Tool · Immigration

Which arraigo applies to me?

There are five kinds of arraigo and four require two continuous years in Spain. Answer ten questions and see which routes fit your situation, with the article behind each.

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The five routes

5 arraigos

Articles 125 to 127 of the Immigration Regulation

Second chance: 2 years
Employment (sociolaboral): 2 years
Social: 2 years
Training (socioformativo): 2 years
Family: no minimum

See what each route requires

This is a summary of the rules and not a real case. Each route adds its own requirements and the tool checks them one by one.

Ten questions

Answer and check

Do not enter names, document numbers or details of your file: they are not needed. What you choose is calculated in your browser: the firm does not receive or keep it.

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Your browser has it switched off or blocked. Further down, in a table, is what each arraigo requires, and you can always call us on 614 26 26 92.

Your situation in Spain

How long have you been in Spain without a break?

Count the two years immediately before the application. If you applied for international protection, that time does not count until the final decision.

Have you applied for international protection (asylum)?

With an application that has no final decision, you cannot apply for arraigo.

Do you hold any stay or residence authorisation, or have an application for a grant, extension, renewal or modification pending?

This is requirement (h) of article 126, added by Royal Decree 316/2026.

Do you have a criminal record, in Spain or in the countries where you lived during the five years before you arrived?

If you are not sure, choose “Yes, or I am not sure”: it is a point to review.

What ties you to Spain

In the last two years, did you hold a residence authorisation that was not renewed?

This is the second-chance arraigo (art. 127.a). An authorisation granted for exceptional circumstances does not count, nor one that was not renewed for reasons of public order, security or public health.

Do you have one or more employment contracts adding up to at least 20 hours a week and paying at least the minimum wage or the collective-agreement wage?

Pay is counted in proportion to working time. The employer must meet article 74, except its paragraph 1.a).

Do you have a spouse, registered partner, parent or child with legal residence in Spain?

The means must be available in Spain. Without those family ties, the social route rests on the social integration report.

Do you have the social integration report from the regional government?

It is issued by the autonomous community, or by the local authority if the community has so decided, within one month of the request.

Are you enrolled, or about to enrol, in a course the rules accept?

Those in articles 52.1.b) and 52.1.e).5.º of the Regulation, and compulsory in-person education for adults.

Do you have a minor child or a relative who is a European or Spanish national?

Family arraigo only covers someone who supports a minor from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. Relatives of Spanish nationals have a different authorisation.

Short answer

Which arraigo can I apply for?

You can apply for arraigo if you have been in Spain for two continuous years and fit one of four routes: second chance (you held a permit that was not renewed), employment (a contract of at least 20 hours a week), social (family ties with residents, or an integration report) or training (a course plus an integration report). Family arraigo needs no minimum stay, but it only covers the parent or guardian of a minor from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.

2 years: of continuous stay in Spain, except for family arraigo. Art. 126.b of the Immigration Regulation
20 hours a week: is the minimum working time, adding up all contracts, for employment arraigo. Art. 127.b of the Regulation
100 % of the IPREM: is the minimum means for social arraigo based on family ties. Art. 127.c, as worded by Royal Decree 316/2026
1 year: is how long an arraigo authorisation lasts; family arraigo lasts five. Art. 125.2 of the Regulation

Who is behind it. The tool belongs to Ajuridic, which handles immigration procedures (arraigo, family reunification, nationality) and also works in Arabic. Ajuridic is a general-practice law firm in Barcelona, based at Carrer del Freser, 104 (El Clot, Sant Martí), working in nine areas: family law and divorce, inheritance, immigration, employment, road traffic accidents, medical negligence, civil liability, fines and local government law, and property. It is led by Noemí Ampurdanés Parés, a lawyer registered with the Barcelona Bar (ICAB) under no. 22359, with more than thirty years in practice, and works with notaries, court representatives (procuradores) and expert witnesses. Service in Spanish, Catalan, English and Arabic (Arabic by appointment); support in Filipino if you ask for it when booking.

Checked on 23 October 2026 against the consolidated text of the Regulation (updated on 22 September 2026) and Royal Decree 316/2026, published in the BOE (Spain’s official gazette). General information: it does not replace advice on your case.

How it is checked

What each arraigo requires, article by article

The tool applies articles 125 to 127 of the Regulation implementing Organic Law 4/2000, approved by Royal Decree 1155/2024 and amended by Royal Decree 316/2026. It first checks the general requirements of article 126 that can be answered with a question (being in Spain, not being an applicant for international protection, the two years of stay, criminal records, and not already holding an authorisation or having a procedure open) and then those of each route (art. 127). It does not check that you are not a threat to public order, that you are not listed as someone to be refused entry, that you are not bound by a no-return commitment or that you have paid the fee (art. 126.c, e, f and g). A route shows as “Fits” only if, on your answers, it meets every requirement the tool checks; if something remains to be confirmed it shows as “To confirm”.

