Arraigo in Spain 2026: Routes, Requirements and the Closed Regularisation

Arraigo is a residence route for some non-EU people who are already living in Spain without a permit, and in 2026 it has five routes, with arraigo social and sociolaboral requiring two years of continuous stay. A separate one-off extraordinary regularisation, introduced by Royal Decree 316/2026, opened on 16 April 2026 and, according to the sources we found, closed on 30 June 2026. This guide explains the routes, what each requires, what changed in 2025 and 2026, and where law-firm sources disagree. Immigration rules change often and one wrong category can mean a refusal, so this is general information, not legal advice, and you should confirm your route with an immigration lawyer.

What is arraigo, and who is it for?

Arraigo is a temporary residence authorisation for exceptional circumstances, for people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland who already live in Spain. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens do not need it. According to Legal Fournier, a Spanish immigration law firm, a candidate must also have no entry ban for Spain or the Schengen area and no criminal record in Spain or, for the five years before applying, in the countries where they lived, with foreign certificates legalised or apostilled and translated.

If you are in Spain on a valid visa, a work permit or the digital nomad route, you are probably not looking at arraigo at all. See our guides to the digital nomad visa and to NIE, TIE and padrón for the main residence documents.

What are the five arraigo routes in 2026?

The 2024 immigration regulation (Real Decreto 1155/2024), in force since May 2025, sets out five routes. BM Consulting, a law firm, in an article dated 17 May 2026, lists them as social, sociolaboral, family, socioformativo and segunda oportunidad. TramitacionEx (1 April 2026) lists the same five, with the family route labelled differently.

• Arraigo social: two years of continuous stay, plus family ties with legal residents or Spanish citizens or a social integration report from the local or regional authority (BM Consulting).
• Arraigo sociolaboral: two years of stay and a work contract in force when you apply, at the minimum wage or the collective agreement and, per BM Consulting and TramitacionEx, at least 20 hours a week.
• Arraigo socioformativo, new in the 2024 regulation: two years of stay and enrolment in a recognised training programme, such as vocational training or bachillerato (BM Consulting). TramitacionEx says a commitment to enrol is not enough.
• Arraigo for family reasons: no minimum stay, for example a parent of a Spanish minor in their custody (BM Consulting).
• Arraigo de segunda oportunidad, new in the 2024 regulation: for people who had residence and work authorisation, lost it less than three years ago and have no criminal record or pending expulsion order since (BM Consulting).

The sources do not agree on every detail. Legal Fournier says the integration report is required for arraigo social and that family ties are one factor in it, while BM Consulting presents ties and the report as alternatives. BM Consulting says arraigo social grants two years of residence and work, while TramitacionEx says the first grant lasts a year and can then be extended for a year or converted to an ordinary four-year permit. Ask a lawyer which version applies to your file.

What do you need for arraigo social?

Continuous stay for two years, a link or report, enough money and a clean record. Legal Fournier says the two years must be shown through a coherent documentary trail, replaces the old three-year threshold, and that the baseline means requirement for a single applicant is 100 per cent of the monthly IPREM, the public income index, at the time of filing, rising with dependants. It warns that registering on the padrón alone does not prove integration, that integration reports vary by region, with Catalonia described as stricter, and that filing under the wrong arraigo category typically leads to refusal, not reclassification.

• Proof of two years of continuous stay: padrón records, medical or school records, rental contracts, bank statements.
• A favourable integration report, or family ties, depending on your route.
• Evidence of enough means, measured against the IPREM.
• Criminal record certificates from Spain and any country you lived in for the past five years, legalised or apostilled and translated.
• The correct fee and form for your route, which you should confirm on the official portal.

Foreign documents usually need an apostille and a sworn translation. See our guides to sworn translation and to immigration lawyer costs.

What was the 2026 extraordinary regularisation, and is it still open?

It was a one-off scheme under Royal Decree 316/2026, approved by the Council of Ministers on 14 April 2026 and published in the BOE the next day, and the sources we found say it closed on 30 June 2026. The law firm ARC Legal confirms the decree's dates, which amends the 2024 regulation. Diari de Tarragona, reporting on 15 April, says it applied to people who were in Spain before 1 January 2026 with at least five months of continuous residence, and who had no criminal record or entry ban, with a fee of 38.28 euros and a one-year residence and work authorisation that can later be converted to an ordinary authorisation.

The Diari de Tarragona report is inconsistent on the end date: the subtitle says 30 July and the body says 30 June, and LegalToday, in an opinion piece by a magistrate dated 16 April 2026, gives 30 June. We found no extension, but we could not read the official text, so confirm the status with an immigration lawyer or the Ministry of Inclusion. LegalToday's author also questions the scheme's legal basis and expects challenges, which is a reminder that this area is in flux.

How do I choose a route and avoid a refusal?

Match your facts to one route before you file, because the wrong category can end in refusal, and a refusal narrows your later options, according to Legal Fournier. Work out how long you have been in Spain and whether you can prove it, whether you have a qualifying job offer or a family link, and whether you have a clean record in every country you have lived in. Get your criminal record certificates early, because they take time to obtain.

• Collect proof of continuous stay month by month.
• Decide whether a contract, training place, family link or integration report is your strongest route.
• Request criminal record certificates, apostille and translate them.
• Check with a lawyer before leaving Spain for long, because absences can affect continuity.
• Use an adviser who is registered with a Spanish bar and works in English if you need it.

Our guide to which type of lawyer you need explains how to verify a lawyer, and you can browse English-speaking immigration lawyers in Barcelona below.

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