Turning a good trial stay into a permanent move

Key rules

• Switching inside Spain: As a non-EU visitor you normally cannot switch to residence from inside Spain and must apply at the consulate in your home country.
• Trial time: Visitor time does not count toward long-term residence or nationality; only time under a residence permit does.
• Tax residence: Spending more than 183 days in a year in Spain can make you tax resident.
• Health insurance: Travel insurance usually does not meet the cover a residence permit needs.
• Padrón: Registering on the padrón is not a residence permit and gives no immigration status.

Can you switch to residence from inside Spain?

Usually, no. If you entered Spain as a non-EU visitor, you normally have to apply for a visa at the Spanish consulate in your home country, then come back to Spain as a resident. Staying on after a good trial does not change that.

There are exceptions that let you apply from inside Spain:

• Family of an EU citizen. Different rules apply, and you register rather than apply for a standard permit.
• Arraigo. This is a permit for people with roots in Spain. It is aimed at people who entered legally and then stayed on irregularly, and it usually needs two to three years of continuous presence. Since May 2025, some routes, including a socio-formative one, need two years. You also need a clean criminal record and meet other conditions.
• Humanitarian or international protection cases.
• Some holders of entrepreneur or highly qualified worker visas.

Be careful with arraigo. Overstaying is not a plan for a trial stay. Time spent as a visitor within the 90-day limit does not qualify you for it.

If you are an EU citizen, you do not apply for a permit. You register your residence once you settle.

What your trial counts for

Your visitor time counts for nothing toward long-term residence or nationality. Only legal residence under a residence permit counts. Long-term residence needs five years of continuous legal residence. Nationality by residence generally needs ten years. It needs two years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal and Sephardic descendants, and five for refugees. Your clock starts on the day your first permit begins, not on the day you first arrived.

Student years count only partly, usually half for long-term residence. Long absences can break continuity.

The order to follow when the trial goes well

1. Go home or stay within your limit. Keep your visitor stay within 90 days. Leave on time.
2. Choose your permit. Decide which one fits: work, non-lucrative, digital nomad, family or another. Ask the Oficina de Extranjería whether any exception lets you apply from inside Spain.
3. Sort health cover. Travel insurance usually does not meet permit requirements. Permits that need private cover, such as non-lucrative and digital nomad, require a Spanish-authorised policy with no co-payments, full cover in Spain, no waiting periods and no excluded pre-existing conditions.
4. Apply at the consulate in your home country, then move for good once the visa is approved.
5. Register on the padrón when you actually settle.

Watch the tax and padrón signals

Spending more than 183 days in a year in Spain can make you tax resident, so watch trial length.

The padrón is the town hall's register of residents. It is required for anyone who habitually lives in a town. It gives access to local services and often to public healthcare. It is not a residence permit and gives no immigration status. But it records where you live and can be used as evidence of presence. During a trial, think about whether registering signals that you already live there habitually. You generally need a rental contract or similar proof of address to register.

The requirements for each route changed with the 2025 regulation. Confirm the current ones with the Oficina de Extranjería before you commit to dates.

The checklist, documents and questions below cover the rest.

Timeline and deadlines

• Keep your visitor stay within the 90-day limit if you are a non-EU visitor: during the trial, before you decide to move

• Watch your total days in Spain, because more than 183 days in a year can make you tax resident: throughout the calendar year

• Decide whether to register on the padrón, which can signal that you live there habitually: when you start living in a municipality habitually

• Apply for your visa at the Spanish consulate in your home country: after a good trial and before you move for good

• Apply for arraigo from inside Spain if you stayed on irregularly after entering legally: after typically two to three years of continuous presence, or two years under the reformed rules

Documents you need

• Proof of address, usually your rental contract, issued by your landlord. Town halls generally ask for it, or similar proof, to register you on the padrón.

• Your padrón registration from the town hall, if you choose to register. It shows where you live and can serve as evidence of presence in Spain. It is not a residence permit.

Checklist

• Check whether you are an EU citizen or the family member of one, because that changes the route: EU citizens register rather than apply for a permit.

• Ask the Oficina de Extranjería whether any exception lets you apply from inside Spain, such as arraigo, family of an EU citizen, or humanitarian or protection cases.

• Plan to apply at the Spanish consulate in your home country before moving for good if no exception applies to you.

• Decide whether to register on the padrón, knowing it gives access to local services but is not a residence permit.

• Check that your health cover meets the permit you want, because travel insurance usually does not.

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch to a residence permit from inside Spain after a good trial?

No, as a rule a short-stay visitor cannot switch to a residence permit from inside Spain and must apply at the Spanish consulate in their home country. The main exceptions are family members of EU citizens, people who qualify for arraigo (residence based on roots in Spain) and humanitarian or protection cases.

Does my trial time count toward long-term residence or nationality?

No, time as a short-stay visitor does not count toward long-term residence or nationality, because only legal residence under a residence permit counts.

Is my travel health insurance enough for a residence application?

No, travel health insurance generally does not meet the requirements of permits that need private cover, such as non-lucrative residence or the digital nomad visa.