Regularising: the five arraigo routes
If you are already in Spain and have no permit, arraigo is the way. Five types, different requirements and a full comparison in the arraigo hub.
Arraigo social
Two years in Spain and a family tie with residents, or an integration report. Means of 100% of IPREM.
Arraigo sociolaboral
Contracts adding up to twenty hours a week. Allows work as soon as the application is admitted.
Arraigo familiar
Parent of a minor from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. No prior stay and five years' duration.
Arraigo socioformativo
Regulated training or training from the employment services, with up to thirty hours of work a week.
Second chance
You held legal residency in the last two years and could not renew it.
Extraordinary arraigo
The regularisation that closed on 30 June 2026: what happens to what was filed and what remains.
Keeping and moving forward
Residency renewal
Two months before expiry, three after with a penalty. Cases for renewing without a current contract and the step to long-term residence.
Family reunification
Bringing a spouse, partner, children or parents: income of 150% of IPREM, adequate housing and insurance.
Spanish citizenship
Ten, five, two or one year of residence depending on the case, plus CCSE and DELE A2.
Digital nomad visa
International remote work with a decision in twenty days and compatibility with the Beckham law.
Documents and tracking, without an appointment
These guides cover the part that can be settled without the counter and that saves most trips:
- NIE and TIE: what each one is and which applies to you.
- Status of an immigration file and Mercurio for visas at consulates.
- Cómo va lo mío for citizenship files.
- Immigration appointment when the procedure does require presence.
- Padrón registration in Valencia, the documentary basis of almost all of the above.
Appeals and complex cases
A refusal is not the end of the road, but it does have short deadlines. Before appealing, the reason must be read calmly: some refusals are appealed and others are better solved by rethinking the route, for example moving from social to sociolaboral with a suitable contract, or from ordinary renewal to second chance.
We also handle files with criminal records, requests for corrections with documents that are hard to obtain and procedures that have been stalled for months. The first consultation is free and serves, above all, to find out whether the matter has a way forward.
Would you rather we handled it?
First consultation free. Registered gestora, ICGA Valencia, over 15 years of experience.
Frequently asked questions
How long must I have been in Spain to regularise my status?
Two years of continuous stay for almost all types of arraigo, since the Regulation that came into force on 20 May 2025. Arraigo familiar requires no minimum stay.
Does arraigo allow work?
Yes, all types allow you to live and work, employed or self-employed. Arraigo socioformativo is limited to thirty hours a week of employment.
Can arraigo be requested with another file open?
No. Since April 2026 one of the general requirements is not to hold another permit or be an interested party in another stay or residence procedure.
Can I process it without going to the immigration office?
A good part of the procedure is electronic and we file it with a professional certificate. Strictly personal acts, such as fingerprinting for the TIE, require your presence.
Do you work in Russian and Ukrainian?
Yes, and in English too. All correspondence with the administration is filed in Spanish on your behalf.
Legal basis
- Organic Law 4/2000 on the rights and freedoms of foreign nationals in Spain
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, Regulation implementing Organic Law 4/2000 (consolidated text)
- Royal Decree 316/2026 amending the immigration Regulation
- Order PJC/617/2025 setting immigration and foreigners' fees
- Law 39/2015 on Common Administrative Procedure, art. 14 on electronic dealings with the administration
Official sources
- Catalogue of immigration procedures
- Status of immigration files
- Electronic office: immigration appointments
- Ministry of Inclusion: sheet 28, arraigo social
Written by Irina Klein. Reviewed by Elena Alonso Volostnova, registered gestora administrativa (ICGA Valencia). Updated on 5 October 2026. This page is general information and does not replace personalised advice on your case.