- Requerimiento: 10 days to reply; on request they can be extended by no more than 5 days; if you do not reply, you will be treated as having withdrawn the application (desistimiento) [2].
- An electronic notification that you are required to receive this way, or chose to, is deemed rejected after 10 calendar days if you have not opened it [2].
- Appealing a refusal: 1 month for a recurso de alzada (UGE refusal) or reposición, then 2 months for the courts (contencioso-administrativo). A late appeal is dismissed as filed out of time [2][3].
- The DNV has its own time limits: a UGE decision within 20 days of electronic submission, an application for the permit from a TEL visa within 60 calendar days before the visa ends, notice of changed circumstances within 30 days [1].
What deadlines apply at the UGE and extranjería?
The UGE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos) handles applications under Ley 14/2013, including the digital nomad residence permit. Extranjería, that is, the Oficina de Extranjería at the Subdelegación del Gobierno, handles the general regime under Real Decreto 1155/2024. Some time limits are shared (administrative law), others are specific; below is what we have checked against the texts of the laws.
| What | Time limit | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| UGE decision on an application | 20 days from electronic submission, then silencio positivo | Ley 14/2013, art. 76 [1] |
| Reply to a requerimiento | 10 days, up to 5 days’ extension on request | Ley 39/2015, art. 68 [2] |
| Unopened electronic notification | 10 calendar days, then deemed rejected | Ley 39/2015, art. 43 [2] |
| Recurso de alzada against a UGE refusal | 1 month | Ley 14/2013, art. 76; Ley 39/2015, art. 122 [1][2] |
| Court challenge to a refusal | 2 months | Ley 29/1998, art. 46 [3] |
| Application for the permit from a TEL visa | within 60 calendar days before the visa ends | Ley 14/2013, art. 74 quater [1] |
| Notify the UGE of changed circumstances | 30 days | Ley 14/2013, additional provision 7 [1] |
| Apply for the TIE | 1 month | RD 1155/2024, art. 209 [4] |
| Renewal under the general regime (for example, no lucrativa) | from 2 months before expiry to 3 months after | RD 1155/2024, arts. 64 and 80 [4] |
This is the calendar set by law; the time limit in your decision or requerimiento may differ.
How are days and months counted?
Days are working days unless the law says otherwise: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays do not count, and the count starts on the day after notification [2]. A day that is a non-working day in your municipality or where the body is located does not count either [2].
Months are counted by the calendar and end on the same date: notified on 15 October, the month expires on 15 November. If the last day is a non-working day, the time limit moves to the next working day [2]. In court time limits August does not count (article 128 of Ley 29/1998) [3]; in administrative ones it normally does.
Article 76 of Ley 14/2013 says “veinte días” for the UGE without the word “hábiles”. Under the general rule these are working days, but we do not know how the UGE itself counts them [1][2].
From which day does the deadline run after notification?
From the day after the notification took place [2]. An electronic notification is deemed served when you open it in the sede or in the Dirección Electrónica Habilitada Única. If the notification is compulsory or you chose electronic notification and do not open it, after 10 calendar days it is deemed rejected, and the time limit runs anyway [2].
So you need to check your notifications inbox rather than wait for an email: the email is only a warning, and if it was not sent, the notification is still valid [2]. Notifications in the Ministry of Inclusion’s sede are accessed with the same certificado digital or Cl@ve you used to apply [5].
What pauses the authority’s deadline?
The authority’s time limit for a decision is suspended when it asks you for documents: from notification of the requerimiento until your reply or until the time limit for replying ends [2]. Your own time limits are not extended; they keep running.
If the authority is late, the rules on administrative silence come into play. For UGE applications this is positive silence (silencio positivo) [1]. Under the general regime, a different rule may apply to your case by law; look at the rule for your procedure.
What to do if you miss a deadline?
The consequences depend on the type of time limit:
- requerimiento without a reply: the application is treated as withdrawn after a separate decision [2];
- appeal after the time limit: the authority or the court dismisses it as filed out of time, and the act becomes final [2][3];
- renewal: an application within 90 days after the DNV permit ends extends its validity, but the authority may open penalty proceedings [1]; under the general regime the same rule applies to an application within three months after expiry [4];
- TIE: breaching the card obligations leads to penalties under LO 4/2000 [4].
If a time limit has already passed or is about to, show your documents to a lawyer the same day.
How do you build your personal calendar?
- Write down the submission date and the registration number from the sede receipt.
- For each notification, write down the date you opened it, not the date of the email.
- Add the time limit from the table, skipping Saturdays, Sundays and Barcelona and Madrid public holidays if it is counted in days.
- Set a reminder 3 working days before the end and keep copies of all confirmations.
How to reply to a request is covered in the article UGE requerimiento, and how to count the 20 days in how long the UGE takes to process an application. More on appeal time limits: reposición, alzada and contencioso.
Renewal time limits under the general regime and the order of documents are in the renewal route card, and DNV submission and waiting times in the DNV route card. A general overview of procedures in Barcelona is on the page Residence permit in Barcelona.
Frequently asked questions
How many days do I have to reply to a requerimiento?
What happens if I do not open an electronic notification?
When should I apply to renew the DNV?
Do Saturdays and public holidays count in time limits?
How long do I have to challenge a residence permit refusal?
Can I apply for renewal after the permit has expired?
Official sources
- BOE · Ley 14/2013, articles 62, 74 bis - 74 quater, 75, 76 and additional provision 7 ↗
- BOE · Ley 39/2015, articles 5, 14, 16, 21 - 24, 30, 40 - 43, 68, 112 - 126 ↗
- BOE · Ley 29/1998 (jurisdicción contencioso-administrativa), articles 8, 11, 14, 25, 46, 128 ↗
- BOE · Real Decreto 1155/2024 (Reglamento de extranjería), consolidated version with amendments ↗
- Ministerio de Empleo y Seguridad Social · Información sobre certificados digitales (2017 guidance note) ↗
Sources reviewed on 02.10.2026. Consolidated texts and government reference pages are for information only: applying the law depends on official publications, amendments and the specific circumstances. Reviewed by lawyer Francisco Romero Jiménez (ICAB 33641) on 21.10.2026.
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ReloVictory · Sources reviewed 02.10.2026 · Not a substitute for individual legal advice.