Arraigo in Spain 2026: the five routes explained

If you are British and moved to Mallorca after 31 December 2020, you are a third-country national in Spanish law. The Withdrawal Agreement TIE covers people who were legally resident here before that date; it does not cover anyone who arrived later. The same applies to Americans, Canadians, Australians and South Africans.

That matters, because arraigo is the route back to legal status for non-EU nationals who are already living in Spain without authorisation — including people who came on a tourist stamp and stayed, or whose residence permit lapsed.

Since 20 May 2025 the rules are new. Royal Decree 1155/2024 replaced the old RD 557/2011: there are now five types of arraigo, the qualifying period dropped from three years to two, and every arraigo permit carries the right to work.

What changed

	RD 557/2011 (repealed)	RD 1155/2024 (in force)
Routes	3	5
Residence required	3 years	2 years (except arraigo familiar)
Right to work	not always	yes, in every route
Minimum contracted hours	30 h/week	20 h/week

The operational criteria come from Instrucción SEM 1/2025, issued on 13 May 2025 and applied by immigration offices across Spain.

The shared requirement: two years in Spain

Except for arraigo familiar, every route requires two years of continuous residence in Spain immediately before the application.

“Continuous” does not mean never leaving. Instrucción SEM 1/2025 sets the test: absences must not exceed 90 days in total across those two years. A trip home does not break the count; three and a half months abroad does.

This is where most applications fail, and almost always for the same reason: the padrón. Residence is normally evidenced with a certificado de empadronamiento histórico, and any gaps must be covered with other proof — medical records, school enrolment, bank movements, tenancy agreements. The earlier you start building that record, the better.

The five routes

1. Arraigo social

Two years in Spain, plus either a family link to a Spanish national or legal resident, or an informe de integración social issued by the autonomous community. In the Balearics the regional administration handles it, assessing time in Spain, language, housing and local ties.

Financial requirement: under Instrucción SEM 1/2025, 200 % of IPREM via the family-link route and 100 % where an integration report is provided. With IPREM frozen at €600 a month in 2026, each 100 % works out at €7,200 a year over twelve payments.

2. Arraigo sociolaboral

Two years in Spain plus a job offer or contract of at least 20 hours a week. This is the single most useful change in the new Regulation: the old threshold of 30 hours ruled out much of Mallorca’s hospitality sector and almost all part-time work.

Note that the employer is assessed too: the business must show solvency and be up to date with social security and the Spanish tax authority. An employer’s debts will sink the employee’s application.

3. Arraigo socioformativo

Two years in Spain plus enrolment on a recognised course: vocational training at levels 1, 2 or 3, secondary education, adult education, or employment-related training. Not every course qualifies — picking the wrong one costs months.

4. Arraigo familiar

The most heavily rewritten route, and the one most often misunderstood. It is now restricted to family members of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens: typically the parent or guardian of a minor who is an EU citizen, with genuine cohabitation and parental responsibility; or a family member supporting an EU citizen with a disability, with cohabitation and dependency established.

It carries no two-year residence requirement — the only exception.

If your family link is to a Spanish national, this is not your route: you need the residence permit for family members of Spanish nationals, a separate procedure. See our family reunification service.

5. Second-chance arraigo

A new route for people who held a residence permit and lost it because they could not renew — job lost, contributions short, deadline missed. Previously they went back to square one. Now there is a specific way to recover residence.

At a glance

Route	Residence	Main requirement
Social	2 years	Family link or regional integration report
Sociolaboral	2 years	Contract or offer ≥ 20 h/week, solvent employer
Socioformativo	2 years	Enrolment on a recognised course
Familiar	None	Family member of an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen
Second chance	2 years	Previously held a permit that could not be renewed

What most often goes wrong

1. Gaps in the padrón. Without evidenced residence there is no arraigo, however good the job offer.
2. Miscounting absences. All trips within the two years are added together. The limit is 90 days in total, not per trip.
3. An employer with debts. Under arraigo sociolaboral the business is examined as well as the applicant.
4. Choosing the wrong route, particularly between arraigo familiar and the Spanish-family-member permit.
5. Criminal record certificates that are unlegalised, unapostilled or out of date.

FAQ

I’m British and moved to Mallorca in 2023 on a tourist stamp. Is arraigo my route? Very possibly, once you reach two years of evidenced residence. The Withdrawal Agreement does not cover post-2020 arrivals, so you are treated as any other third-country national.

Does arraigo let me work? Yes. Under RD 1155/2024 every arraigo permit carries the right to work, employed or self-employed.

How long does the permit last? One year, renewable if the conditions still hold.

Can I leave Spain while the application is processed? While you are without status, leaving the country is risky and may prevent your return. Take advice before travelling, not afterwards.

What if I don’t fit any of the five? There are other residence routes outside arraigo. It is worth a full review of your circumstances before writing anything off.

Sources

• Royal Decree 1155/2024, Immigration Regulation (BOE)
• Royal Decree 316/2026 of 14 April (BOE)
• Instrucción SEM 1/2025 of 13 May, Secretaría de Estado de Migraciones
• IPREM 2026

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Arraigo cases are won or lost on paperwork, and seasonal employment in the Balearics adds its own complications. Tell us about your situation and we will tell you which route applies, what you need to gather and what it costs.

You may also want our NIE, TIE and CUE comparison and the arraigo service page.