Arraigo in Spain: The Five Types, the Two-Year Rule and How to Apply
Arraigo lets foreigners already living in Spain obtain residence through work, family, training or past residence. The 2025 regulation changed the rules; this is how they work in Barcelona.
Arraigo is the Spanish residence permit for foreigners who are already in Spain, usually without papers, and can show ties to the country. Under the immigration regulation in force since 20 May 2025, most types need two years of continuous stay, a clean criminal record and a €38.28 fee (form 790 code 052) as of November 2026.
What are the five types of arraigo?
Article 125 of Real Decreto 1155/2024, the immigration regulation, lists five routes. Each one has the general requirements below plus its own condition.
| Type | Specific requirement | Permit length |
|---|---|---|
| Segunda oportunidad (second chance) | You held a residence permit in the previous two years, not one for exceptional circumstances, and it was not renewed for reasons other than public order, security or health | 1 year |
| Sociolaboral (job offer) | One or more signed job contracts paying at least the minimum wage or the collective agreement wage, adding up to at least 20 hours a week | 1 year |
| Social (family or integration) | Close family ties with foreign residents plus means of at least 100% of the IPREM index, or a favorable integration report | 1 year |
| Socioformativo (training) | Enrollment in qualifying training, such as official vocational courses, or a commitment to public employment service training, plus an integration report | 1 year |
| Familiar (family of an EU citizen) | Parent or guardian of a minor who is an EU, EEA or Swiss national, or a relative supporting an EU, EEA or Swiss national with a disability | 5 years |
For arraigo sociolaboral, several contracts are accepted for seasonal work or for part-time jobs with different employers at the same time. The employer must also meet the conditions for employers in article 74 of the regulation, which the office checks.
For arraigo social, the family ties that count are a spouse or registered partner and first-degree direct relatives who hold residence permits. The money must be available in Spain and can come from those relatives. Without such family ties, the office looks at your integration effort instead, proved by a report from the Generalitat or, where the Generalitat has delegated it, from your city council. The report must be issued within one month of your request.
How long do you need to have lived in Spain?
All types except arraigo familiar require two years of continuous presence in Spain immediately before you apply. The current rules have applied since 20 May 2025. Time spent as an asylum applicant does not count until the asylum case has a final decision.
There are other general conditions. You cannot be an asylum applicant when you file, you must not hold any stay or residence permit, and since 16 April 2026 you cannot be a party to another pending residence procedure. You also need no criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you lived during the five years before you entered Spain.
Any valid evidence can prove your time here. Dated records such as your padrón registration history, medical appointments, school enrollment or bank statements all help, so keep them from the day you arrive.
What happened to the 2026 extraordinary arraigo?
Real Decreto 316/2026 added a one-off arraigo extraordinario for people who were in Spain before 1 January 2026 and had stayed at least five months. It required work or a job offer, family living with you in Spain, or a certified situation of vulnerability. Applications closed on 30 June 2026. If you missed it, the ordinary arraigo types above are the route that remains open as of November 2026.
Which documents do you need?
- A copy of your whole passport (every page), valid, or another travel document recognized in Spain.
- Criminal record certificates from every country where you lived in the five years before entering Spain. You can skip them if you have lived in Spain continuously for the last five years. The office checks your Spanish record itself.
- The document for your type: the signed job contract, proof of family ties and means, the integration report, the course enrollment or the documents on your EU family member.
- The completed application form and the receipt for the fee on form 790 code 052.
Foreign documents may need legalization or an apostille and an official translation into Spanish. The official information sheet for your type says which, so read it before you pay for translations.
Where do you apply in Barcelona?
Arraigo applications go to the Oficina de Extranjería of the Government Delegation in Barcelona. The regulation says personal filing can be done in person or online.
- Pay the fee on form 790 code 052, generated on the government’s tax forms page.
- Book an appointment for the arraigo procedure on the cita previa de extranjería service, province of Barcelona, or file online through the Mercurio platform with a digital certificate or Cl@ve.
- File the application with all documents. If anything is missing, the office gives you up to 15 days to fix it, or the case is closed.
- Wait for the decision. The general legal maximum is three months; without a reply in that time, the application can be treated as refused.
A lawyer or gestor can file for you if the power of attorney is notarized or registered online as an apud acta authorization. Our guide to digital certificates and Cl@ve explains the online route.
What happens after approval?
For arraigo sociolaboral, you may live and work for the employer provisionally from the moment the application is admitted until the decision. Once approved, the permit only takes effect when you are registered with Social Security within one month of the notification.
Every arraigo permit except the training one includes the right to work, employed or self-employed, anywhere in Spain. Arraigo socioformativo allows employed work of up to 30 hours a week. Within one month of approval you must request your card at a police fingerprint appointment; see how to book the TIE appointment in Barcelona.
The one-year permits can be extended for a year if you apply in the two months before expiry. For the second chance, sociolaboral and social types, the extension requires active job seeking and registration with the public employment service, unless illness, disability or retirement age prevents work. The extension fee is €16.40 as of November 2026.
Bottom line
Start building a paper trail of your presence in Spain now, and request foreign criminal record certificates early, because they often take longer than anything else. Immigration cases with past refusals, expulsion orders or criminal records need individual advice from an abogado de extranjería before you file.
FAQ
Can I apply for arraigo while my asylum claim is pending?
No. You must not be an asylum applicant when you file or while the arraigo case is processed, and the time spent waiting for an asylum decision does not count toward the two years.
Can I work while my arraigo application is processed?
Only with arraigo sociolaboral, which gives a provisional right to work for the employer once the application is admitted. The other types give work rights only after approval.
How much does arraigo cost in total?
As of November 2026, the application fee is €38.28, a one-year extension costs €16.40 and the first TIE card costs €16.08. Translations, certificates and any lawyer’s fees come on top.
