What this letter is
The certificado de vulnerabilidad (vulnerability certificate) is a document confirming that you are in a situation of vulnerabilidad social (social vulnerability) because you don’t have papers. It is one of the possible requirements for arraigo extraordinario (extraordinary settlement) in the 2026 regularisation (Real Decreto 316/2026). It is signed and stamped by servicios sociales (social services) or an organisation registered in the RECEX, using an official Ministry template. Applications closed on 30 June 2026, so today the most common situation is receiving a requerimiento de subsanación (request to correct) because the certificate is missing, unstamped or incomplete.
How to read it: the key parts
| What you see in the certificate or the requerimiento | What it means |
|---|---|
| Modelo oficial (official template) of the Ministry of Inclusion | The certificate must follow that template. A free-form report may not be accepted. |
| Entidad emisora (issuing body): social services or a RECEX organisation | Who certifies your situation. If it isn’t one of these, it’s not valid. |
| Firma y sello (signature and stamp) | Without the organisation’s stamp, the certificate is not valid. |
| Datos de identidad (identity details: passport or other document) | Must match your application exactly. |
| Circunstancias de vulnerabilidad (personales, económicas, sociales, de vivienda…) (personal, economic, social, housing circumstances) | Why your irregular status affects your living conditions or rights. |
| Requerimiento de subsanación (request to correct) | The Oficina de Extranjería asks you to correct or provide documents. |
| Plazo (deadline) | The days you have to respond; at most 15. |
| Nº de expediente (case number) | Your application reference. Use it when replying. |
What deadline you have
- Regularisation application: closed since 30 June 2026. A new one can no longer be filed.
- Correction: the deadline stated in the notification, at most 15 days. Unless it says otherwise, these are working days: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays don’t count.
- Decision: the Administration has 3 months. If it doesn’t answer, it’s deemed refused and you can appeal.
- Electronic notification: if you’re notified online and don’t open it, after 10 calendar days it’s deemed notified.
Example: you open the requerimiento on Monday the 5th. The deadline starts on Tuesday the 6th. Count 15 working days skipping weekends and holidays (12 October, for example): it ends about three weeks later. Book the certificate appointment on the first day.
What you can do
| Option | When it makes sense | What happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Get the certificate | If you didn’t submit it or it was missing | You provide it within the correction deadline. |
| Ask for it to be stamped or corrected | If the stamp is missing or details are wrong | You go back to the same organisation and submit the corrected version. |
| Prove another route | If you have a job, a job offer or dependent family | You provide that evidence instead of, or as well as, vulnerability. |
| Appeal | If the authorisation is refused | Recurso de reposición (administrative appeal) or the courts, according to the appeals footer. |
| Do nothing | Never | The case is closed. |
What happens if you do nothing
- If you don’t correct it in time, you’re deemed to have desistido (withdrawn) and the case is archivado (closed).
- When the procedure ends, you’re no longer provisionally authorised to reside and work under that application.
- Since the application window has closed, you won’t be able to apply again for this regularisation.
Common mistakes
- Submitting a certificate without a stamp or from an organisation not in the RECEX.
- Using an old social report instead of the official template.
- Thinking everyone needs the certificate: it’s only needed on the vulnerability route.
- Leaving the social services appointment until the end of the deadline.
- Paying intermediaries for a certificate: it’s issued by social services and social organisations.
How to respond step by step
- Read the requerimiento: exactly what’s missing and until when you have.
- Book an appointment with your town hall’s servicios sociales or an organisation registered in the RECEX. The list is on the Ministry of Inclusion’s regularisation website.
- Bring your passport, the case number and whatever proves your situation (padrón, reports, housing).
- Check that the certificate follows the official template and has a signature and stamp.
- Submit it through the same channel as the application (online portal with Cl@ve or a digital certificate, or with help from the organisation supporting you) and keep the receipt.
Expediente n.º [número]. D./D.ª [nombre], pasaporte [número], en respuesta al requerimiento de subsanación notificado el [fecha], aporto certificado de vulnerabilidad emitido y sellado por [servicios sociales de… / entidad RECEX], conforme al modelo oficial.
Translation: Case no. [number]. [Name], passport [number], in reply to the request to correct notified on [date], I provide a vulnerability certificate issued and stamped by [social services of… / RECEX organisation], following the official template.
Cartamiga tip: if you get a requerimiento, go to the organisation that helped you with the application or to your social services that same day. Many RECEX organisations already know the template and can file it with you within the deadline.