All types of Spanish residence permits in 2026: which one fits your case

How to choose a permit type: everything depends on your legal ground

In Spain a residence permit (residencia) is never issued "in general" - it is always tied to a specific legal ground. Before collecting documents you need an honest answer to one question: why exactly do you have the right to live in Spain? The answer determines the document package, the timeline and your chances of approval.

All grounds fall into two large groups:

• You are already in Spain. The options are the different types of arraigo (residency through settlement), the student permit and temporary protection. The key factor here is the history of your actual residence: padrón, rental contracts, bank statements.
• You are still outside Spain or arrived as a tourist. The options are the digital nomad visa, residencia no lucrativa (for the financially independent, without the right to work), permits for employment or self-employment (autónomo), and family reunification. What matters here is financial guarantees and documents filed in advance.

Below we break down each type: who it suits, what is required and what to watch out for. Timelines and amounts are approximate benchmarks - the specifics depend on the province, the Oficina de Extranjería and your situation.

Residency through settlement: arraigo social, laboral, familiar and por formacion

Arraigo is legalisation for those who already de facto live in Spain. After the reform of immigration law that took effect in 2025, the base residence period for most types is roughly 2 years. There are four main varieties.

Arraigo Social (social settlement)

Who it suits: those who have lived in Spain continuously for around 2 years and can prove social ties.

• No criminal record in Spain or in your country of citizenship.
• An employment contract (benchmark: at least 1 year) or proof of financial means.
• Proof of ties: relatives who are residents, or a social report (informe de arraigo social).
• The base form is EX-10, plus padrón, rental contracts, bank statements.

Arraigo Laboral (work-based settlement)

Who it suits: those who have lived here for around 2 years and worked officially (with contributions to Seguridad Social) - benchmark from 6 months within the last 2 years. It suits people who worked under a contract but did not formalise their residency in time.

Arraigo Familiar (family settlement)

Who it suits: parents of children with Spanish citizenship or family members of Spanish citizens. The main advantage: there is usually no minimum residence requirement. Processing takes roughly 3-6 months.

Arraigo por Formacion (settlement through training)

A category strengthened by the 2025 reform: legalisation through completing official training. It requires a link to your studies and proof of residence. Exact conditions depend on the programme and the province.

After arraigo the path usually looks like this: a first permit for about 1 year, then renewals, and after 5 years of legal residence you become eligible for permanent residency.

For remote workers and the financially independent: digital nomad and no lucrativa

These two types are applied for in advance - from your country of citizenship or while in Spain as a tourist, before you have "settled" here. That is the key difference from arraigo.

Digital nomad visa (Nomada Digital)

Who it suits: those who work remotely for a foreign company or run an international business.

• Remote work for an employer or clients outside Spain.
• Proven stable income - benchmark from roughly 2700€ per month (the threshold is indexed, so confirm the exact figure at the time of filing).
• You can apply from your country of citizenship or while in Spain as a tourist.
• Access to a favourable tax regime (the so-called Beckham regime) if the conditions are met.

Residencia no lucrativa (residency without the right to work)

Who it suits: financially independent people who want to live in Spain without taking up employment in the country - on passive income, savings or rental income.

• Proof of sufficient funds for yourself and every family member (the threshold is tied to the IPREM index and recalculated annually).
• Private health insurance with coverage across the whole of Spain.
• A criminal record certificate and a medical certificate.

Separate categories are the permits for salaried employment (sponsored by an employer, timeline benchmark 3-8 months) and for the self-employed (autónomo) - built around a business plan and proof that the project is viable. We handle these grounds together with our Business and taxes practice.

Study, family reunification and temporary protection

Student residence permit

Who it suits: students of Spanish universities and participants in long-term courses (benchmark: from 20 class hours per week).

• Enrolment and paid tuition.
• Financial guarantees and health insurance.
• The right to work part-time (benchmark: up to 30 hours per week, subject to conditions).

