Arraigo is the Spanish residency route for foreign nationals already in Spain, based on ties (roots) to Spain established through time, family, work or training. It's distinct from the visa routes people apply for from abroad (NLV, DNV, Student, etc.), and is typically the correct route for people already in the country whose position needs regularising. The main types are: arraigo social (based on 3 years' residence in Spain plus a job offer and integration), arraigo laboral (based on 2 years' residence plus documented work in Spain), arraigo familiar (based on family ties, e.g. child born in Spain or spouse/parent of a Spanish or EU national), and arraigo para la formación (a training-based route, for those in Spain who take a qualifying course). Each has specific requirements, evidence and processing. Because errors here can affect your ability to remain in Spain, expert help matters. We handle all types of arraigo — assessing which fits your case, assembling the file, and running the application.
What Arraigo Is
Arraigo (literally rootedness) is a residency mechanism in Spanish immigration law that lets a foreign national already in Spain regularise their residence on the basis of ties they've built here. Rather than applying from home for a visa to come to Spain, arraigo recognises that a person already living in Spain has developed connections — through time, family relationships, work or training — that justify authorising residence.
It's an important route because it addresses a common reality: people who came for other reasons (studying, family, work that later ended, or informally) find themselves in Spain wanting to formalise their position. Arraigo gives that a legal path, provided you meet the requirements. It's one of the main routes handled by immigration lawyers in Spain and is very much a "we take it from where you are" solution rather than starting from scratch abroad.
Who Arraigo Is For
Arraigo is generally for people who:
- Are currently in Spain (rather than applying from another country).
- Have built ties to Spain — through time spent here, family, work, or training.
- Don't fit — or no longer fit — one of the standard visa routes.
- Want to regularise their situation on a solid legal footing that leads to a formal residence permit.
Typical scenarios include someone who came on a student visa and has been in Spain a few years and wants to stay, a person with a Spanish partner or child, someone who's been living informally in Spain for several years and wants to come into formal residence, or a young person who's completed training in Spain and wants to convert that into a work permit. If you're in Spain and unsure how to formalise your residence, arraigo is often the answer. We assess whether it fits.
The Types of Arraigo
There are four main types, each targeted at a different situation:
| Type | Broadly, it's for |
|---|---|
| Arraigo social | Someone with 3+ years in Spain, a job offer, integration. |
| Arraigo laboral | Someone with 2+ years in Spain and documented work here. |
| Arraigo familiar | Someone with family ties to a Spanish or EU national. |
| Arraigo para la formación | Someone who takes a qualifying training course leading to a work-authorised residence. |
The requirements have been updated in recent years, and specific timing thresholds and documentary requirements have shifted, so the position should always be checked against current rules. Choosing the right type — and evidencing the right ties — is where most applicants need expert input. Below we cover each. We assess which type fits your case at the start.
Rules have shifted — check the current position
Arraigo rules and thresholds have been updated in recent reforms and continue to evolve. Older articles online may reflect superseded rules. Any decision should be based on the current position for your specific circumstances. We work to the current rules and can advise how they apply.
Arraigo Laboral
Arraigo laboral is aimed at people who have been in Spain for a shorter period than social arraigo (broadly 2 years) and can document work carried out in Spain during their time here. It recognises that someone who has been living and working in Spain — even if the work wasn't through fully formal channels — has ties that warrant regularisation.
The requirements include continuous residence for the required period and evidence of the work carried out — the specific evidentiary standards have shifted with reforms and are technical, so this is very much a route where expert file-building matters. Where the evidence is solid, arraigo laboral can be a shorter route to residence than social arraigo. Because the specifics have changed, checking the current position for your situation is essential. We assess whether this route fits your evidence and current rules.
Arraigo Familiar
Arraigo familiar is the family-based route. It typically applies where the applicant has a qualifying family tie to a Spanish (or, in some cases, EU) national or resident. Common situations include:
- A parent of a Spanish minor (child born in Spain who is Spanish, or holds Spanish nationality).
- A spouse or partner of a Spanish or EU national in certain circumstances.
- Adult children of Spanish parents, and other family-tie situations.
Because it's based on family, it doesn't require the same length of prior residence in Spain that social and laboral arraigos do — the tie itself is the basis. Evidence of the family relationship (birth certificates, marriage certificates, sometimes pareja de hecho registration) is central, along with the Spanish family member's status. Situations often overlap with family reunification or, for EU-family cases, the EU family route — choosing between them needs advice. We assess and handle the right one.
Arraigo Para la Formación
Arraigo para la formación is the newer training-based route. It broadly allows a person in Spain to obtain residence linked to enrolling on a qualifying training course (typically vocational or regulated training with an employment outlook), and, on successful completion and meeting conditions, to move into a residence-and-work permit.
It's designed for people whose situation doesn't fit social or laboral arraigo but who can commit to a period of training that leads to employable qualifications in Spain. The list of qualifying courses and the specifics have evolved with the reforms, so getting current guidance is essential. It's a legitimate and increasingly used route for younger people or those who want to combine regularisation with skills. We assess whether it fits and handle the application through the training and post-training stages.
