Admitted for processing
You can already work
Admission for processing provisionally authorises you to live and work, as an employee or self-employed, while a decision is pending. You are also assigned a Social Security number.
Home · Extraordinary regularisation 2026
Extraordinary regularisation 2026
The application window closed on 30 June. If you submitted yours, your file is still open, and what happens over these months makes all the difference.
What it was
The Royal Decree 316/2026 regularisation process
Royal Decree 316/2026 of 14 April opened Spain's 2026 extraordinary regularisation process for foreign nationals already living in the country. Applications were accepted between 16 April and 30 June 2026, and according to the Government more than 1.17 million were submitted.
There were two routes: one for people who had applied for international protection before 1 January 2026, and another —the so-called arraigo extraordinario (extraordinary roots)— for people who could show they had worked or intended to work, lived with their family, or were in a vulnerable situation. Both required arrival before 2026, five months of stay and no criminal record.
Information up to date as of September 2026.
Your file now
Where you stand and what to do next
Request for documents
You are asked for documents
Deadlines are short and missing them has consequences. We respond with the right documents. Correos (the Spanish postal service) accepts corrections until 30 September 2026.
No reply
Silence after three months
After three months without a decision, the application is deemed refused. Even so, the authorities are still obliged to decide. We tell you what is worth doing and what is pointless.
Refused
We assess an appeal
We honestly assess whether there is a real chance with the relevant administrative appeal or before the contentious-administrative courts. If there is not, we tell you and look for another way forward.
Granted
Plan the second year
The permit lasts one year. In the two months before it expires you must apply to switch to another ordinary permit: the sooner we prepare it, the better.
If you applied for asylum
Withdraw in time
If you applied through the international protection route and your regularisation is granted, you will have to withdraw your asylum application, or your appeal, when you apply for the TIE (foreigner identity card). We coordinate this so you do not lose any rights.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about the regularisation
Can I still apply for the extraordinary regularisation?
No. The application window ran from 16 April to 30 June 2026. If you did not apply, you may qualify for another route, such as arraigo: we look into it with you.
Can I work while my application is being decided?
Yes. Once your application is admitted for processing, you are provisionally authorised to live and work, as an employee or self-employed, in any sector and anywhere in Spain.
More than three months have passed and I have had no reply. What should I do?
After three months without a decision, the application is deemed refused by administrative silence, which allows you to appeal. But the authorities are still obliged to issue an express decision, and with more than a million applications many files are delayed. What is best to do depends on your specific case.
I have been asked to provide documents. How long do I have?
Whatever the request states, which is usually short. Do not let it lapse: if you do not reply in time, the application may be closed or refused. Correos (the Spanish postal service) accepts corrections and supporting documents until 30 September 2026.
It has been granted. What comes next?
You are granted a one-year residence and work permit. Before it expires —in the two months beforehand— you must apply to switch to another ordinary permit, so it is worth planning this from day one.
Speak to our team
Is your application in progress?
Bring us the documents you submitted and anything you have been notified of. We will tell you where you stand and what is best to do now.
Other services
Arraigo (residence through roots)
Spanish citizenship
Family members and EU residence card
All services
The information on this page is for guidance only and is up to date as of September 2026. Spanish immigration law changes often and every case is different: before submitting any application it is worth having your situation reviewed individually. We work in English and Spanish.