TIE HoyArraigo routes — social, work, family or training
Your situation determines which route applies. Check the conditions before filing.
Is arraigo a way to come to Spain?
No. Arraigo is not a normal entry route. It is an exceptional-circumstances authorization for people already in Spain who can prove roots under the current rules.
The file is built from residence evidence, personal history, family or work facts, and the specific arraigo category.
Which arraigo type should I check first?
Check whether your case is ordinary arraigo or a 2026 exceptional branch first.
Ordinary categories include social, sociolaboral, family, socioformativo, and second opportunity. RD 316/2026 also added routes linked to international-protection applicants and extraordinary cases.
Who this fits
- People already in Spain with real roots and proof.
- Applicants with family, work, training, prior-residence facts, or a 2026 exceptional branch to screen.
- People who need to regularize under ordinary categories or RD 316/2026 branches.
Who should pause
- People still outside Spain.
- Applicants with weak presence evidence.
- Anyone offered fake contracts, fake empadronamiento, or fake reports.
- Anyone with asylum/protection history who has not checked Hoja 28 bis first.
Costs
- Official extranjería fee.
- Criminal record, apostille/legalization, sworn translation, municipal reports where applicable.
- Lawyer or gestor fee for review, filing, and follow-up.
Handling routes
- DIY: only with clean evidence and clear category.
- Local/community support: useful for integration-report steps.
- Lawyer: recommended for gaps, departures, prior refusals, criminal record, second opportunity, asylum/protection history, or extraordinary branches.
What to do
Build the timeline, then screen 2026 exceptional branches before choosing the category.
Bring
- Full passport and travel history.
- Empadronamiento and continuous-presence evidence.
- Criminal record certificates when required.
- Social integration or local reports when required.
- Contract, family, training, or prior-authorization documents.
- International-protection/asylum file records if you ever applied.
- 2026 extraordinary-branch evidence if that branch may fit.
- Form, fee, translations, apostilles.
Steps
- Create a month-by-month proof timeline of your stay in Spain.
- Check criminal records, departures, previous refusals, and any expulsion risk.
- Check whether you have international-protection/asylum history or facts that may fit RD 316/2026 extraordinary branches.
- If no 2026 branch applies, identify the ordinary category: social, sociolaboral, familiar, socioformativo, or second opportunity.
- Collect the category-specific evidence and file with the competent extranjería office.
Basis
RD 1155/2024 art. 124 defines exceptional-circumstances residence, art. 125 lists ordinary arraigo authorization types, art. 126 sets general requirements, art. 127 sets category-specific requirements, and arts. 130-132 regulate procedure, work authorization and extension. RD 316/2026 adds DA 20 for certain international-protection applicants and DA 21 for arraigo extraordinario, so ordinary arraigo is not the full route universe.
More questions
Is it two years or three years now?
Start from RD 1155/2024 arts. 126-127, SEM 1/2025, and RD 316/2026 if you have protection/asylum or extraordinary facts. Timing alone does not choose the route.
What if I applied for asylum or protection?
Do not use an ordinary arraigo checklist first. Check Hoja 28 bis and RD 316/2026 DA 20 before deciding whether your time, withdrawal, appeal, or protection file can fit.
Can I apply without a contract?
Maybe under some categories, but not by inventing work evidence. The category decides whether work, family, training, or other proof is central.
Does refusal mean expulsion?
Not automatically in every case, but irregular status carries risk. Get review before filing weak or contradictory evidence.