Modify your permit or apply for a different route?

Terms used

• Arraigo social — Arraigo social is a residence permit for people who have lived in Spain for some years and have built ties here.
• Arraigo sociolaboral — Arraigo sociolaboral is an inside-Spain residence route based on your work ties.
• Arraigo socioformativo — Arraigo socioformativo is an inside-Spain residence route based on completing training.
• Arraigo familiar — Arraigo familiar is an inside-Spain residence route for people with family ties to a Spaniard.
• Arraigo para la segunda oportunidad — Arraigo para la segunda oportunidad is a route for people whose earlier residence permit lapsed.

Key rules

• Default: Change from inside Spain when the rules allow it; otherwise apply again from your home country.
• Filing date: File any change before your current permit ends.
• Time abroad: Time spent abroad does not count towards the five years needed for long-term residence.
• Long absences: Absences of more than 6 months in a year can break your continuity.

The short answer

Change from inside Spain whenever the rules allow it. If they do not, you need a fresh application from your home country, and leaving carries real risks. Check the inside-Spain options first, before you book any flight.

When you can change from inside Spain

If you already hold a permit, you can often switch to another permit type or route without leaving. This usually depends on how long you have held your current permit and on meeting the conditions of the new one. File before your current permit ends, so you stay legal while the office decides. The process and checklist below walk you through the order.

If you have no suitable permit but have been in Spain for about two years or more, several routes exist inside the country:

• Arraigo social: generally 2 years in Spain, a work contract or enough means, and proof that you are integrated.
• Arraigo sociolaboral: based on your work ties.
• Arraigo socioformativo: based on training.
• Arraigo familiar: family ties to a Spaniard.
• Arraigo para la segunda oportunidad: for people whose permit lapsed.

Other inside-Spain routes are humanitarian reasons, international protection, and exceptional circumstances for victims of violence or trafficking. The conditions for the arraigo routes were changed by a 2024 reform, so check the current requirements for your route with the immigration office before you file.

When you must apply from abroad

Some changes cannot be made in Spain. This generally includes moving from a short-stay visa or tourist stay to a residence permit, with limited exceptions. It also includes permit types that need a visa from a consulate, such as many highly qualified or seasonal worker permits. In these cases you apply from your country of origin. Confirm this for your exact case with the immigration office before acting.

What leaving can cost you

Leaving to reapply is not a neutral step.

• If your permit expires while you are away, you can lose your status.
• Visa appointments and decisions at the consulate can take a long time, and a refusal is possible.
• Time abroad does not count towards the five years needed for long-term residence. Absences of more than 6 months in a year can break your continuity and reset your residence clock.

Individual cases vary, so ask the immigration office or a qualified adviser before you leave.

How to decide

1. Check whether the change you want is allowed from inside Spain.
2. If yes, work out your permit end date and file before it.
3. If no, plan the absence: how long the consulate will take, and whether your current permit will still be valid.

The decision, warnings and the question on what happens if your permit expires while a change is pending are below.

Choosing between options

Should you modify your permit in Spain or apply from your home country?

• Modify or switch inside Spain: Your change is allowed from inside Spain, or you qualify for a route such as arraigo that you can apply for without a prior permit.

• Apply from your home country: You hold only a short-stay visa or tourist stay, or you want a permit that needs a consular visa, such as many highly-qualified or seasonal worker permits.

If the change can be made from inside Spain, do it there. Only apply from your home country when the permit type requires a consular visa, because leaving carries risks.

Confirm with the Oficina de Extranjería that your change is allowed from inside Spain before you file.

Choosing between renewing, changing permit, switching route or leaving

• Check who each path is for. Renewing keeps the same permit. A change of permit type or a switch of route from inside Spain is open to people legally resident under a non-EU regime, for example student to work, temporary to long-term residence, or arraigo to another permit. Leaving and applying from your home country is for people with no suitable permit in Spain, such as a short stay or tourist stay, or a permit type that needs a consular visa.: before you choose a path

• If you are staying in the same permit type, renew. If you meet the time and conditions for another permit that can be requested in Spain, file a change or switch. If the permit you want needs a visa from a consulate, or you hold only a short stay, apply from your home country.: at the decision point

• If your application is refused while your permit is still valid, you stay on that permit. If the permit has already expired, you become irregular and may face a sanctions procedure. You can challenge the decision with a recurso de reposición (an optional appeal to the same office) within one month, or go to court within two months of notification. Appeals do not keep the permit alive unless a suspension is granted, so get legal advice quickly.: if the application is refused

• Weigh the risk of leaving. You may lose your status if the permit expires, wait a long time for a visa and be refused. Time abroad does not count towards the five years for long-term residence, and absences of more than 6 months in a year can break your continuity.: before you decide to leave and reapply

Check before filing a permit modification

• Check the date your current permit ends and file before that date, because filing in time keeps your current permit valid until the application is decided.

