Arraigo social in Spain: family ties, informe and financial means

What arraigo social is and who it suits

Arraigo social is one of five types of arraigo, that is, a temporary residence permit on exceptional grounds for people who are already in Spain. The rules are set out in Articles 124-127 and 130-132 of the Reglamento (Real Decreto 1155/2024) [1]. An overview of all types: types of arraigo in Spain.

This type is chosen when you have no previous permit (segunda oportunidad), no contract for 20 hours a week (sociolaboral) and no training programme (socioformativo), but you do have either a resident family or a history of living in Spain that the autonomous community will confirm. It lets you work both as an employee and as self-employed, with no limit on hours [1].

General requirements checked before the specific ones

Before looking at family and money, the Oficina de Extranjería checks the general conditions of Article 126 [1]. You are in Spain and are not applying for international protection. You have lived in Spain without interruption for the two years before applying: the ministry reads this as absences of no more than 90 days in two years [3][4]. The full list of general conditions, including criminal records and the fee, is in the overview of types of arraigo. Note point h separately: from 16 April 2026 you cannot apply while you hold a valid stay or residence permit or while a procedure for such a permit is under way [2]. How to count the two years: how many years you need to live in Spain for arraigo.

A good informe or a well-off relative does not replace these conditions. If you do not have the two years, or gaps in your stay are not covered by documents, the specific part will not help. Article 127.c is not affected by the Tribunal Supremo judgments of 8 and 29 July 2026 [7].

Two routes: resident family members or informe de integración

Article 127.c provides two grounds [1][4]. Both require funds; they differ in how you prove the connection.

The relative must be a foreign national who holds a residence permit. If your relative is a Spanish citizen, a different regime applies (Article 94 of the Reglamento), not arraigo social [1]. If you need a registered partnership, in Catalonia this is a pareja de hecho.

How to calculate financial means: 100% IPREM and 200% IPREM

IPREM (the index used for social benefits, not the same as the minimum wage) in 2026 is €20 a day, €600 a month and €7,200 a year [5]. The Reglamento refers to 100% of IPREM; Instruction SEM 1/2025 and the ministry’s information sheet give 200% for the family route: 100% for the relative with whom you prove the tie and 100% for the applicant, regardless of the number of family members [1][3][4].

Neither the Reglamento nor the ministry’s sheet states the period these percentages refer to (a month, a year, the validity of the permit). The instruction only points to the rules of Article 67.1 for family reunification: income is counted at its full amount including the proportional share of extra payments, and self-employment income at its net result [4][1]. What amount the Barcelona Oficina de Extranjería accepts in practice needs to be checked before you apply.

Two caveats. The funds must be available in Spain and remain so throughout the validity of the permit [4]. If the money comes from self-employment, you need to meet the conditions of Article 84 and attach, for example, a declaration of start of activity or a list of licences, documents on your qualifications and proof that the investment is sufficient [1][3].

Which documents to submit

List according to the ministry’s information sheet [3]:

• form EX-10, signed by the applicant;
• a full copy of your valid passport;
• proof of two years in Spain: padrón, visits to the public health service, any municipal, regional or state documents with your details [3]. What to collect and how: proof of residence;
• a criminal record certificate from the countries where you lived for the five years before entering Spain [3];
• for the family route: marriage or partnership registration certificates (recent) and birth certificates; for the informe route: the informe itself [3];
• proof of funds and, for self-employment, the Article 84 documents [3].

Foreign public documents need an apostille or legalisation and a sworn translation [3][6]. Fee: modelo 790, código 052, item 2.3.1. If you apply online, it is paid at the moment of filing (Orden PJC/617/2025, Article 2.3); the ten working days and the 15 days to send a copy with the NRC apply to in-person filing (Articles 2.5 and 2.2) [3][8]. If you live with your relative, you can prove that you live together with a padrón certificate listing the household members: registration certificate in Barcelona.

Informe de integración in Catalonia

The informe de integración social is an official report issued by the authorities of the autonomous community where you live, or by the local authority only where the autonomous community has decided so and informed the ministry [1]. It is a document from a public authority, not a reference from a centre, school or agency. It records the length of your stay, your funds and your integration efforts through programmes and courses [1].

Under the Reglamento it must be issued within one month. If the report is not issued on time and you can prove this, the requirement can be met by any admissible means [1]. How to apply in Catalonia, the documents, the report’s validity and its cost are covered in the article informe de integración in Catalonia. Do not pay for services promising a “guaranteed report”: the decision is made by the competent authority.

Applying step by step

1. Check the general conditions: two years and no other permit or procedure [1][2].
2. Choose your route, family or informe, and calculate the funds.
3. Order criminal record certificates with an apostille and a sworn translation. If you take the informe route, request it from the Generalitat in advance.
4. File the EX-10 at the Oficina de Extranjería of your province. Under Article 130.1 the application is filed by the foreign national personally; filing through a representative is possible under Article 197.4 (a notarised power of attorney or an apud acta in the electronic register, or through parties to a convenio or the Registro de Colaboradores). Whether this kind of filing is needed in your case is decided by the team’s lawyer [1]. The ministry also mentions the Mercurio online channel [3].
5. Pay the fee: at the moment of filing if you apply through Mercurio, within ten working days if you apply in person [8]. If you receive a requerimiento, reply within 15 days, otherwise the application will be closed [1][3].
6. The Reglamento does not set a deadline for the decision; the ministry’s information sheets give three months and treat silence as refusal [3]. After approval, you apply for the TIE in person within a month [1][3].

What happens after the first year

The permit is valid for a year. You can renew it in the window from two months before it expires to three months after; applying keeps the old permit valid until the decision [1]. The condition for arraigo social: actively looking for work and being registered with the employment service, except in cases of illness, disability or retirement age [1][2]. A second option is a change of status under Article 191, if you meet its conditions [1]. The general scheme for all types: types of arraigo in Spain.

Common mistakes

• Treating any relative as a qualifying relative. It has to be a spouse, registered partner, parents or children, all holding a residence permit [1].
• Showing money held outside Spain. The funds must be available here [1][4].
• Mixing up 100% and 200%. For the family route the ministry counts the amount for two people [3][4].
• Asking an “agency” for the informe. You need a document from the autonomous community’s authority [1].
• Applying while a study permit renewal is in progress. This is an obstacle under point h [2].
• Hiding a gap in the padrón. Gaps are covered with other documents, not by altering dates [3].
• Relying on descriptions from before 2026. They do not cover point h or the amended Article 127.c [2].

When you need an individual review

When the resident relative is in fact under a different legal regime (a Spanish or EU citizen, a beneficiary of temporary protection), when the funds come from abroad or from self-employment, when you have had absences of more than 90 days, a previous application for protection or expulsion proceedings. Here you need a lawyer and your documents: an article cannot replace that.

How we can help

The ReloVictory team in Barcelona checks your tie with the resident relative or the informe conditions, calculates the funds under Article 127.c and gathers proof of the two years. The first 15 minutes of the conversation are free; after that we work to a quote, fees and translations are paid separately, and we are not responsible for the authorities’ processing times. You can book through the consultation form. The steps: arraigo route card, the arraigo section, the residence permit in Barcelona page.

Frequently asked questions

Related articles

ReloVictory · Sources reviewed 02.10.2026 · Not a substitute for individual legal advice.