How We Help
Arraigo is a legally technical area where the wrong route or a weak file can cost you the chance to regularise. Our team of bar-registered solicitors and immigration specialists assesses which arraigo fits your case (or whether another route — family reunification, a visa, an EU family route — is better), builds the file with the right evidence (proofs of residence, integration report, employer coordination, family evidence, training enrolment), and runs the application through to a residence permit. We work to the current rules — which have been changing — so you're not relying on outdated advice. In English. Book a free consultation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Arraigo (literally rootedness) is a residency mechanism letting a foreign national already in Spain regularise their residence based on ties built here — through time, family, work or training. It's distinct from the visa routes people apply for from abroad and is typically the correct route for people already in Spain whose position needs formalising. The main types are arraigo social (3 years plus job offer and integration), arraigo laboral (2 years plus documented work), arraigo familiar (family ties to a Spanish or EU national), and arraigo para la formación (training-based). Each has specific requirements. We assess which fits and handle the application.
Broadly, foreign nationals currently in Spain who have built ties here — through time spent in the country, family, work or training — and who don't fit or no longer fit a standard visa route. Typical scenarios include someone whose student visa has ended and wants to stay, a person with a Spanish partner or child, someone who's been living informally in Spain for several years and wants to formalise their situation, or a young person who's completed training and wants to convert that into a work permit. If you're in Spain and unsure how to formalise your residence, arraigo is often the answer. We assess whether it fits.
Arraigo social requires longer residence in Spain (broadly 3 years) plus a genuine job offer from a Spanish employer and evidence of integration, including a social integration report from the town hall. Arraigo laboral requires shorter residence (broadly 2 years) plus evidence of work actually carried out in Spain during that time, recognising the reality of an already-working situation. The evidentiary demands differ — social arraigo turns on the job offer plus integration; laboral arraigo turns on the work already done. The specifics have shifted with reforms, so the current rules must be checked for your situation. We assess which route your evidence supports.
Very often yes. Arraigo familiar applies where the applicant has a qualifying family tie to a Spanish (or, in some cases, EU) national or resident — and being a parent of a Spanish minor (a child born in Spain and holding Spanish nationality) is a classic scenario. Other qualifying ties include spouse or partner of a Spanish/EU national in certain circumstances, and some adult-child or other family relationships. Because it's tie-based, arraigo familiar doesn't require the same length of prior residence in Spain that social/laboral arraigos do. Evidence of the family relationship and status is central. We assess and handle it.
Arraigo para la formación is the newer training-based route. It broadly allows a person in Spain to obtain residence linked to enrolling on a qualifying training course (typically vocational or regulated training with employment prospects), and, on successful completion and meeting conditions, to move into a residence-and-work permit. It's designed for people whose situation doesn't fit social or laboral arraigo but who can commit to a period of training that leads to employable qualifications in Spain. The list of qualifying courses and specifics have evolved with the reforms. We assess whether it fits.
Evidence depends on the type. Across the routes you'll typically need proof of continuous residence in Spain (empadronamiento is central, plus medical records, other proofs of time here), your passport and identity documents, a clean criminal record certificate, and route-specific evidence: a job offer and integration report from the town hall for arraigo social, work evidence for laboral, family/relationship documents for familiar, or training enrolment for formación. Getting the evidence right and complete is where files succeed or fail. We build the file to the exact standard.
Timeframes vary. Assembling the evidence — particularly the social integration report from the town hall for arraigo social, or documented work evidence for laboral — takes time, and the administrative processing after submission takes additional weeks or months depending on the case and the region. In practice, working through the qualifying period, obtaining the necessary supporting documents, submitting and awaiting decision means you should plan in months, not weeks. Because rules have shifted and processing pace varies, current guidance for your situation matters. We plan the timeline realistically.
Like other Spanish residence decisions, arraigo refusals can generally be appealed (recurso de reposición, followed by contencioso-administrativo if needed) within strict deadlines, or reapplied for with the underlying issue cured. Common refusal reasons are evidentiary — insufficient proof of continuous residence, weak integration evidence, defects in the job-offer documentation, or the wrong route chosen. If you've been refused, act quickly given the short appeal windows, get the refusal reviewed by a specialist, and choose the strongest response. See our visa refusal & appeals service. We handle arraigo appeals and reapplications.
Arraigo Social
Arraigo social is the classic route for someone who has been in Spain for a substantial period and has built a life here. Broadly, the requirements are:
Arraigo social converts the reality of years in Spain plus a real job offer into a legal residence and work authorisation. Because the job-offer element is usually the swing factor, coordinating with a willing employer is central. The integration report from the town hall matters and takes time to obtain. Evidence of the 3-year continuous residence — empadronamiento, medical records, other proofs — is essential. We handle the whole assembly, including engaging the employer side.