Spanish Residency Requirements 2026
Spain Residence Visa Categories
Immigation Sevices to obtain Residence in Spain
Bring your family to Spain legally through family reunification visas and residence permits. This option helps spouses, children, and dependent relatives obtain Spanish residency and family-based immigration status.
Study in Spain with student visas and training residence permits for international students, language courses, internships, and professional education programs. Ideal for those seeking legal residence while studying in Spain.
Live and work in Spain through employment visas or self-employment residence permits. Suitable for employees, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and business owners starting a new life in Spain.
Spain offers humanitarian residence permits and legal protections for vulnerable individuals, victims of violence, trafficking, or exceptional hardship situations requiring special immigration support.
Arraigo residence permits allow foreigners living in Spain to regularize their immigration status through social, family, labor, or training roots under Spanish immigration law.
Special residency options exist for minors, dependent children, and unique family situations requiring legal protection and residency solutions in Spain.
Obtain long-term or permanent residency in Spain after legally residing in the country for the required period. Enjoy greater stability, work rights, and long-term immigration benefits.
Change or modify your Spanish residence permit, work authorization, or immigration category based on new employment, family, or residency circumstances in Spain.
Change or modify your Spanish residence permit, work authorization, or immigration category based on new employment, family, or residency circumstances in Spain.
The Spanish Digital Nomad Visa allows remote workers, freelancers, and online entrepreneurs to legally live and work in Spain while employed by foreign companies or international clients.
EU citizens and their family members can obtain legal residence in Spain through EU registration certificates and community regime residency permits under European Union law.
The Non-Lucrative Visa allows non-EU citizens to live in Spain without working locally. Perfect for retirees, financially independent individuals, and those seeking residency in Spain through passive income or savings.
The Self-Employed Visa allows non-EU citizens to start a business or work as freelancers in Spain legally. Ideal for entrepreneurs, independent professionals, and remote service providers seeking residency through self-employment.
The Spanish Student Visa allows international students to live legally in Spain while attending university, language courses, internships, or professional training programs. It is one of the most popular pathways for studying and later residing in Spain.
Explore additional Spanish visa and residency options for unique immigration situations, special permits, temporary authorizations, and miscellaneous residence applications under Spanish immigration law.
Obtain a Spain Residence Lawyer who offers legal assistance to obtain your residency in Spain
Family Reunification & Ties
This group consolidates all permits based on family relationships with residents, Spaniards, or EU citizens.
- Temporary residence permit for family reunification
- Temporary residence permit for family reunification: mobility of family members of long-term EU residents in another EU Member State
- Renewal of the temporary residence permit for family reunification
- Independent residence permit for reunited family members
- Temporary residence authorization for family members of Spanish nationals
- Independent residence for persons who have or have had family ties with a Spanish national
- Residence card for a family member of a European Union citizen
- Permanent residence card for a family member of a European Union citizen
Work & Self-Employment (General)
This covers the standard work and self-employment permits, including cross-border workers.
- Initial temporary residence and employment permit
- Renewal of the temporary residence and employment permit
- Initial temporary residence and employment permit Self-employment
- Renewal of temporary residence and self-employment authorization
- Self-employment permit for cross-border workers
- Employment permit for cross-border workers
Work (Special Schemes & Highly Qualified)
This group is for specific labor migration programs and high-skill workers.
- Temporary residence and work authorization for seasonal activities
- Collective management of hiring in origin
- Residence and work authorization for stable migration (Collective Management of Hiring in Origin, GECCO 2025)
- Temporary residence and work authorization for seasonal activities in circular migration (Collective Management of Hiring in Origin, GECCO 2025)
- Initial residence and work permit for highly qualified professionals
- Renewal of temporary residence and work permit for highly qualified professionals
- Temporary residence and work permit for research
Exceptional Circumstances & Roots (Arraigo)
A critical category for permits granted based on personal and social ties or humanitarian reasons.
- Temporary residence authorization for exceptional circumstances. Second chance settlement
- Temporary residence authorization for exceptional circumstances. Social roots
- Temporary residence permit for exceptional circumstances. Socio-laboral roots.
- Temporary residence permit for exceptional circumstances. Socio-educational roots.
- Temporary residence permit for exceptional circumstances. Family roots.
- Temporary residence permit for exceptional circumstances for humanitarian reasons.
Humanitarian Protections & Victims
A sensitive but important category for vulnerable groups and those assisting authorities.
- Temporary residence and work permit for foreign women victims of gender-based violence.
- Temporary residence and work permit for foreign women victims of sexual violence.
- Temporary residence and work permit for exceptional circumstances for collaboration with non-police administrative authorities against networks.
- Temporary residence and work permit for collaboration with police, prosecutorial, or judicial authorities. against networks
- Temporary residence and work permit for exceptional circumstances for foreign victims of human trafficking
- Temporary residence permit for exceptional circumstances for collaboration with police, prosecutorial, judicial, or national security authorities.
- Temporary residence permit for exceptional circumstances for public interest or collaboration with the labor administration.
Minors & Special Family Cases
This group addresses the specific legal situations of foreign minors and dependents.
- Temporary residence permit for accompanied foreign minors born in Spain
- Residence permit for accompanying minors or persons with a disability not born in Spain
- Temporary travel of foreign minors for medical treatment
- Temporary travel of foreign minors for vacation purposes
- Temporary travel of foreign minors for schooling purposes
- Temporary residence permit for unaccompanied minors
- Renewal of temporary residence permit for unaccompanied minors upon reaching adulthood
- Temporary residence permit for exceptional circumstances for foreign minors who reach adulthood
Long-Term & Permanent Residency
For permits that represent stable, long-term settlement in Spain.
- National long-term residence permit
- EU long-term residence permit
- Long-term residence in Spain for long-term EU residents in another EU Member State
- Long-term residence permit for family members of the foreign national holder of an EU long-term residence permit granted in another EU Member State
- Recovery of national long-term residence permit
- Recovery of EU long-term residence permit
Modifications Of Status & Regime Changes
This is a procedural category for changing from one type of permit to another.
- Modification from temporary residence permits that allow for work (including exceptional circumstances and root roots)
- Modification from residence situations that did not allow for work (including exceptional circumstances and root roots)
- Modification from the residence card of a family member of an EU citizen or from the authorization of a family member of a person with Spanish nationality
- Modification from residence permits for higher education, secondary education, training activities, or specialized healthcare training
Other & Miscellaneous
For permits and procedures that don't fit neatly into the other categories but are still important.
- Initial non-profit temporary residence permit (Could also fit under "Residency without Work")
- Renewal of the non-profit temporary residence permit (Could also fit under "Residency without Work")
- Temporary residence authorization with exception to the work authorization
- Temporary residence authorization for foreigners who have voluntarily returned to their country
- Residence authorization for job search or starting a business project
- Andorran nationals and their family members (Specific international agreement)
- Situations in which the SNE allows the hiring of non-resident foreign citizens in Spain
- Legitimated subjects
- Legalization and translation of documents for processing immigration and foreign affairs procedures
- Work permit Foreign inmates on open or parole status
- Certificate of registration as a European Union citizen
- Residence mobility for EU researchers granted in a European Union Member State other than Spain
We offer legal assistance for all-types of residency in Spain
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