Which Route Suits You?
Arraigo Social
For people who have lived in Spain continuously and can prove family ties or social integration, without a work contract.
Requirements:
- • 2 continuous years in Spain (proven with the padrón history); absences must not exceed 90 days in that period
- • No criminal record in Spain or your country of origin
- • First-degree direct relatives, spouse or partner with legal residence, OR an integration-effort report
- • The integration report is issued by your autonomous community or town hall, and has its own processing time
Arraigo Sociolaboral
The route built on a work contract. It is the most common one since the 2025 regulation.
Requirements:
- • 2 continuous years in Spain, with absences not exceeding 90 days
- • One or more contracts of at least 20 hours a week, totalling more than 90 days, at a salary proportional to the SMI
- • No criminal record
Arraigo Familiar
For close family members of Spanish citizens or foreigners already resident.
Typical cases:
- • Parent of a minor with Spanish nationality
- • Child of a Spanish parent, or grandchild of a Spaniard by origin
- • Spouse or registered partner of a Spaniard — no minimum residence period required
Arraigo Socioformativo
For people who commit to completing regulated training or a certificate of professional competence.
Requirements:
- • 2 continuous years in Spain, as in every route except the familiar one
- • Enrolment, or a commitment to enrol, in regulated training or a certificate of professional competence
- • Grants an initial work and training permit, upgradable on completion
Arraigo de Segunda Oportunidad
A new route in the 2025 regulation, for people who were legally resident and lost the card for reasons beyond their control.
Requirements:
- • Held a residence authorisation in the previous 2 years, other than one granted on exceptional grounds
- • It could not be renewed because the term expired or requirements were not met — not for public-order reasons
- • No new work contract is required
Not sure which applies to your case? Ask us on WhatsApp →
Common Documents
Mandatory (most routes)
- 📄 Passport
- 📄 Padrón history (proof of continuous stay)
- 📄 Criminal record certificate, apostilled or legalised and translated (see our dedicated page)
- 📄 Application form: the official arraigo information sheet cites EX-10. Confirm the model on the sheet for your route before filling it in.
- 📄 Receipt for fee 790 code 052, the file fee. The 790 code 012 is a different payment, made later for the card.
Route-specific
- 📄 Social integration report (social)
- 📄 Job offer or employment proof (laboral)
- 📄 Family/birth certificates (familiar)
- 📄 Proof of training enrolment (socioformativo)
Price
How arraigo works in practice
Arraigo is residence granted on exceptional grounds: it exists for people already living in Spain who cannot use the ordinary routes. The 2025 regulation reorganised it into the five routes above, and the differences between them are about evidence, not about the waiting period.
What all routes share
- Two years of continuous stay in Spain, except arraigo familiar. Absences must not exceed 90 days across that period.
- No criminal record in Spain, or in the countries where you have lived in recent years — apostilled or legalised, and with a sworn translation.
- Filed at the Oficina de Extranjería of your province, in person or electronically with a digital certificate.
- The fee, paid before filing.
- Work is permitted from day one once the authorisation is granted, employed or self-employed.
The padrón is the backbone of the file
Continuous stay is proved mainly with the historical padrón certificate (empadronamiento histórico), which lists every period you were registered, with dates. A gap in that history is a gap in your proof, and it is the most common reason a file is refused on the facts rather than on the law. If you have gaps, gather supporting evidence for those months before filing.
Choosing the wrong route
The evidence for one route does not work for another. A work contract supports sociolaboral; family ties or an integration report support social; a training commitment supports socioformativo; and a previous authorisation that could not be renewed supports segunda oportunidad. Filing the right evidence under the wrong heading is treated as not meeting the requirements.
After approval
- Book the fingerprint appointment within one month of the notification, with form EX-17 and fee 790 code 012 paid beforehand.
- The card is collected later, at a separate appointment.
- Arraigo authorisations generally run for one year — arraigo familiar for five — and are then renewed under their own conditions.
Note on the 2026 Extraordinary Regularisation: its filing window (Real Decreto 316/2026) closed on 30 June 2026 and was not extended. Arraigo is the ordinary route that remains open.
Last reviewed: 1 September 2026.
Sources: Real Decreto 1155/2024 (Reglamento de Extranjería, in force 20 May 2025) and Instrucción SEM 1/2025.
General information only; this is not legal advice. Requirements and timeframes can change.
Frequently asked questions
How many years of continuous stay do I need?
Under the current regulation (Real Decreto 1155/2024, in force since 20 May 2025) every route except arraigo familiar requires two years of continuous stay in Spain, with absences of no more than 90 days in that period. Before the reform it was three years.
Is the padrón enough on its own?
It is the main proof of continuous stay but rarely enough by itself. It is reinforced with medical records, school enrolments, contracts, invoices or any dated document that places you in Spain.
What is the integration report and who issues it?
A report on your integration issued by the autonomous community or the town hall, depending on the province. It has its own processing time, so request it early — it is usually the slowest piece of the file.
Can I work while the file is being decided?
Not until the authorisation is granted. Once granted, every arraigo route allows work from day one, employed or self-employed — that is one of the main changes brought by the 2025 regulation.
Do I need an appointment to file the arraigo?
It depends on the province. Some Oficinas de Extranjería require a filing appointment, others accept electronic submission. The fingerprint appointment afterwards is required in every case.
Does Citapre file the arraigo application?
No. We are not a law firm. We obtain the appointments the process needs: the filing appointment where the province requires one, and the fingerprint appointment after a favourable decision.
Confirmations from appointments we have obtained
Real documents from appointments we booked, with the holder’s details covered. The procedure, date, time and office are the ones printed on the confirmation. Availability depends on the administration: we do not promise specific dates.
No payment upfront
You pay only once the appointment is confirmed.
Continuous monitoring
We watch the official system until a slot opens.
All 52 provinces
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