Arraigo familiar 2026: requirements, documents and how it differs from residence as a family member of a Spanish citizen
Arraigo familiar (residence through family ties) is now the residence permit for the father, mother or guardian of a minor from another European Union country, the EEA or Switzerland, and for someone who supports a relative with a disability from those countries. It requires no prior time in Spain, gives five years of residence and work, and you apply with the EX-10 form. If your child is Spanish, the route is the EX-24.
Updated on 14 October 2026
Since 20 May 2025, under the Reglamento de Extranjería (RD 1155/2024), Spain's immigration regulations, arraigo familiar is no longer the route for family members of Spanish citizens: it is now for ties with a minor or a person with a disability from another European Union country, the European Economic Area or Switzerland (art. 127.e). You apply from within Spain, without a visa (art. 130.1).
No minimum
period of prior stay in Spain (art. 126.b)
5 years
of residence and work; the other arraigos, one (arts. 125.2 and 131)
€38.28
tasa 790-052 (government fee), heading 2.3.1
3 months
for a decision; with no reply, it can be taken as refused
Who can apply: what the Reglamento says
«1. Being the father, mother or guardian of a minor who is a national of another Member State of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, provided that, when applying, they prove that they reside in Spain, that the minor is in their care and that they live with the minor, or that they are up to date with their parental obligations. 2. Being the person who provides support to a person with a disability who is a national of another Member State of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland, for the exercise of their legal capacity, provided that the applicant is a family member of that person, has the person with a disability in their care and lives with them.»
Real Decreto 1155/2024, art. 127.e
There are two cases, and in both you cannot yourself be a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland (Hoja informativa 31, the Ministry's information sheet):
- Mother, father or guardian of a minor from another EU country, the EEA or Switzerland. You prove that you live in Spain and also that the child is in your care and lives with you, or that you are up to date with your obligations towards the child: a parent who does not live with their child but meets those obligations also qualifies.
- A relative who supports a person with a disability from those countries: the person is in your care and lives with you. Only one single relative can apply on this basis (Instrucciones SEM 1/2025, seventh instruction).
No minimum time in Spain, but the requirements of every arraigo still apply
The other arraigos require two years in a row in Spain; this one does not: “Arraigo familiar will not require any minimum period of stay” (art. 126.b). Nor do financial means, a job contract or an integration report appear in art. 127.e or in Hoja 31 (what other procedures require). The general requirements do apply:
- Being in Spain when you submit the application.
- Not being an applicant for international protection, either when you apply or while the application is being processed.
- Having no criminal record, for offences that also exist in Spain, either here or in the countries where you lived during the five years before entering.
- Not being listed as someone to be refused entry in countries that have an agreement with Spain, and not being within the period of a commitment not to return.
- Not being a threat to public order, public security or public health.
- Not holding another stay or residence authorisation, and not having an application of that kind in progress.
- Paying the fee.
The second-to-last condition (letter h) has applied since 16 April 2026 (RD 316/2026): for example, if you hold a valid student stay, you cannot apply for an arraigo.
The documents
- The EX-10 form, filled in and signed by you.
- A full copy of your valid passport (or of your cédula de inscripción or travel document valid in Spain).
- Criminal record certificates from the countries where you lived during the five years before entering Spain; the Spanish one is requested by the office itself (art. 130.2).
- Mother, father or guardian: the child's birth certificate showing your relationship and the child's nationality, or the legal guardianship document.
- Supporting a person with a disability: proof of their disability or need for support and that they are in your care and you live together, plus their identity document.
Copies, with the originals available to show. Documents issued abroad must be translated by an official translator and legalised or apostilled, unless an agreement exempts them.
You do not need the foreign certificate if you have spent the last five years in a row in Spain, or if you already provided it during that time without leaving (art. 130.2). To prove that you live here, that you live with the child or that you meet your obligations towards them, Hoja 31 does not set a specific document: any means of proof admissible in law is valid (Ley 39/2015, art. 77.1).
- Hoja informativa 31 — Arraigo familiar (information sheet)inclusion.gob.es ↗Ministerio de Inclusión, April 2026
- Frequently asked questions on arraigo (RD 1155/2024)inclusion.gob.es ↗Ministerio de Inclusión, PDF
- Reglamento de Extranjería, arts. 125 to 127 and 130 to 132boe.es ↗BOE, consolidated text as of 22/09/2026
Links checked on 14/10/2026.
The form: EX-10, with a section just for this arraigo
You apply with the EX-10, the form for exceptional circumstances. Its section 2, «Datos del familiar ciudadano de la UE/EEE/Suiza (sólo en caso de arraigo familiar)» (details of the EU/EEA/Swiss family member, only for arraigo familiar), covers the minor or the person with a disability: passport or NIE, name, birth details, address and the line «Vínculo con el familiar o discapacitado a cargo» (relationship with the family member or dependent person with a disability). In section 7 you tick «Residencia inicial» (initial residence) and «Arraigo familiar (art. 127.e)». The rest is filled in as explained on the form's own page.
Where to apply, how much it costs and how long it takes
Submit the application
In person, at the Oficina de Extranjería (immigration office) in your province, or online through Mercurio (step by step). A professional can do it for you, with your representation accredited (art. 197.4; who goes in each box).
Where it gets stuckSubmitting in another province: the time limit only starts when it enters the register of the competent office.
Pay the tasa 790-052
Heading 2.3.1, «autorización de residencia temporal por circunstancias excepcionales por arraigo» (temporary residence for exceptional circumstances based on arraigo): €38.28, paid by you, within the following ten working days; if you apply online, when you submit (how to pay it).
