Immigration · Spain · 2026
Arraigo: there are five types, not three — which one is yours
The general conditions every type shares, what each of the five requires, and the April 2026 amendment that older guides do not account for.
In short
- After the reform of the Regulation (RD 1155/2024) there are five types of arraigo: de segunda oportunidad, sociolaboral, social, socioformativo and familiar.
- The general residence requirement is down to two years — except for arraigo familiar.
- The permit is granted for one year; only arraigo familiar gives five.
- The right to work comes with every type of arraigo — you do not have to obtain it separately.
- In April 2026 the rules changed again: RD 316/2026 rewrote the requirements for arraigo social and added a new general condition.
General conditions: without these, no type works
They are listed in art. 126 of the Regulation, and all of them must be met at once:
- be in Spain and not be an applicant for international protection — neither when applying nor while the file is pending;
- have lived in the country continuously for at least two years before applying. Time spent while an application for international protection was pending does not count towards it. The two-year rule does not apply to arraigo familiar;
- not hold a valid stay or residence permit, and not be a party to proceedings for granting, extending, renewing or modifying one. This condition was added in April 2026 (RD 316/2026, new art. 126 h) — it did not exist before, and older explainers in chat groups do not account for it.
The five types and what each requires
The specific requirements are in art. 127.
De segunda oportunidad ("second chance"). For people who held a residence permit and lost it. You must have held it during the two years immediately before applying, it must not have been granted on exceptional grounds, and the renewal must have failed for reasons unrelated to public order, public security and public health.
Sociolaboral (through work). One or more employment contracts are needed. The pay must be no lower than the interprofessional minimum wage (SMI) or the applicable collective agreement rate, in proportion to hours worked, and total employment across all contracts must be at least twenty hours a week.
Social (through ties and means). After the April 2026 amendment this requires family ties with other foreign nationals who hold a residence permit — a spouse or registered partner and first-degree relatives in the direct line — plus evidence of means of at least 100% of the IPREM. The means must be available in Spain and may come from those same relatives. Where such ties do not exist, an "integration effort" is assessed instead: it is evidenced by an informe de integración social from your autonomous community — or from the municipality, where the community has delegated that power. The report must be issued within one month of being requested; it records how long you have lived at your address, your means, and your participation in integration programmes.
Socioformativo (through training). You must be enrolled in, or already taking, one of the courses the Regulation refers to (art. 52.1 b and 52.1 e, including the first level), or a full-time adult compulsory education programme. On top of that, an integration report is required, in the same way as for arraigo social.
Two deadlines trip people up here:
- if the enrolment has an official registration window, the arraigo application is filed within the two months before that window opens;
- proof of enrolment must be brought to the immigration office within three months of being notified that the permit was granted. Miss it and the permit lapses.
There is a second path: applications are also open to people who undertake to complete training organised by the public employment services for occupations in the official catalogue (art. 75.1). Fail to complete the training and the permit lapses in the same way.
Familiar (through family). Two grounds:
- you are the father, mother or guardian of a minor who is a national of another EU, EEA or Swiss state; when applying you must show that you live in Spain, that the child is in your care and that you live together or discharge parental duties;
- you support a person with a disability who is an EU, EEA or Swiss national in exercising their legal capacity, are related to them, have them in your care and live together.
This is the type that gives five years rather than one (art. 125.2).
What comes next: duration and renewal
An arraigo permit runs for a year, except familiar, where it runs for five (art. 132.1). Renewal for segunda oportunidad, sociolaboral and social is conditional on evidence of actively seeking work (art. 132.2). Worth knowing in advance: that evidence is collected over the year, not in the final week.
Quick way to narrow it down
- Did you hold a permit that lapsed in the last two years? Start with segunda oportunidad.
- Do you have a contract, or contracts, of twenty hours a week or more? Look at sociolaboral.
- Do you have a spouse or first-degree relative with a residence permit, and means at 100% of the IPREM? That is social.
- Are you enrolled in eligible training? Socioformativo — and watch the two deadlines.
- Do you care for an EU-national child or a dependent adult? Familiar, and it is the one that gives five years.
Official sources
Work out which type fits your case
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Analyse my caseThis is an informational explainer, not legal advice. It is based on the texts of the laws in force but does not take the circumstances of your case into account. Decisions on your situation are for a lawyer to make.