What arraigo is and who it fits
Arraigo is an exceptional residence route for people already living in Spain without a valid permit. The point is to evidence your ties to the country: time spent here, family, work or training.
The application is filed from inside Spain, with no need to return to your home country. Authorisations last one year, except arraigo familiar, which lasts five. Extension or modification requires separate assessment.
Types of arraigo
- Arraigo de segunda oportunidad: a previous residence authorisation, not an exceptional-circumstances permit, within the preceding two years and qualifying circumstances of loss or non-renewal.
- Arraigo sociolaboral: one or more contracts totalling at least 20 hours a week, paid at the applicable SMI or collective-agreement rate proportional to hours.
- Arraigo social: specified family ties to foreign residents and sufficient resources, or a favourable social-integration report in the statutory cases.
- Arraigo socioformativo: qualifying training and a social-integration report; this is distinct from an employment contract.
- Arraigo familiar: specified parents/guardians of minors who are nationals of another EU/EEA state or Switzerland, or support for a person with a disability of that nationality. Relatives of Spanish citizens follow a separate regime.
Key requirements
- Except for arraigo familiar, the general rule is two years of continuous presence, with absences totalling no more than 90 days.
- Generally the applicant must not be an international-protection applicant at filing or during processing; that time does not count. Transitional exceptions require separate review.
- Criminal-record requirements, entry bans and other general conditions are assessed under the applicable rules.
- Documents and resources differ by type; family ties and an integration report are not one universally mandatory package for social arraigo.
Documents
- Form EX-10 and the paid 790 fee.
- Full, valid passport (all pages).
- Historical empadronamiento certificate covering the whole period.
- Criminal-record certificate, apostilled and sworn-translated.
- Integration report, employment contract or proof of family link, depending on the route.
- Evidence of continuous presence: certificates, contracts, bank statements.
Timelines and common mistakes
The statutory period is three months. A request for documents may suspend it under article 22 of Ley 39/2015; it does not automatically restart it.
Files most often fail because of gaps in empadronamiento, absences from Spain beyond the permitted limits, expired criminal-record certificates and contracts that fall short on hours or pay.