Arraigo in Spain · individual review

Arraigo in Spain: types, counting periods of residence and evidence

We check which type of arraigo suits you, calculate your period of residence from the documents, prepare the evidence and help you request the integration report. The rules are given under Real Decreto 1155/2024 as amended by Real Decreto 316/2026, and the 2026 Tribunal Supremo rulings.

Reviewed by: Francisco Romero Jiménez, abogado ICAB 33641, 21.10.2026

In brief

Types: 5 types of arraigo
segunda oportunidad, sociolaboral, social, socioformativo, familiar
Period: 2 years continuously in Spain
no minimum for arraigo familiar
Permit duration: 1 year
5 years for arraigo familiar
Application: From Spain, no visa
not possible while you hold a permit or have a procedure under way
Work: The permit lets you work
socioformativo: up to 30 hours a week
Temporary procedures 2026: Applications closed on 30.06.2026
the ordinary types remain

Who it suits and who it doesn’t

Arraigo, literally “putting down roots”, gives temporary residence to people who already live in Spain and are tied to it through work, family, study or a previous status. The type depends on the evidence (articles 124-127 of the Reglamento).

Fits

You have been in Spain continuously for at least two years and have no valid permit
You have a contract or contracts for at least 20 hours of work a week (sociolaboral)
You have family ties with a legal resident and sufficient means, or you qualify through the integration report route (social)
You are studying or enrolled in a course (socioformativo), or you held a residence permit in the last two years (segunda oportunidad)
You are the parent or guardian of a child who is an EU, EEA or Swiss national (familiar)

Does not fit

You are not in Spain yet: the application is filed from inside the country
You already hold a stay or residence permit, or a procedure for one is under way: this has been a bar since 16.04.2026 (article 126, letter h)
You have applied for international protection and there is no final decision yet: ordinary arraigo cannot be filed in that case (article 126)
You are counting on the temporary 2026 procedures: applications under them closed on 30.06.2026

If you are unsure about the ground, start with arraigo in plain words and the comparison of grounds in can you change the basis of your residence permit.

Types of arraigo and requirements

The general conditions are the same for every type except familiar: you are in Spain, you have lived here continuously for two years, you are not a threat to public order, you have no criminal record, you have not applied for international protection, you hold no other permit and you have paid the fee. The specific conditions define the type (article 127).

Type	What the regulation requires	What it means in practice
Segunda oportunidad	In the two years before applying you held a residence permit (not one for exceptional circumstances) that was not renewed for reasons other than public order and security	A timeline of the previous permit and the reason it was not renewed. Segunda oportunidad explained
Sociolaboral	One or more contracts paying at least the minimum wage (or the collective agreement rate), totalling at least 20 hours a week	The employer must meet the requirements of article 74, except the labour market test. Sociolaboral explained
Social	Relatives with a residence permit (spouse, registered partner, parent or child) and means of at least 100% of IPREM available in Spain. Without such ties, your efforts to integrate are assessed	The route without relatives requires an integration report. Arraigo social explained
Socioformativo	You are enrolled in training from the regulation’s list, or you have committed to an employment service course for a shortage occupation, plus an integration report	Proof of enrolment is required within three months of the decision. Socioformativo explained
Familiar	Parent or guardian of a minor who is an EU, EEA or Swiss national (or a person who supports someone with a disability), living with them or meeting obligations towards them	Two years of residence are not required, and the permit is for five years. Arraigo familiar explained

Overview of the types: arraigo in Spain: types and current conditions.

How the two years are counted

The regulation requires continuous presence in Spain for at least two years before you apply and does not define how long trips abroad may be. Time spent on an international protection application before a final decision does not count towards the two years. We build a timeline of entry and exit dates, addresses and past procedures from documents, not from memory, because a single padrón certificate rarely shows the full story. Details: how long you need to live here and which periods count.

Proof of residence

The law gives no closed list. The Generalitat names the historical padrón certificate (volante de empadronamiento histórico) and other acceptable documents. What works is the overall picture: the more independent proof for each month, the better. A typical set:

Historical padrón certificate: volante de empadronamiento in Barcelona
Medical records, doctor’s appointments, school and course documents
Bank statements, rental contracts, utility bills, transfers
Tickets, passport stamps, correspondence with public bodies, earlier contracts

How to put them into a timeline: proof of residence for arraigo. Criminal record certificates are requested from the countries where you lived in the five years before entering Spain. If you have lived in Spain continuously for all five years, a certificate from a third country is not needed (article 130). More: Spanish criminal record certificate (antecedentes penales).

Informe de integración in Catalonia

The integration report is mandatory for socioformativo, and for social it is needed if you have no qualifying family ties. It confirms how long you have lived at your address, your means and your efforts to integrate: programmes, courses, language skills. In Catalonia it is issued by the Generalitat, and the request is usually made at the ajuntament where you are registered. The regulation sets a one-month deadline; the Generalitat’s page says up to 30 working days. If the report is not issued on time, you prove this and other evidence is accepted. Procedure: informe de integración in Catalonia.

