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Arraigo in Spain: the five in-country routes

Arraigo is the door for people who are already in Spain and need to regularise their status. The new Immigration Regulation reorganised it completely — and shortened the qualifying period — with effect from 20 May 2025.

  • This page was last reviewed on: 7 August 2026
  • 3 min read
2 yearsof continuous presence, on almost every route
90 daysmaximum absence across that period

Anything published before May 2025 still says three years. Check the date on what you are reading — including this page, above.

The five routes

Arraigo social

Presence2 years. Authorisation: 1 year.

Through family ties to a legal resident, or by evidencing integration effort. Either way you must show sufficient means: on the family route, 100% of the IPREM (€600/month), and that income may come from family members with legal residence who live with you.

Arraigo sociolaboral

Presence2 years. Authorisation: 1 year.

With an employment contract, or contracts, guaranteeing the SMI or the collective-agreement wage, for at least 20 hours a week. It does not cover self-employment.

Arraigo socioformativo

Presence2 years. Authorisation: 1 year.

For people enrolled in recognised training, or committing to training promoted by the employment services. It allows up to 30 hours of work a week, which makes it the route most compatible with continuing to study.

Arraigo familiar

Presenceno prior period required. Authorisation: 5 years.

For parents or guardians of EU, EEA or Swiss minors in their care, and for people supporting a relative with a disability of those nationalities where cohabitation is evidenced. It is the only route with no qualifying period and the only one granting five years.

Second-chance arraigo

Presence2 years. Authorisation: 1 year.

For people who held an authorisation and could not renew it, through expiry or a lapsed requirement — not for public-order reasons. It is the route that recognises that falling out of status is usually administrative rather than deliberate.

What sinks applications is rarely the two years — it is the absences. Two years of presence with more than 90 days abroad does not count as two years. Before applying, reconstruct your exits from stamps, tickets and card transactions: it is an uncomfortable exercise and it prevents a refusal.

After arraigo: the clock that matters

An arraigo authorisation lasts one year on almost every route, but it opens the way to renewals and, in time, to residency and citizenship. That is why the continuity of your legal status, from day one, matters more than which route you came in on.

If you are still outside Spain

Arraigo is not an entry route — it presupposes two years already spent in Spain. From abroad the starting point is the comparison of Spanish residence visas, and if you want to bring family once you are settled, the requirements are in family reunification in Spain.

Frequently asked questions

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

Two years of continuous presence, on almost every route. The new Immigration Regulation (RD 1155/2024), in force since 20 May 2025, cut the period that most guides still quote as three years. Arraigo familiar has no prior-residence requirement at all.

How many days can I have spent outside Spain?

Absences must not exceed 90 days across those two years. It is the requirement people discover last, because trips accumulate without anyone counting.

How long does an arraigo authorisation last?

One year on the social, sociolaboral, socioformativo and second-chance routes. Arraigo familiar grants five years. All of them allow you to live and work.

What income does arraigo social require?

On the family-ties route, 100% of the IPREM — €600 a month at the 2026 IPREM — and that income may come from family members with legal residence in Spain, provided they live with the applicant.

Does arraigo sociolaboral work for the self-employed?

No. It requires an employment contract, or contracts, guaranteeing the minimum wage or the collective-agreement wage, for at least 20 hours a week. Self-employment is outside this route.

What is second-chance arraigo?

The route for people who held an authorisation and could not renew it — because it expired or because a requirement lapsed, not for public-order reasons. It restores legal status after two years of presence.

Sources for this page

This page was last reviewed on: 7 August 2026.

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