Long-Term Residence in Spain: Five-Year Rule, EX-11 and Fees
After five years of legal residence, non-EU foreigners can swap temporary permits for a permanent one. The national and EU versions compared, step by step.
Non-EU residents can apply for long-term residence (residencia de larga duración) in Spain after five years of continuous legal residence. The application goes to the Oficina de Extranjería on form EX-11 with a €21.87 fee (790 code 052), followed by a TIE card costing another €21.87, as of November 2026. The office has three months to decide.
What is long-term residence?
It is a permanent permit: you may live and work in Spain indefinitely on the same terms as Spaniards, employed or self-employed, without renewing the permit itself. Only the card needs renewing. The immigration regulation, Real Decreto 1155/2024 (in force since 20 May 2025), offers two versions:
| Larga duración nacional | Larga duración-UE | |
|---|---|---|
| Residence needed | 5 years legal and continuous in Spain | 5 years legal and continuous in Spain |
| Income and health insurance | Not a condition of the five-year route | Stable, sufficient income and health insurance required |
| Other routes | Yes: Spanish contributory retirement or permanent disability pension, born in Spain, former Spaniards, recognized refugees and stateless people, and others | Mainly residence time; special rules for EU Blue Card holders |
| Mobility in the EU | No special rights | Easier access to residence in other EU countries under Directive 2003/109/EC |
If you meet the income and insurance conditions, the EU version gives more. If you do not, the national version is the one to request.
Which years count toward the five?
You need five years of legal residence immediately before you apply. Time on a residence permit counts in full: work, self-employment, non-lucrative, family reunification, arraigo and the other temporary permits.
Study time is treated differently. For the EU long-term permit, periods of stay for studies, student mobility, volunteering or training count at 50%, and only if you hold a residence permit when you apply. So four years as a student count as two. The national version’s article does not include that 50% rule, and the regulation treats a student stay as a stay, not residence, so ask the Oficina de Extranjería before relying on student years for the national permit.
For refugees and holders of subsidiary protection, the time from the asylum application to the grant counts in full for the EU permit.
How long can you be away?
Continuity is not broken by trips abroad within these limits, for both versions:
- Absences of up to six months at a time, adding up to no more than ten months in the five years.
- For work-related absences, up to six months at a time and 18 months in total.
- For the national version, documented force majeure and work abroad as a cooperant for registered NGOs also do not break continuity.
Keep boarding passes, passport stamps and employer letters. The office checks your residence history itself, but proof of the reason for an absence is your job.
How do you apply in Barcelona?
- Apply in the two months before your current permit expires. If you already meet the requirements while your permit is valid, you can apply earlier. Filing up to three months after expiry still keeps your permit alive, but may lead to a penalty procedure.
- Fill in form EX-11, which covers both versions, from the Ministry of Inclusion’s forms page. Tick national or EU.
- Pay the fee on form 790 code 052 (€21.87 as of November 2026).
- Gather the documents: a copy of your full, valid passport; the fee receipt; for EU long-term, proof of income and health insurance; for national long-term based on residence, school reports for children of compulsory school age. Foreign criminal record certificates may be asked for the last five years.
- File with the Oficina de Extranjería of Barcelona, online through the Mercurio platform with a digital certificate or Cl@ve, or in person with a cita previa appointment.
- Wait for the decision. If there is no answer in three months, the law treats the application as granted.
- Within one month of approval, book a police fingerprint appointment for the new TIE and pay €21.87 on form 790 code 012.
The office checks your Spanish criminal record and police report itself. Income for the EU version is measured with the same amounts used for family reunification, which are tied to the IPREM index; check the current figure with the office or on the Ministry of Inclusion’s information sheet before you apply.
How often does the card need renewing?
The permit is permanent but the TIE card is not. You renew the card after five years, then every five years until you turn 30, and every ten years after that, applying in the two months before the card expires. A late card renewal does not cancel the permit, but it can bring a fine. The process for the card itself is the one in our TIE renewal guide.
Can you lose long-term residence?
Yes. The permit ends if it was obtained by fraud, after an expulsion order, or after 12 consecutive months outside the EU (24 months for former EU Blue Card holders and their families). The EU long-term permit also ends after six years away from Spain, or when you obtain EU long-term status in another member state. A procedure exists to recover lost status, with the same €21.87 fee.
Long-term residence is a separate step from citizenship. If you plan to naturalize, see Spanish citizenship by residence, which counts years differently.
Bottom line
Count your five years from the start date on your first residence permit, not from your arrival, and subtract any study years at half value before you book anything. If your record has gaps, long absences or time on a student stay, have an abogado de extranjería check it before you file.
FAQ
Do I need to speak Spanish or pass a test?
No. Long-term residence has no language or integration exam. Those apply to citizenship, not to this permit.
Can I switch from national to EU long-term later?
The EU version has its own requirements, mainly income and health insurance, so you can apply for it once you meet them. Ask the office how your existing permit will be treated.
Is the TIE fee different for long-term residents?
Yes. The card for long-term or EU long-term residence costs €21.87 on form 790 code 012 as of November 2026, compared with €16.08 for a first temporary card.
Does a pending renewal count as legal residence?
A renewal filed on time extends your previous permit until the decision, so that time is legal residence. Keep the filing receipt as proof.