• Check how long you must have held your current permit for the change you want. It is often one year, and some routes, such as student to work, add their own conditions on time spent in Spain.

• Confirm that the change you want can be made from inside Spain. Moving from a short stay or tourist stay, or into a permit that needs a visa from a consulate, means applying from your home country.

• Find the official application form for your route, for example EX-00 for work authorisations or EX-10 for arraigo, and pay the fee on form 790 code 052, using the section for your permit type.

• Confirm which office handles your case: the Oficina de Extranjería or the Subdelegación or Delegación del Gobierno of the province where you live. In some regions, such as Catalonia, the regional government handles the work part.

• Choose how you will file: online with a digital certificate (or through a representative), or in person at offices that still take applications with an appointment.

What to watch out for

• Losing your status by leaving: If your permit expires while you are abroad, you can lose your current status and may have to start again from scratch. Do not leave until you know the new visa is realistic and your permit will still be valid.

• Long wait and possible refusal at the consulate: A visa applied for abroad can mean a long wait at the consulate, and it can be refused. Ask whether an inside-Spain route exists for you before choosing to leave.

• Absences that break your residence clock: Absences of more than 6 months in a year can break continuity and affect long-term residence. Time abroad does not count towards the five years needed. Keep trips short and keep track of the days you spend outside Spain.

What if your current permit expires while a modification is pending?

Your permit stays valid if you filed in time

If you filed the modification before your current permit ran out, the permit stays valid until the office decides. Filing late removes that protection. Spain normally decides most modifications within three months of registering the application.

Can you keep working?

Yes, if your current permit allows work and you filed before it expired. Keep working under the same conditions as before. A permit that does not allow work, such as a non-lucrative one, does not start allowing it while you wait. Wait for the approval before you change jobs or start a new activity.

The filing type matters. These protections apply to a modification filed in time. If you are unsure whether your application counts as a modification or a new application, ask the Oficina de Extranjería before your permit expires.

What happens if the office stays silent

For most modifications, silence after the deadline counts as approval. For some permits it counts as a refusal. Either way, the office must still issue a written decision. Ask the Oficina de Extranjería which rule applies to your permit, and do not assume you have been approved.

What happens if the modification is refused

Your position depends on whether your old permit is still valid on the day of refusal:

• Old permit still valid: you fall back on it and keep its conditions until it expires.
• Old permit already expired: you become irregular and may face a sanctions procedure. This is the main risk of a long wait.

You can challenge a refusal in two ways. Both deadlines run from the day you are notified:

• Optional appeal to the same office: one month.
• Court appeal: two months.

An appeal does not keep your permit alive unless a court grants a suspension. Contact an immigration lawyer as soon as you receive a refusal, because the deadlines are short.

If you filed before 20 May 2025

Applications filed before 20 May 2025 are still handled under the older rules. Check the transitional provision for your permit type with the Oficina de Extranjería.

Frequently asked questions

Which routes can I apply for inside Spain without a suitable permit?

You can apply for an arraigo (a residence permit based on roots in Spain) from inside Spain without a prior permit. Arraigo social generally needs 2 years in Spain, a work contract or means, and integration. Other versions cover work and training, family ties to a Spaniard, and a second chance if your permit lapsed.

Are there inside-Spain routes that are not arraigo?

Yes, you can also apply inside Spain for humanitarian reasons, international protection, or exceptional circumstances if you are a victim of violence or trafficking. Each has its own conditions, so ask the Oficina de Extranjería which fits your case.

Does time spent abroad count towards the five years for long-term residence?

No, time spent abroad does not count towards the five years needed. Absences of more than 6 months in a year can also break continuity, so plan trips carefully before you leave.