What this letter is
Arraigo (settlement) is a temporary residence authorisation on grounds of circunstancias excepcionales (exceptional circumstances) for people who already live in Spain and have ties here. Since the Regulation of Real Decreto 1155/2024 there are five types: segunda oportunidad (second chance), sociolaboral (social and work), social, socioformativo (social and training) and familiar (family). After you apply, the Oficina de Extranjería (Immigration Office) will send you a requerimiento (request for documents) if something is missing and, at the end, a favourable or unfavourable resolución (decision).
How to read it: the key parts
| What you see in the letter | What it means |
|---|---|
| Órgano emisor (Oficina de Extranjería de…) (issuing body) | The office in your province handling the case |
| Nº de expediente (case number) | To check the status and quote in your submissions |
| Tipo de autorización: arraigo social / sociolaboral / familiar… (type of authorisation) | The route you applied for; each has different requirements |
| Requerimiento: aporte… en el plazo de… (provide… within…) | A document is missing; the deadline cannot exceed 15 days |
| Fundamentos de derecho (legal grounds; arts. 126 and 127 of the Regulation) | Which requirements they checked |
| Resuelvo: conceder / denegar / archivar (I resolve: grant / refuse / close) | The decision |
| Condicionada al alta en la Seguridad Social (conditional on Social Security registration) | In sociolaboral, the authorisation only takes effect if you are registered within one month |
| Pie de recursos (appeals footer) | Recurso de reposición (one month) or court (two months) |
Main requirements:
- Common: be in Spain, two years of continuous stay (except familiar), no criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you lived in the previous five years, and the fee paid. Since April 2026 you also cannot hold another authorisation or have another residence procedure open.
- Sociolaboral: one or more contracts adding up to at least 20 hours a week at minimum or collective-agreement wage.
- Social: ties with resident foreign relatives (spouse, registered partner, parents or children) and means of at least 100 % of the IPREM (public income benchmark); without such ties, an informe de integración (integration report) from the regional government or town hall.
- Familiar: be the father, mother or guardian of a minor from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, or support a family member with a disability from those countries. It lasts five years; the others, one year.
What deadline you have
- Requerimiento: whatever the letter states, at most 15 working days, from the day after notification.
- Approval: one month to apply in person for the TIE. In sociolaboral, also one month for the alta en la Seguridad Social (Social Security registration).
- Refusal: one month for a recurso de reposición or two months for the courts.
Example: you are granted arraigo sociolaboral and notified on 5 October 2026. Your employer must register you and you must apply for the TIE by 5 November at the latest.
What you can do
| Option | When it makes sense | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Provide the documents | Requerimiento | The case continues; otherwise it is closed as withdrawn |
| Social Security registration and TIE | Approval | The authorisation takes effect; you book a fingerprint appointment |
| Recurso de reposición (administrative appeal) | Refusal due to an error or a document you can provide | The same office decides |
| Recurso contencioso (court appeal) | You want a judge to review it | Longer process |
| New application via another route | You now meet another type of arraigo | A new case starts |
What happens if you do nothing
If you don’t reply to the requerimiento, you are deemed to have desistido (withdrawn) and the case is archivado (closed). In sociolaboral, if there is no Social Security registration within one month, the approval no surte efecto (has no effect). If you don’t apply for the TIE, you will have trouble working, travelling and renewing.
Common mistakes
- Using the requirements of the old regulation (three years, arraigo laboral, arraigo familiar through a Spanish child).
- Filing a contract of under 20 hours or with pay below the minimum.
- Not requesting the informe de integración in time; if it isn’t issued within a month, keep proof that you asked for it.
- Forgetting the certificado de antecedentes penales (criminal record certificate) from your home country, legalised and translated if needed.
- Applying for the prórroga (extension) without being registered as a job seeker when that is required.
How to respond step by step
- Check the status with your NIE or case number on the sede electrónica de las Administraciones Públicas (Public Administrations online portal).
- Download the notification with Cl@ve or a digital certificate, or collect it if it arrives by registered post.
- If it’s a requerimiento, provide exactly what was asked through the registro electrónico (electronic registry) or a registry office, quoting the case number.
- If it’s favourable: Social Security registration (sociolaboral), tasa 790 012 and a cita para la TIE (TIE appointment) within the month.
- If it’s unfavourable, read the reason and the pie de recursos before deciding.
Cartamiga tip: before filing anything, check that your proof of residence covers the two years without long gaps. A padrón (municipal registration) with gaps usually ends in a requerimiento.