Legalisation and residence in Spain

How to get or renew your residence: arraigo, residence and work, family reunification, long-term residence, temporary protection and more. Each route with its requirements and a link to the official rule.

• Agreement between the Ministerio del Interior and ACNUR on the asylum procedure in Spain Agreement between Spain's Interior Ministry and UNHCR supporting the asylum procedure (interpretation, technical assistance). Institutional cooperation, not an individual service.
• Resolution 3-06-2026 SEM — instructions to authorize temporary residence of Sahrawi minors (Programme «Vacaciones en Paz 2026») The 3-06-2026 SEM Resolution publishes the Council of Ministers Agreement (2-06-2026) setting the procedure to authorize temporary residence of Sahrawi minors and monitors under the Vacaciones en Paz 2026 programme.
• Arraigo familiar in Spain: who qualifies after RD 1155/2024 (Hoja 31) Arraigo familiar 2026: only for parents/guardians of an EU/EEA/Swiss minor and carers of an EU person with a disability. No minimum stay. Requirements and documents.
• Arraigo de segunda oportunidad: if you had papers and could not renew them (Hoja 27) Arraigo de segunda oportunidad 2026: for people who held (non-exceptional) residence in the previous 2 years and could not renew it. Requirements, documents (EX-10), deadlines.
• Arraigo social in Spain: requirements, integration report and documents (Hoja 28) Arraigo social 2026: 2 years in Spain + family ties with 200% IPREM or a social-integration report. Requirements, documents (EX-10, fee 790-052) and deadlines.
• Arraigo socioformativo in Spain: regularising through study (Hoja 30) Arraigo socioformativo 2026: 2 years in Spain + enrolment in regulated training or a SEPE training commitment + integration report. Requirements, documents and deadlines.
• Arraigo sociolaboral in Spain: requirements, work contract and documents (Hoja 29) Arraigo sociolaboral 2026: 2 years in Spain + work contract(s) of ≥20 h/week at minimum wage. Requirements, documents (EX-10, fee 790-052), deadlines and renewal.
• Arraigo in Spain: types and requirements under the new Immigration Regulation (RD 1155/2024) Arraigo in Spain after RD 1155/2024: the five types (social, socio-labour, socio-training, family, second-chance) and the requirements of each. Common requirement: 2 years in Spain.
• How to apply for international protection (asylum) in Spain (Ley 12/2009) How to apply for asylum or subsidiary protection in Spain: where to apply (border, police, immigration office), the red card, protection from expulsion and healthcare. Law 12/2009.
• New asylum procedures in Spain under the EU Pact: timelines, rights and how applications are processed from 12 June 2026 From 12 June 2026 new asylum procedures apply in Spain (EU Regulations 2024/1348 and 2024/1351): border procedure timelines (4 days / 12 weeks), accelerated and ordinary procedures, free legal aid guaranteed.
• Appealing an asylum refusal: what changes under the EU Pact from 12 June 2026 (administrative review no longer interrupts the judicial deadline) From 12 June 2026, an administrative review in international protection does not interrupt the European judicial deadline. You have direct access to courts without exhausting the administrative route. Instruction BOE-A-2026-12856.
• International teleworker (digital nomad) residence permit / visa — requirements Requirements for Spain's international teleworker (digital nomad) visa and residence permit under Ley 14/2013: economic means of 200% of the SMI (≈€2,850/month holder, +75% for the first family member), health insurance, criminal record, online filing with the UGE-CE and a 3-year permit.
• Temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine extended until 4 March 2028 (EU Decision 2026/1912) EU Decision 2026/1912 extends temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine until 4 March 2028. New condition on military obligations applies to new applicants only.
• Does your document count as an official 'residence permit' for travel in Europe? The updated official list The EU Official Journal updated (10.07.2026) the list of Spanish documents recognised as a 'residence permit' for Schengen travel: TIE, EU family card, student card, Ukraine temporary protection and Gibraltar documents.
• Correction of Decision 2026/1912 — Temporary Protection Extension for Ukrainians Technical correction in the extension of temporary protection for Ukrainians through March 2027. Dates adjusted for administrative error. Protection validity unchanged.
• Student stay in Spain (RD 1155/2024): requirements and student work Student stay authorisation in Spain (RD 1155/2024): admission to an official centre, financial means and health insurance. Allows working up to 30 h/week in higher studies.
• Joint instruction: expired Belarusian passports accepted for immigration procedures in Spain Joint instruction (19 Jan 2026) DG Migration and Immigration Police: Belarusian nationals in Spain may use expired passports for immigration procedures while extraordinary circumstances persist.
• Instructions SEM 1/2026: transition from humanitarian authorisation (Art.128.1.a) to residence and work permit Instructions SEM 1/2026: holders of humanitarian residence authorisation (Art.128.1.a RD 1155/2024) may request modification to a 4-year residence and work permit, without a visa requirement.
• SEM Instructions 2/2026: moving from temporary protection (Ukraine) to an ordinary residence authorisation SEM Instruction 2/2026 opens the transition from Ukraine temporary protection to ordinary authorisations (residence & work, arraigo, long-term). Time under temporary protection counts. It is not automatic: you must apply.
• Instructions SEM 4/2025: social integration report (informe de arraigo) under RD 1155/2024 — who issues it, what it contains, deadlines Instructions SEM 4/2025: the social integration report (informe de arraigo) for social and socio-educational rootedness under RD 1155/2024. Issued by regional/local authority in up to 1 month, free, valid 6 months.