The student permit is a frequent "entry point" into the system: with the right planning it later converts into a work permit or arraigo.

Family reunification (Reagrupacion Familiar)

Who it suits: residents of Spain who want to bring over a spouse, minor children or dependent relatives.

• The applicant already lives in Spain legally (as a rule, after renewing their first permit).
• Proof of sufficient income and suitable housing.
• Family relationship documents with an apostille and a sworn translation.

Temporary protection (Protección Temporal)

Who it suits: citizens of Ukraine and members of their families who left the country after 24 February 2022.

• It grants the right to live and work, a TIE card, and access to healthcare, school and a bank account.
• It remains in force with extensions; the timeframes are set by EU decisions.
• Important: on its own this status does not always count directly towards permanent residency, so it is worth planning your transition to another ground in advance.

Documents and the step-by-step process

The basic set varies by type, but the logic is shared. Here is an approximate step-by-step route, using arraigo and most in-country grounds as the example.

1. Diagnosing the ground. We determine which permit type actually works for your situation and check for "holes" (for example, gaps in the padrón).
2. NIE. Obtaining your foreigner identification number, if you do not have one yet.
3. Collecting the documents. Passport, padrón, criminal record certificate (with an apostille and a sworn translation, usually no older than 3 months), proof of funds, an employment contract or informe social, photos, insurance - depending on the type.
4. Filing the form. For arraigo this is usually EX-10; other grounds have their own EX forms plus the state fee (tasa, benchmark: a small amount).
5. Waiting for the decision. The official deadline for many grounds is about 3 months; in practice 3-7 months depending on the city and the workload of the Oficina de Extranjería.
6. TIE. After approval: an appointment for fingerprints and collection of your plastic resident card (TIE).

An important nuance: by law, administrative silence is in most cases treated as a refusal (silencio negativo), yet in practice a file may take longer than the formal deadline. That is why monitoring the status and the deadlines is part of the job.

Common reasons for refusal and how to avoid them

Most refusals are about paperwork details rather than the ground itself. Here is what most often "sinks" an application:

• Gaps in the padrón. For arraigo, continuity of registration is critical. Any break casts doubt on your period of residence.
• An expired criminal record certificate. It is usually valid for a limited period (benchmark: about 3 months), and it also needs an apostille and a sworn translation.
• A wrong or unprofessional translation. Documents must be translated by sworn translators (traductor jurado), otherwise they will not be accepted.
• Insufficient financial guarantees. For no lucrativa and the nomad visa the amounts are tied to indexes (IPREM, the minimum income threshold) and get revised - outdated figures lead to refusal.
• The wrong legal ground. The most expensive mistake: applying for a permit type you do not qualify for, losing months and the fee.
• Errors in employment documents. A contract that does not meet the requirements on duration, pay rate or job code.

The good news: almost all of these causes are preventable at the preparation stage. That is why a proper diagnosis "before filing" saves more than any attempt to fix a case that has already been submitted.

How Krepko helps: one team for every task

A residence permit is not a single document but a bundle of processes: NIE, padrón, translations, insurance, tax status, sometimes autónomo registration or opening a bank account. When every stage is run by a different person, you lose both time and money.

Krepko works as a single team: we coordinate the entire process end to end, while a licensed specialist performs the professional steps. You get:

• A diagnosis of your situation and the right permit type - no guessing.
• A clear document list and support at every step, including NIE, padrón and sworn translations.
• Monitoring of deadlines and of your file status at the Oficina de Extranjería.
• A link-up with related services: banks, taxes, accounting, insurance, housing.

One team and a transparent cost estimate. You get on with life and business - we run the process.

Leave a request - the review is free, and we will tell you which permit type actually works in your case and what it requires.

We will work out which residency type fits you, free of charge, and give exact timelines for your situation. See our Residency in Spain service - or just leave a request, and we will tell you what your case needs.