Autorizaciones de residencia temporal por circunstancias excepcionales — arraigo
Assess and apply for the correct arraigo route
Use the current arraigo category that matches your facts; the categories now have different presence, family, work and training tests.
- Who it is for
- Non-EU citizens
- Legal deadline
- category-dependent
- How long it takes
- official procedure and evidence requirements vary by arraigo category
- Cost
- current government fee
- Where
- Online or in person · Oficina de Extranjería
Why this page is short
Which route applies depends on your individual record, and choosing the wrong one can cost you it. This page tells you what the procedure is. It does not walk you through it.
What the official sources say
Social, sociolaboral and socioformativo currently use a two-year continuous-presence concept; that is not the same as two years of legal residence.inclusion.gob.es
Not every arraigo category requires a job or training; each current category has a distinct test.inclusion.gob.es
Segunda oportunidad is a current route linked to certain previous non-exceptional residence authorizations; it is not a generic trafficking/deportation-victim route.ciudadaniaexterior.inclusion.gob.es
What we see in practice
NEXO's own observations. They are not official information and carry no source.
- Evidence should tell one coherent chronology; a large bundle of inconsistent documents can be less useful than a smaller consistent record.
- Practitioner pages about arraigo can go stale quickly. Always date-check them against the current Ministry category before using them.
Questions people ask
Do I always need two years in Spain?
No. Some current categories use two-year continuous presence; arraigo familiar has different eligibility conditions.inclusion.gob.es
Does every route require a job?
No. The requirements depend on the exact category.inclusion.gob.es
Can NEXO choose the route for me?
NEXO can explain the official categories, but route selection is a high-stakes fact-sensitive decision and should be professionally reviewed.
What gets it refused or delayed
- The claimed category's presence, work, training, family or previous-authorization conditions are not established.inclusion.gob.es
- Old pre-May-2025 criteria are used instead of the current route requirements.inclusion.gob.es
Does any of this sound like you?
- Arraigo is not answered directly. The categories change, the evidence is fact-specific and the timing is usually critical, so a wrong answer costs someone their route. NEXO says that plainly and connects the applicant to an immigration lawyer.
- Always hand off individualized arraigo route selection, especially with protection history, convictions, refusals or disputed presence/family facts.
Cases like these need an immigration lawyer. Describe yours to NEXO first, so you know what to ask and what to bring.