Spain's 2026 extraordinary regularisation: the deadline has passed

The deadline to apply for Spain's 2026 extraordinary regularisation ended on 30 June 2026: no new applications can be filed. What matters now is what to do depending on where you stand: waiting for an answer, granted, refused or out of time.

The regularisation was approved by Royal Decree 316/2026 of 14 April, which added two additional provisions (twentieth and twenty-first) to the Immigration Regulation.

What it was, briefly

There were two routes, both open until 30 June 2026 and both requiring five uninterrupted months in Spain before applying:

• For applicants for international protection who had claimed asylum before 1 January 2026.
• Extraordinary arraigo for people who were in Spain before 1 January 2026 and who, in addition, had worked or could show an intention to work, lived with minor children or parents, or were in a certified situation of vulnerability.

Both required being of age, holding no other permit or pending procedure, and having no criminal record.

If you applied and are still waiting

• You may live and work provisionally. From the notice that processing has started until the decision, the rule authorises you to work as an employee and self-employed, anywhere in Spain and in any sector. That notice is the document to show your employer.
• The maximum period is three months from registration, but it can be suspended; for instance, while your criminal record is requested through diplomatic channels. The provisional authorisation remains valid during suspension.
• If the period passes with no answer, the application is deemed refused by silence and you may appeal. Check first whether the period was suspended.
• If you receive a request for documents, answer within the time stated (fifteen days at most). Not answering counts as withdrawal. See how to answer a request.

If it was granted

1. Apply for the card (TIE) within the following month. The permit gives full rights from the grant, but the card is what identifies you.
2. It lasts one year and allows employed and self-employed work anywhere and in any occupation.
3. If you came from asylum, the grant means withdrawing your international protection claim or pending appeal.
4. If expulsion proceedings for irregular stay were open, the grant closes them.

What happens when the year ends

This is the important question, and it needs months of preparation. The rule provides two exits:

• Modify to one of the ordinary permits in the Regulation — residence and work, for example — if you meet its requirements by then. This is the normal path.
• Extend for one year, exceptionally, if you cannot modify: you must show active job seeking and registration with the public employment service, or provide an integration-effort report from your regional government.

In practice: contribute as much as you can during the year, keep payslips and contracts, and watch your card's expiry date. Applications are filed in the two months before it.

If it was refused

• The provisional right to work is lost automatically on refusal, with no further decision needed. If you are employed, you must tell your employer the outcome immediately.
• You can appeal: an appeal for reconsideration (recurso de reposición) within one month, or go directly to the administrative court within two months. See residence refused: appeals.
• Check whether you already fit an ordinary arraigo. A refusal of the extraordinary route does not prevent you applying once you meet its requirements.

If you missed the deadline

The ordinary routes remain, with no closing date:

• With two years of continuous stay: arraigo social, sociolaboral or socioformativo. Guide in two years in Spain without papers.
• With no minimum time: if you are the parent of a Spanish or EU minor, or the spouse or partner of a Spanish citizen.

A warning for former asylum seekers: for ordinary arraigo, the time your protection claim was being processed does not count towards the two years, and you cannot apply while the claim is still live.

Common mistakes

• Believing you can still apply. Anyone offering to "get you into the regularisation" for money is deceiving you.
• Continuing to work after a refusal as if the authorisation still stood.
• Not applying for the card within the month.
• Waiting until the last day to prepare the modification or extension.

Frequently asked questions

Will there be another window?

The rule set 30 June 2026 as the limit and provides for no second window. If anything changes, we will report it here.

I applied in June and have heard nothing. Is that normal?

The legal period is three months, but it is suspended in some cases. Check your file's status and your notifications: an electronic notification not opened within ten calendar days is treated as rejected.

Can I travel outside Spain while I wait?

The provisional authorisation is for living and working in Spain; it is not a travel document and does not guarantee re-entry. Ask before leaving.

It was granted. Can I bring my family?

Family reunification requires, among other things, one year of residence and a permit for at least another year. You will have to wait until you renew or modify. See family reunification: requirements.

Does this year count towards nationality?

It is legal residence, so it counts towards the periods for nationality by residence provided you then keep your residence without interruption.

Your next step

If you were left out or refused, the free test tells you which ordinary route is open to you today. If you have been granted it and want to prepare the second year, ask Resi which documents to start keeping.