Arraigo in Spain: Exceptional Residence Permits

Arraigo: exceptional residence permits to regularise your status

Spain's immigration system includes a group of exceptional residence permits known as arraigo. These authorisations are designed for non-EU nationals who are already living in Spain without legal residence but have built strong personal, family, social or professional ties to the country.

Arraigo permits are powerful tools to stabilise your life in Spain: they allow you to obtain residence (usually with permission to work) when you can show a combination of time in Spain, integration, family relationships, training or real employment.

There are currently five main types of arraigo:

• Family Arraigo.
• Social Arraigo.
• Socio-Formative Arraigo.
• Socio-Labour Arraigo.
• Second-Chance Arraigo.

At NomadTaxSpain, we analyse your situation across all five options and build the strongest possible route to regularise your status.

1. Family Arraigo (Arraigo Familiar)

Family Arraigo is focused on protecting family life and the best interests of minors. It usually grants a temporary residence permit of up to 5 years, commonly with permission to work.

Who can apply?

This route is available to, among others:

• Parents or legal guardians of Spanish or EU minor children living in Spain.
• Persons providing legal support to a Spanish or EU national with a recognised disability.
• Children of a Spanish national of origin (including certain cases of adult children).
• Spouses, registered partners, ascendants or descendants of a Spanish citizen when dependency or cohabitation is proved.
• Other exceptional family situations specifically recognised by immigration law.

Key requirements

• Applicant must be physically in Spain.
• Proof of the family relationship and, where applicable, cohabitation or dependency.
• No criminal record in Spain or abroad in recent years.
• No Schengen entry bans or non-return obligations.
• Payment of the administrative fee (Modelo 790-052).

No minimum years of residence in Spain and no proof of economic means are required for Family Arraigo.

Typical documentation

• Full passport.
• Birth, marriage or partnership certificates proving the family link.
• Empadronamiento or similar documents showing cohabitation.
• Evidence of parental responsibility or support for a Spanish/EU national.
• Criminal record certificates, if required.
• Proof of fee payment.

2. Social Arraigo (Arraigo Social)

Social Arraigo is one of the most widely used regularisation routes. It grants a 1-year residence permit that can be renewed or modified into a standard work permit.

Who can apply?

• People who have lived in Spain for at least 3 years continuously.
• Applicants with absences of no more than 120 days in total during those 3 years.
• Individuals who can show social integration either through:
  • Close family links with legal residents, or
  • A favourable social-integration report issued by social services.

Key requirements

• 3 years of continuous residence in Spain.
• No criminal record.
• One of the following:
  • A job offer of at least 1 year meeting salary and working hours requirements, or
  • A viable self-employment project, or
  • Sufficient financial resources of your own (for example, savings or external support).
• No Schengen bans or non-return obligations.
• Payment of fee 790-052.

Typical documentation

• Passport and full travel history.
• Historic empadronamiento covering the 3-year period.
• Criminal record certificates.
• Proof of family links in Spain, where relevant (residence cards, civil registry certificates, etc.).
• Employment contract, self-employment business plan or financial evidence, depending on the route.
• Integration report (if required by the province).

3. Socio-Formative Arraigo (Arraigo Socioformativo)

This type of arraigo focuses on integration through official training. It grants a 1-year residence permit linked to enrolment in a recognised vocational or professional programme.

Who can apply?

• People who have lived 2 years continuously in Spain, with absences of no more than 90 days.
• Applicants enrolled in, pre-admitted to or committed to enrolling in official training connected with shortage occupations or recognised professional pathways.
• In some cases, former asylum applicants whose claim has been rejected, under specific transitional rules.

Key requirements

• 2 years of continuous residence in Spain.
• No criminal record.
• No Schengen bans.
• Proof of enrolment, pre-enrolment or a firm commitment to register in an approved training programme.
• A positive social-integration report in provinces where it is required.
• Payment of the administrative fee.

Typical documentation

• Passport and full travel history.
• Historic empadronamiento for the 2-year period.
• Criminal record certificates.
• Pre-enrolment, admission letter or documentation proving imminent enrolment in an official training programme.
• Integration report, where required.
• Proof of fee payment.

If you do not provide confirmation of enrolment within the legal deadline (typically 3 months), the authorisation can be terminated.

4. Socio-Labour Arraigo (Arraigo Sociolaboral)

Socio-Labour Arraigo recognises real work carried out while you were in Spain. It grants a 1-year residence and work permit that normally allows employment in any sector and anywhere in Spain.

Who can apply?

• People who have lived 2 years continuously in Spain, with absences of no more than 90 days.
• Individuals who can prove effective employment in Spain through contracts, Social Security records, salary slips or court or labour-inspection decisions.

