identity number, used in all dealings with Spanish authorities.
• Cl@ve — Cl@ve is the government's online login system for accessing public services.
• DEHú — DEHú is the official electronic mailbox where Spanish administrations send you notices.
• Recurso — A recurso is a formal appeal against an administrative decision.

Key rules

• Legal deadline: Most residence and work applications should be decided within three months of registration.
• Silence: Silence usually means granted for renewals, but many first applications count as refused.
• Electronic notices: A notice you do not open within 10 calendar days counts as rejected.
• Real waits: First applications can take six months or more in big provinces.

Silence rules were revised in 2025 and waits vary by province, so confirm your procedure's deadline and silence rule with the Oficina de Extranjería.

How long the office should take

For most residence and work applications, the office has three months to decide. The clock starts when your application is registered at the office that handles it, not the day you sent it. Note that date. A few specific cases have a shorter period, so check your procedure with the Oficina de Extranjería.

What silence means

Silence does not mean the same thing for every procedure.

• Renewals: if the office stays silent, they are generally treated as granted.
• First applications: many are treated as refused if the office stays silent.
• Nationality by residence: it runs on its own, much longer timetable, with one year to decide and silence meaning refusal.

Work out first whether you have a renewal or a first application.

If a renewal is granted by silence, you may still need to ask the office for proof of that.

What waits look like in practice

Real waits are often longer than the legal limit. First residence, arraigo and work authorisations can take six months or more, especially in big provinces such as Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. Renewals are usually faster. Nationality by residence often takes one to two years. Waits vary a lot by province and procedure, so ask people who applied recently at your office.

How to check your file

1. Use the file-lookup service. Enter your file number and your NIE or passport number in the Ministry of Inclusion's online file lookup, called Mercurio.
2. Log in to Mi Carpeta Ciudadana. Use a digital certificate, electronic ID or Cl@ve. It shows your files and notifications.
3. Read your electronic notices. They arrive through DEHú or Carpeta Ciudadana. Register an email or SMS alert so you know when one arrives.
4. Ask the office. If the portals show nothing useful, email the Oficina de Extranjería or book an appointment.

Do not miss a notice

If an electronic notice sits unopened for 10 calendar days, it counts as rejected and your case moves on without you. Your time to appeal starts from that date. Open your notices every few days.

If you disagree with a decision, you can file a recurso, normally within one month. If you find a notice already treated as rejected, check its date and the type of decision straight away. A notice that was not properly delivered can sometimes still be challenged late. If you are not required to use electronic notices, you can choose paper. A lawyer can help with a missed deadline.

The timeline, documents, checklist and warnings below cover the details, and the quick answers cover common worries about complaining or reapplying.

Timeline and deadlines

• The office has three months to decide most residence and work applications: three months from the day the application is registered with the office

• A few specific cases have a shorter decision period: 20 days in specific cases

• Most renewals count as granted if the office stays silent: when the decision period ends with no answer

• In practice, first residence, arraigo and work authorisations often take longer than the legal deadline, especially in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia: from three months up to six months or more; renewals are often faster

• Nationality by residence has its own, much longer timetable: one-year legal deadline; in practice one to two years

• An electronic notice counts as rejected if you do not open it: after 10 calendar days available

• File an appeal (recurso) against a decision you disagree with: normally one month, counted from the notification date

Documents you need

• Your file number, which you get when the application is registered. You need it to look up the file status.

• Your NIE (foreigner identity number) or your passport number, entered together with the file number to look up the file.

• A digital certificate, electronic ID (DNI electrónico) or Cl@ve (the government's online login). You need one to see your files and notifications in the electronic office and Mi Carpeta Ciudadana.

Checklist

• Note the date your application was registered, because the three-month decision period for most residence and work applications starts then.

• Find out whether your procedure is a renewal or a first application, since silence usually means granted for renewals and refused for many first applications.

• Compare your waiting time with the usual delays in your province, which can run to six months or more for first applications.

• Look up your file with your file number and your NIE or passport number in the Ministry of Inclusion's Mercurio service.

• Log in to Mi Carpeta Ciudadana with a digital certificate, Cl@ve or electronic ID to see files and notifications if you applied electronically.

• Open your electronic notifications in DEHú or Carpeta Ciudadana at least once every few days, and register an email or SMS alert.

What to watch out for

• A missed electronic notice counts as rejected: If a notice sits unopened for 10 calendar days, it is treated as rejected and the procedure continues. Your time to appeal starts running from then, so you can lose a deadline without ever reading the decision. Log in at once, read the notice and check its date and type. If it is already treated as rejected, file a recurso, normally within one month, or ask for the proceedings to be annulled if the notice was defective, for example if you had no alert set up.

• Silence is not always approval: For many first applications, silence from the office means refused, not granted. Waiting without checking can leave you with a refusal you did not know about. Find out whether your procedure is a renewal or a first application and which kind of silence applies, then check your file when the decision period ends.

• Choosing paper or electronic notices matters: If you are not obliged to receive notices electronically, you may choose paper. Being set up for electronic notices without checking them is what causes missed deadlines. Ask a lawyer or the Oficina de Extranjería which notice method applies to you.

Quick answers on waiting for a decision

Does positive silence give me a residence card (TIE)?

No, positive silence approves your authorisation in law, but the TIE (the foreigner identity card) is a separate document you still have to collect. Ask for a certificate of silence, then book a fingerprint appointment (toma de huellas) at the police within one month of the grant. Some offices issue a confirming resolution, and the police may ask for it before they issue the card.

Is waiting for a renewal different from waiting for a first application?

Yes, renewals are usually treated more favourably: silence on a renewal is generally positive, while many first applications carry negative silence. A renewal is usually decided within three months. If you file it in time, your old authorisation stays valid and you keep the right to stay and work until the decision.

Can I file a new application while my earlier one is unanswered?

Generally no, not for the same kind of authorisation, because a second application can be rejected as a duplicate and may affect the first. Filing under a different category can also be read as dropping the first one (desistimiento). Get advice before filing, since you can withdraw the first application if a better route exists.

Will complaining about a delayed file hurt my application?

No, complaining is not a ground to refuse your application, and the administration must decide each file on its merits. Follow-up letters, complaints and court actions are normal, and court filings often prompt a quick resolution. The most you are likely to meet is some friction or slow replies, and you can appeal any adverse decision.