Autorización de residencia de larga duración nacional / larga duración-UE
Apply for long-term residence
Apply for national or EU long-term residence after the qualifying legal-residence period, using the continuity and absence rules for the exact status you want.
- Who it is for
- Non-EU citizens
- Legal deadline
- after the qualifying residence period is completed
- How long it takes
- official procedure-dependent; status is long-term/indefinite once granted
- Cost
- current government fee
- Where
- Online · Oficina de Extranjería
Steps
- Decide whether the target is national long-term residence or EU long-term residence; they are related but not identical.inclusion.gob.es
- Calculate qualifying legal residence and absences using the exact continuity rules for that status.inclusion.gob.es
- File EX-11 with the evidence required by the selected long-term residence route.inclusion.gob.es
That is the whole procedure
If you would rather go through yours with someone, describe it to NEXO first. You will find out what applies to you, and whether you need a person.
What to bring
- EX-11, identity/current residence documents and evidence needed to calculate the qualifying residence period.inclusion.gob.es
- Evidence relevant to absences and, where the route requires it, criminal-record or other route-specific conditions.inclusion.gob.es
What the official sources say
National long-term residence generally requires five years of legal and continuous residence, but short absences do not automatically reset the clock.inclusion.gob.es
Current guidance permits absences up to six continuous months provided the total stays within the published aggregate limits; qualifying work-related absences have a higher aggregate ceiling.inclusion.gob.es
For larga duración-UE specifically, qualifying study/mobility/training periods can count at 50% under the statutory conditions; do not apply that rule automatically to national long-term residence.inclusion.gob.es
The current national and EU long-term sheets require no relevant criminal convictions in Spain and countries of residence during the preceding five years under the stated rule.inclusion.gob.es
What we see in practice
NEXO's own observations. They are not official information and carry no source.
- Do not count from the first NIE date; NIE assignment is not residence.
- Keep national long-term and larga duración-UE as separate decision branches in the product.
Questions people ask
Does one trip abroad reset my five years?
No. Use the published absence limits for the exact long-term route.inclusion.gob.es
Does student stay count fully?
Do not assume that. Larga duración-UE has a specific 50% rule for qualifying periods under its conditions.inclusion.gob.es
Does the status expire every five years?
The long-term residence status is not simply a five-year temporary authorization; the physical TIE has its own renewal/document cycle.inclusion.gob.es
What gets it refused or delayed
- The qualifying residence/continuity conditions are not met, or route-specific criminal-record/other requirements fail.inclusion.gob.es
Does any of this sound like you?
- Absence history, study periods, status gaps or criminal-record facts make the five-year calculation uncertain.
Cases like these need an immigration lawyer. Describe yours to NEXO first, so you know what to ask and what to bring.