Arraigo: The Route to Regularisation after Three Years in Spain

Arraigo (social, employment or family rooting) is the legal route that allows foreign nationals who have been living in Spain without regular status for a period of at least two or three years to apply for a residence authorisation under Articles 122 to 130 of the Foreigners' Regulations (Royal Decree 557/2011, implementing Organic Law 4/2000 on the rights and freedoms of foreign nationals in Spain). Three modalities exist: arraigo social (3 years' continuous residence plus community ties or a council integration report and an employment contract), arraigo laboral (2 years' residence with at least 6 months of evidenced employment with a Spanish employer) and arraigo familiar (for spouses or registered partners of Spanish nationals, or parents of minor Spanish-nationality children). Each modality has specific documentary requirements and different resulting authorisations.

The three modalities of arraigo

Arraigo social is the most commonly used route. It requires demonstrating continuous residence in Spain for at least three years (evidenced primarily through historical municipal registration records — empadronamiento histórico), community ties (typically through a council social integration report or evidence of family ties with legal residents), and an employment contract or job offer from a Spanish employer. The council’s social integration report, while not always strictly required, is a key evidentiary element that must be prepared carefully.

Arraigo laboral requires at least two years’ residence and evidence of at least six months of employment with Spanish employers. Unlike arraigo social, it grants residence authorisation without an automatic work authorisation, which requires careful planning of the holder’s employment situation during the regularisation period.

Arraigo familiar is available to foreign nationals who are the spouse or registered partner of a Spanish national, or who have minor children of Spanish nationality. It does not require a minimum residence period, but the family relationship must be adequately evidenced.

Documentation and common reasons for refusal

The most common reasons for arraigo refusal are: incomplete or improperly apostilled criminal record certificates, inadequate evidence of continuous residence (gaps in municipal registration history), an employer who does not meet the financial solvency requirements for the contract, and failure to evidence sufficient means of subsistence. Our preparation process is specifically designed to identify and resolve these issues before submission.

Success rate and realistic expectations

We handle arraigo applications with a success rate above 92%. This figure reflects our systematic approach to eligibility assessment before initiating any file: we do not submit applications that lack a solid evidentiary basis, and we prepare each application anticipating the specific documentation standards of the competent Immigration Office.

This service is part of our immigration and international mobility practice.