• Legalisation in Spain 2026: how to regularise your status if you're undocumented Legalisation in Spain 2026: current routes to regularise your status if undocumented — arraigo (open year-round) and what happened to the RD 316/2026 deadline.
• Spanish nationality by residence: terms (10/5/2/1 years), exams and procedure Spanish nationality by residence: 10 years general, 2 for Ibero-Americans, 1 if married to a Spaniard, 5 for refugees. CCSE and DELE A2 exams. Filed with the Ministry of Justice.
• Order INT/846/2026 — Border Controls Restoration with Italy Spain reinstated border controls with Italy due to migration pressure. Valid 8 Aug–7 Sep 2026. Inspections at ports and airports.
• Orden INT/96/2026 — automatic extension of TIE cards for Temporary Protection beneficiaries from the Ukraine conflict (until 4 March 2027) Order INT/96/2026 automatically extends Foreigner Identity Cards (TIE) issued to beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from the Ukraine conflict until 4 March 2027. No card renewal required.
• Temporary Protection for people displaced from Ukraine: how to apply How to apply for Temporary Protection in Spain as a person displaced from Ukraine: where to go (CREADE and National Police), what documents to bring and what it grants.
• Real Decreto 316/2026 — extraordinary regularisation: APPLICATION WINDOW CLOSED on 30 June 2026 The RD 316/2026 extraordinary regularisation window CLOSED on 30 June 2026 and has not been extended. New applications are no longer accepted. Those who applied in time continue their procedure. Alternatives: ordinary arraigo under RD 1155/2024.
• Family reunification under RD 1155/2024: who can reunify and requirements Family reunification in Spain (RD 1155/2024): a resident may bring spouse/partner, children and parents over 65. Requires income (150% IPREM) and adequate housing.
• What to do after a denial or administrative silence in immigration matters (appeals, recursos) If your immigration application is denied or unanswered: silence is usually negative. You can file an appeal (recurso de reposición, 1 month) or go to court (2 months). Law 39/2015.
• Orden ISM/164/2026 — Electronic Registry of Immigration Collaborators (Colaboradores de Extranjería) Spain's Registry of Immigration Collaborators lets unions and NGOs file immigration procedures electronically on behalf of foreigners, often for free — an alternative to a private gestor.
• Corrigendum — Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2055 on asylum and migration management (Dublin system) Corrigendum to EU Implementing Regulation 2025/2055 on asylum and migration management: terminological corrections to Dublin transfer forms and readmission procedures. Published OJEU 11 June 2026.
• Renewal of residence permits: when to apply and positive administrative silence How to renew your residence permit in Spain: apply before expiry (a later window is also allowed). In renewals, administrative silence is usually positive. You can keep working while it is decided.
• Temporary residence of a family member of a Spanish citizen (RD 1155/2024, Ch. VII) Residence of a family member of a Spanish citizen (RD 1155/2024, Ch. VII, arts. 93-97): spouse, partner, children up to 26, dependent parents. Form EX-24. Not the same as reunification or EU-citizen family.
• Long-term residence (larga duración): 5 years of legal residence (RD 1155/2024, arts. 175-189) Long-term residence in Spain: after 5 years of continuous legal residence. Allows indefinite residence and work. Regulated by RD 1155/2024 (arts. 175-189).
• Non-lucrative temporary residence (without working) — RD 1155/2024 Non-lucrative temporary residence in Spain (RD 1155/2024): living without working by proving financial means (400% IPREM) and health insurance. Visa at the consulate, TIE within 1 month.
• Temporary residence and self-employment (autónomo) in Spain (RD 1155/2024) Initial residence-and-work permit as self-employed (autónomo) in Spain (RD 1155/2024, arts. 82-87): requirements, business project, investment, form EX-07, 3-month decision.
• Residence and work as an employee (cuenta ajena) and self-employed (cuenta propia) (RD 1155/2024) Initial work-and-residence permit in Spain (RD 1155/2024): employed (with a contract) or self-employed (viable project). Decision within 3 months.
• Residence card for a family member of an EU citizen (régimen comunitario, RD 240/2007) EU regime (RD 240/2007): family of EU/EEA/Swiss citizens get the EU family member residence card, on more favourable terms. Issued within 3 months.
• Types of Spanish residency: guide to every route (visa, TIE, and which one fits you) Types of Spanish residency: non-lucrative, work, study, family, arraigo, asylum. Difference between visa, NIE and TIE (residency card), with a guide to each route.
• Spain's Supreme Court strikes down several parts of the Immigration Regulation (RD 1155/2024), but upholds its overall structure Spain's Supreme Court annuls parts of the Immigration Regulation (RD 1155/2024): child protection, criminal-record rules, temp work agencies and mandatory online filing. The regulation's general structure stays in force (CGPJ notice, 13 July 2026).
• Spain's Supreme Court weighs asking the EU Court of Justice about Royal Decree 316/2026 on regularisation Spain's Supreme Court gives parties 5 days to weigh in on a possible EU Court referral over Royal Decree 316/2026. The decree remains in force; nothing changes yet for applicants.
• Spain's Supreme Court refuses to suspend Royal Decree 316/2026 and declines an EU Court referral for now Spain's Supreme Court refuses to suspend Royal Decree 316/2026 on regularisation and declines an EU Court referral for now; the decree remains in force (8 July 2026).

General information, not individual legal advice. Check the official source and consult a professional for your case.