Key requirements

• 2 years of continuous residence.
• No criminal record.
• Evidence of real employment, usually with:
  • Contracts totalling at least 20 hours per week, meeting minimum wage or sector-agreement salary.
  • Combination of contracts is possible (for example, seasonal or multiple employers).
• Employers must be fully compliant with labour, tax and Social Security obligations.
• Payment of the administrative fee.

Typical documentation

• Passport and historic empadronamiento.
• Criminal record certificates.
• Social Security history (vida laboral), contracts and payslips.
• Employer documentation proving solvency and compliance.
• Proof of fee payment.

5. Second-Chance Arraigo (Arraigo de Segunda Oportunidad)

Second-Chance Arraigo is a newer route aimed at people who previously had legal residence in Spain but lost it for reasons beyond their control, such as economic hardship, administrative delays or force majeure.

It normally grants a 1-year residence permit, often used as a bridge back to ordinary or long-term residence.

Who can apply?

• People who held an ordinary residence permit (not arraigo-based) within the last 2 years.
• Applicants who became irregular for reasons not related to public order, national security, public health or serious immigration offences.
• Individuals who lost residence due to circumstances such as job loss, inability to renew on time, or serious family/personal events.

Key requirements

• Applicant must be in Spain when applying.
• Proof of a previous ordinary residence permit within the past 2 years.
• Evidence that loss of residence was not due to serious violations of immigration or public-order rules.
• No criminal record.
• No Schengen bans.
• Payment of fee 790-052.

Typical documentation

• Passport and historic empadronamiento.
• Criminal record certificates.
• Copies of the former residence card and immigration resolutions.
• Documents explaining the real cause of the loss of residence (dismissal letters, renewal refusals, medical or social reports, etc.).
• Any evidence of integration: employment history, training, community involvement.
• Proof of fee payment.

This route is very sensitive to the quality of evidence explaining why residence was lost, so careful document strategy is essential.

Comparison of the five types of Arraigo

Each type of arraigo focuses on a different core element of your situation in Spain:

• Family Arraigo: based on protected family relationships with Spanish or EU nationals. No minimum years in Spain and usually no need for a job offer.
• Social Arraigo: requires 3 years in Spain and social integration, together with a job offer, self-employment project or sufficient resources.
• Socio-Formative Arraigo: 2 years in Spain and a commitment to official professional or vocational training.
• Socio-Labour Arraigo: 2 years in Spain and proof of real employment under Spanish labour law.
• Second-Chance Arraigo: for those who had a residence permit in the last 2 years and lost it for reasons beyond their control.

In practice, it is common to be potentially eligible for more than one type. We analyse each option and select the route that offers the strongest legal basis and the best prospects for renewal or transition to long-term residence.

Procedure and decision timeline

1. Eligibility analysis and document preparation

   We review your history in Spain, family ties, work or training and previous residence to determine which type of arraigo best fits your case. We then compile a complete documentary file, including legalisations and sworn translations where needed.

2. Filing EX-10 and paying fee 790-052

   All arraigo applications use the same EX-10 form. The application is submitted to the Immigration Office in the province where you live, together with the supporting documents and proof of payment of fee 790-052.

3. Review and possible corrections

   The Immigration Office reviews your application and can issue a request for additional documents or clarifications. It is crucial to respond within the deadline to avoid closure of the file.

4. Decision

   The legal deadline to decide is 3 months. Administrative silence is negative, meaning that lack of response can be treated as a refusal and appealed.

5. TIE (residence card) application

   Once the arraigo is granted, you have 1 month to apply for your Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) at the Police Station, which will show your type of permit and work authorisation.

Why choose NomadTaxSpain for your arraigo case?

Arraigo applications are highly fact-specific and require a clear legal strategy. Small documentary mistakes or unclear arguments can lead to refusals that are difficult to reverse later.

Our support usually includes:

• Checking your eligibility across all five arraigo options and explaining which route is most suitable.
• Preparing and filing a complete EX-10 application with a clear legal and factual argument.
• Reviewing contracts, training enrolment, family documents or previous residence history to align them with current criteria.
• Managing sworn translations and legalisations for foreign documents.
• Handling communication with the Immigration Office, including responses to correction requests.
• Designing next steps after approval: renewal, modification to a standard work permit or transition to long-term residence.

We work with clients across Spain, including complex cases involving mixed family, work and previous-residence histories.

Start your Arraigo application in Spain

If you have been living in Spain without legal residence but have family, social, training or work ties with the country, arraigo may provide the legal path you need to stabilise your situation.

We will analyse your circumstances, determine which type of arraigo fits best and prepare a clear, well-documented application to maximise your chances of approval.