How to prove your stay in Spain for arraigo: which evidence counts

For arraigo you must show that you have stayed in Spain continuously for the two years before applying. There is no closed list of evidence: any document with your name and a date that places you in Spain counts, and the more official and better spread over time, the more convincing the whole.

The typical mistake is not a lack of evidence but having it all from the last six months. Here is how to build a solid file.

What the rule requires

Article 126.b) of the Immigration Regulation (Royal Decree 1155/2024) requires continuous stay in Spain for at least the two years before filing. Two points:

• The period is counted back from the day of application. Two years that ended some time ago do not count.
• Time as an applicant for international protection is not counted.

Arraigo familiar requires no minimum stay.

Evidence, from strongest to weakest

Documents issued by a public authority

These carry most weight, being signed by an official third party:

• Historical padrón certificate. The benchmark. If you lived in several municipalities, request one from each.
• Health card, medical appointments, emergency reports, vaccinations, prescriptions.
• Your children's schooling and school certificates.
• Enrolments and certificates from public adult education or language centres.
• Reports from municipal social services.
• Entry stamp in the passport, police reports filed, fines, any administrative decision in your name.
• Earlier immigration applications, even if refused.

Documents from private bodies with some backing

• Bank statements with activity in Spain: card payments, cash withdrawals.
• Money transfers home from agencies, with your name and the date.
• Rental contract and receipts, utility or phone bills.
• Named transport passes.
• Certificates from social organisations, parishes or associations that assisted you, with specific dates.
• Course certificates from academies or training centres.
• Named plane or coach tickets, bookings, insurance policies.

Weak evidence

• Statements from neighbours, friends or acquaintances.
• Photographs and social media posts.
• Shop receipts without a name.

They are not forbidden, but alone they prove nothing. Use them only as a supplement, never as the basis.

How to spread it over time

The Immigration Office does not count documents: it looks for continuity. A practical method:

1. Divide the twenty-four months into quarters.
2. Put at least one strong item in each quarter, official or bank-based.
3. Where you only have weak evidence, reinforce it: ask the organisation that assisted you for a certificate, or your bank for the account history.
4. Identify the first item: it marks when you arrived. The entry stamp, first padrón registration or first medical appointment.

If there is a gap of several months with nothing, explain it and cover it with what you have. An unexplained gap is the most common cause of requests and refusals.

What about trips out of Spain?

Stay must be continuous. A trip leaves a trace in the passport, and the office checks every page. Avoid leaving during the two years unless essential; if you did, keep proof of when you left and returned, and raise it before filing to assess whether it affects continuity.

How to present it

• Chronological order, oldest to newest.
• A one-page index: date, type of document and what it proves.
• Legible, complete copies. On bank statements you can highlight transactions in Spain.
• Documents in another language: with a sworn translation if relevant.
• Do not overload: twenty good, well-ordered items beat two hundred papers.

Online filing has file-size limits: group the evidence by half-year into a few files with clear names.

What you must never do

Submit a fictitious padrón, a sham rental contract or any false document. Besides refusal — the Regulation expressly provides for refusal where false documents are submitted or inaccurate statements made — it may have criminal consequences and close the door on future applications.

Start today, even if you are short of time

If you have not reached two years:

• Register on the padrón now. See padrón registration for foreigners.
• Apply for the health card or the care you are entitled to in your region.
• Open a bank account if you can, and use it.
• Keep, on paper and digitally, every document with your name and a date.
• Join a language or training course: it proves stay and integration.

Common mistakes

• All the evidence from the last year.
• A padrón with removals for not renewing registration.
• Documents without a name or with it misspelt.
• A renewed passport without keeping the old one, which has the entry stamp.
• Relying only on witnesses.
• Mixing everything with no order or index.

Frequently asked questions

I did not register on the padrón for a year. Have I lost that time?

No, if you can prove it with other documents: medical appointments, money transfers, statements, certificates from organisations. The padrón is the most convenient evidence, not the only one.

Does a sworn statement from my landlord help?

As a supplement, yes. As the only proof of a period, it is not usually enough.

I lost the passport with the entry stamp. What do I do?

Look for other proof of arrival: a named ticket, first medical appointment, first money transfer. And ask your consulate for a record of the previous passport's issue.

Do the months I spent on a tourist visa count?

Yes: what is required is stay in Spain, whatever your administrative status, except time as an applicant for international protection.

How many items are needed?

There is no number. What matters is that they cover the whole period with no long gaps.

Your next step

The free test works out the day you reach two years and which arraigo fits. To know whether a specific item counts, show it to Resi.