The five arraigo authorisations and what each requires beyond the general requirements
Arraigo	In addition to the general requirements, it requires	Article	Duration
Second chance	Having held, in the previous two years, a residence authorisation that was not granted for exceptional circumstances and was not renewed for reasons other than public order, security or public health.	125.1.a) and 127.a)	1 year
Employment (sociolaboral)	One or more contracts guaranteeing at least the minimum wage or the collective-agreement wage, in proportion to working time, adding up to 20 hours a week or more. The employer meets article 74, except its paragraph 1.a).	125.1.b) and 127.b)	1 year
Social	Family ties with resident foreign nationals (spouse, registered partner, first-degree relatives in the direct line) and means of at least 100 % of the IPREM. Without those ties, a favourable social integration report.	125.1.c) and 127.c)	1 year
Training (socioformativo)	Being enrolled in, or attending, a course listed in articles 52.1.b) and 52.1.e).5.º, or committing to a course promoted by the public employment service, and providing the social integration report.	125.1.d) and 127.d)	1 year
Family	Being the parent or guardian of a minor who is a national of another EU or EEA State or Switzerland, supporting the child and living with them or being up to date with parental obligations; or supporting a person with a disability in that situation. No minimum stay.	125.1.e) and 127.e)	5 years

The requirements that apply to every route (article 126)

Being in Spain and not being an applicant for international protection, either when applying or while the application is processed (letter a).
Having stayed in Spain continuously for the two years before the application; family arraigo requires no minimum stay (letter b).
Not being a threat to public order, security or public health, and not being listed as inadmissible in countries with an agreement (letters c and e).
Having no criminal record in Spain or in the countries of residence during the five years before arrival (letter d).
Not being within a no-return undertaking and having paid the fee (letters f and g).
Not holding a stay or residence authorisation, nor having a procedure open for its grant, extension, renewal or modification (letter h, added by Royal Decree 316/2026).

What the tool does not do

Assess the evidence: being able to prove the stay, the contract or the family tie is a separate matter.
Decide which route is better when several fit: duration, conditions and extension change.
Review your file: a request for documents, a refusal or an open procedure each have their own time limits.

Two extraordinary routes are now closed

Royal Decree 316/2026 added two additional provisions, the 20th (applicants for international protection) and the 21st (extraordinary arraigo), which could be applied for “until 30 June 2026”. That deadline has passed and the provisions do not provide for an extension. This tool does not check them.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask before applying for arraigo

What is the difference between social, employment and training arraigo?

Employment arraigo rests on a contract of at least 20 hours a week; social arraigo, on family ties with residents and financial means, or on a favourable social integration report if there are no such ties; and training arraigo, on enrolment or a commitment to a course plus that report. All three require two continuous years in Spain and give a one-year authorisation (articles 125 to 127 of the Regulation).

How many years must I have been in Spain to apply for arraigo?

Two continuous years immediately before the application for the second-chance, employment, social and training routes (article 126.b). Family arraigo requires no minimum stay. If the person applied for international protection, the time the application took until the final decision does not count.

Can I apply for arraigo if I already have an application or permit pending?

No. Article 126.h, added by Royal Decree 316/2026, requires that you do not hold a stay or residence authorisation nor have a procedure open for its grant, extension, renewal or modification. With a file open, arraigo is not available until that procedure ends.

How long does an arraigo authorisation last and does it allow me to work?

It lasts one year, except family arraigo, which lasts five (article 125.2). It allows work as an employee or self-employed, except training arraigo, which allows up to 30 hours a week as an employee (article 131). For employment arraigo, the authorisation takes effect only if you are registered with Social Security within one month of notification (article 130.5).

Is the 2026 extraordinary regularisation still open?

No. Royal Decree 316/2026 allowed applications for extraordinary arraigo and for applicants for international protection until 30 June 2026; that deadline has passed and the provisions do not provide for an extension. Today only the five ordinary routes of article 125 are available.

My child, partner or parent is Spanish: do I apply for family arraigo?

No. Family arraigo only covers someone who supports a minor who is a national of another EU or EEA State or Switzerland. Relatives of Spanish nationals have a separate authorisation, temporary residence for relatives of persons of Spanish nationality (articles 93 to 99 of the Regulation), valid for five years.

Does this tool replace an immigration lawyer?

No. It checks requirements against what you type, without seeing or verifying it. Choosing the route, gathering the evidence and filing the application require studying the case with the documents in front of you.

Official sources, consulted on 23 October 2026:

Consultation

Have a lawyer review your case before you file

Choosing the wrong route may mean starting again. At the first visit you are told which route fits and which papers are missing. The preliminary study of the documents may carry a fee, which is quoted before it begins. We work in Spanish, Catalan, English and Arabic (Arabic by appointment).

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First visit: conditions*

When confirming the appointment, the firm tells you whether the visit is at no charge or whether, because of the type of matter, a fee applies; in that case, it tells you the scope and amount beforehand, and you decide whether to accept.

*The first visit at no charge covers an initial consultation to discuss the case. It does not include prior document review. If that review is needed, or the matter concerns employment or criminal law, a fee may apply. The firm will disclose the scope and amount beforehand; the client decides whether to accept.

See conditions and fees