Step-by-step application

Timeline and type. We list dates, addresses and past procedures, choose the type and check the general conditions, including the bar on applying while you hold a status.
Evidence and certificates. We order the historical padrón, criminal record certificates and the documents for your type: contract, report, proof of enrolment.
File check. For each document we state what it proves. Anything superfluous is removed.
Filing. Under article 130.1 the foreign national must file the application in person; a representative is allowed only for minors and for people who need support to carry out legal acts. The Tribunal Supremo struck down the mandatory electronic filing in article 197.2 in judgments of 8 and 29 July 2026, so we confirm the filing method before applying. If documents are incomplete, the authority sends the file back for correction (up to 15 days).
After the decision. TIE card within a month. With sociolaboral, the permit takes effect once you are registered with social security within a month of notification.
Renewal. Two months before expiry or within three months after.

Processing times and validity

What	Period
Permit	One year, five years for arraigo familiar
Work	The permit lets you work as an employee and as self-employed. Socioformativo is limited to 30 hours a week. With sociolaboral you may work from the moment the application is admitted for processing
Integration report	One month under the regulation, up to 30 working days according to the Generalitat
Correcting deficiencies	Up to 15 days, otherwise the file is closed
Renewal	For segunda oportunidad, sociolaboral and social you need to be registered as a jobseeker; exceptions are illness, disability and retirement age. For socioformativo, progression to the second year or a diploma
The authority’s decision	The Reglamento sets no decision deadline for arraigo. The ministry’s information sheet (Hoja 28, arraigo social) gives three months and allows refusal by silence (silencio negativo); we check this before filing. See silencio positivo

We do not control response times or queues.

Common mistakes

Counting the two years from the first padrón registration. Your registration may show a later start than your actual residence, or the other way round.
Applying while holding a status or with a procedure under way. Since 16.04.2026 this breaches a general requirement. Do not drop another case without a legal assessment. On the consequences of closing a previous case: desistimiento and caducidad.
A contract without the required hours and pay. You need 20 hours a week and pay of at least the minimum wage or the collective agreement rate.
Criminal record certificate from the wrong countries. The countries and years are set by the five years before you entered Spain.
The integration report was requested late. Request it early: it can take a month or more to be issued.
Confusing it with the temporary 2026 procedures. They closed on 30.06.2026.
Enrolment not confirmed under socioformativo. It must be proved within three months of the decision, otherwise the permit ends.

How we work and what is paid separately

Case handling: from €726 incl. IVA. All prices.

First consultation: 15 minutes free. Full individual consultation: €121 for 45 minutes. After that we price the work individually and draw up an estimate, which you sign before we start. Advance payment: 50% before work begins and 50% before filing. Government fees and translations are paid separately. We handle the case until the authority decides. Corrections in response to requests and a resubmission are included in the price; an appeal is not. We do not promise approval and are not responsible for how long public bodies take to reply: the decision is made by a government authority.

We put together the timeline, choose the type and check the file. Because under article 130.1 the application is filed in person, we prepare the package and go with you when you file, and we prepare replies to the authority’s requests together with you. If your history is complicated (earlier refusals, overlapping procedures), you need an individual review before filing.

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Frequently asked questions

What is arraigo and how many types are there?

It is temporary residence based on ties you have built in Spain. The regulation names five types: segunda oportunidad, sociolaboral, social, socioformativo and familiar (article 125).

How long do you need to have lived in Spain?

At least two continuous years before filing. Arraigo familiar has no minimum. Time spent on an international protection application before a final decision does not count.

How do you prove two years of residence?

With a set of documents: historical padrón certificate, medical and school records, bank statements, rental contracts, tickets. A single document rarely settles it.

What is the informe de integración and where do you get it?

It is a report on your efforts to integrate. In Catalonia it is issued by the Generalitat, and the request is usually made at the ajuntament where you are registered. You need it for socioformativo and for social without family ties.

Can you apply for arraigo while holding a valid permit?

No. Article 126, as amended by Real Decreto 316/2026, does not allow an application if you hold a stay or residence permit or a procedure for one is under way. What to do about your status is something we work out at the consultation.

Can you work while the application is being processed?

With sociolaboral, yes, from the moment the application is admitted for processing. In other cases the right to work comes with the permit once it is granted.

How long is arraigo granted for and how is it renewed?

For a year, or five years for familiar. Renewal is filed two months before expiry. For some types, registration as a jobseeker or progress in your studies is checked.

Is the extraordinary 2026 arraigo still open?

Applications under the two temporary procedures closed on 30.06.2026. Applications filed on time are being processed; no new ones are accepted. The ordinary types remain.

Do you need a criminal record certificate?

Yes, from the countries where you lived in the last five years before entering Spain. If you have lived in Spain continuously for all five years, a certificate from a third country is not needed. The authority runs the Spanish check itself.

Sources

Checked on 03.10.2026. Consolidated BOE texts are for reference only. This material is for information and does not replace an individual consultation with a lawyer or a tax and administrative specialist (graduada social).

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