Where it gets stuckNot paying it: having paid the fee is a requirement (art. 126.g).
Answer the requerimiento (request for documents), if one arrives
You have up to fifteen days to provide whatever is missing (how to respond).
Where it gets stuckReplying late: the application is treated as withdrawn (desistimiento) and the file is closed (art. 130.3).
Wait for the decision
Three months from entry in the competent register; if you are not notified, it can be taken as refused (silencio administrativo; check the status).
Where it gets stuckNot opening the electronic notification: after ten calendar days it is treated as notified (Hoja 31).
Apply for the TIE (foreigner identity card)
Once it is granted, you have one month to apply for it in person at the police station, with the EX-17 and the tasa 790-012 of €16.08 (art. 130.6; Orden PJC/617/2025, heading 4.2).
Can you work? Yes, once it is granted
As an employee or self-employed, anywhere in Spain and in any occupation, for the whole period of validity, except anyone below the minimum working age (art. 131). While the application is being processed, no: that provisional permission to work belongs only to arraigo sociolaboral (art. 130.5).
Five years, and then
It lasts five years; the other arraigos, one (arts. 125.2 and 132.1). Five years of legal and continuous residence are the general requirement for long-term residence (larga duración) (art. 183.1): you apply with the EX-11 in the two months before your permit expires, or in the three months after, with a possible fine (art. 184.2). Absences of up to six months in a row, as long as they do not exceed ten in total, do not break continuity (art. 183.2).
Art. 132 regulates the extension (prórroga) in the two months before expiry, with its own requirements for the other arraigos and none for arraigo familiar. If after five years you do not meet the requirements for long-term residence, have your case reviewed before your card expires.
Arraigo familiar or EX-24? The child's nationality decides
If your child is Spanish, it is not arraigo familiar: since 20 May 2025, the child's father, mother or guardian applies for residence as a family member of a Spanish citizen with the EX-24 (art. 94.1.f). In the Ministry's words, “arraigo familiar is reserved for nationals of another Member State of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland”.
| What changes | Arraigo familiar (EX-10) | Family member of a Spanish citizen (EX-24) |
|---|---|---|
| Who it derives from | A minor or person with a disability from another EU country, the EEA or Switzerland | A Spanish citizen (art. 94.1) |
| Where you apply from | From Spain (art. 126.a) | Also with the family member abroad (art. 97.1) |
| Fee | €38.28 (790-052) | Free (art. 97.8) |
| Time limit for a decision | 3 months; no reply means refusal | 2 months; no reply means refusal (art. 97.6) |
| Working while it is processed | No (art. 130.5) | Yes, if you are both in Spain (art. 97.5) |
| Criminal record | You must have none (art. 126.d) | A conviction alone is not enough to refuse the father or mother (art. 98.1) |
| Duration | 5 years (art. 125.2) | 5 years, or less if the Spanish citizen will reside for less time (art. 95.3) |
| TIE (790-012) | €16.08 (heading 4.2) | €12 (heading 4.1) |
The comparison between the EX-24 and the EU family member card of the EX-19 is on the EX-24 page.
Anyone who, on 20 May 2025, held an arraigo familiar based on a tie with a Spanish citizen keeps their residence as long as they meet the conditions of the rules for family members of Spanish citizens, without having to apply with the EX-24 (third transitional provision). And on 8 July 2026 the Supreme Court annulled the requirement that the relationship with the Spanish child had to have been established under Spanish law.
How it differs from the other four arraigos
All five use the EX-10 and pay the same fee, but the other four require two years in a row in Spain and last one year (arts. 126.b and 125.2):
- [Social](/tramites/arraigo-social) (through social ties): ties with foreign relatives who live here legally, or a social integration report, plus financial means (art. 127.c).
- [Sociolaboral](/tramites/arraigo-laboral) (through work): job contracts adding up to at least 20 hours a week, paying the minimum wage or the collective agreement wage; the only one that lets you work from the moment the application is admitted for processing (arts. 127.b and 130.5).
- Socioformativo (through training): enrolment in one of the listed training courses and an integration report; up to 30 hours a week as an employee (arts. 127.d and 131.b).
- Segunda oportunidad (second chance): in the previous two years, a residence permit that was not for exceptional circumstances and was not renewed for reasons unrelated to public order, public security or public health (art. 127.a).
Frequently asked questions
How long do I need to have been in Spain to apply for arraigo familiar?
No time at all: “Arraigo familiar will not require any minimum period of stay” (art. 126.b). You only need to be in Spain when you apply and to prove that you live here.
My child is Spanish. Can I apply for arraigo familiar?
No. Since 20 May 2025 you apply for residence as a family member of a Spanish citizen, with the EX-24: it is free, it must be decided within two months and, if you are both in Spain, it lets you work while it is being processed.
I don't live with my child. Can I apply?
Yes, if you are up to date with your obligations towards them: living together is an alternative, not a requirement (art. 127.e). What you must prove is that you live in Spain.
Do I need to show income or a job contract?
No: neither art. 127.e nor Hoja 31 asks for them. You do need to pay the €38.28 fee and meet the general requirements, such as having no criminal record.
Can I work with arraigo familiar?
Yes, once it is granted: as an employee or self-employed and in any occupation, for the whole five years (art. 131). While it is being processed, no.
What happens when the five years are up?
With five years of legal and continuous residence you can apply for long-term residence, with the EX-11, in the two months before expiry (arts. 183 and 184). The Reglamento sets no specific requirements for extending arraigo familiar.