Extraordinary regularisation Spain: closed, online help

01What it is and who it is for

The 2026 extraordinary regularisation was introduced by Royal Decree 316/2026 of 14 April, published in Spain's Official Gazette (BOE) on 15 April as BOE-A-2026-8284. It amended the Immigration Regulations (Royal Decree 1155/2024) and added two new provisions. The twentieth additional provision created a residence route for people who had claimed asylum (international protection) before 1 January 2026, using form EX-31. The twenty-first created extraordinary arraigo (arraigo extraordinario), using form EX-32, for people who were in Spain before that date.

Applications closed on 30 June 2026. That date is set in the Royal Decree itself, and the Ministry of Inclusion's official portal shows the process as closed. The Government did not approve any extension. As of 3 October 2026 no new applications can be made under this scheme.

For those who applied in time the process is still running: files awaiting a decision, requests for further documents, refusals to challenge and, for those granted a permit, the next step once the year is up. This page explains what the procedure required and what you can do now in each situation.

02Requirements

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Being in Spain before 1 January 2026 and still in Spain when applying. For EX-31, having claimed asylum before that date.
Five months' uninterrupted presence in Spain before applying, shown by any valid evidence that includes your personal details.
Being an adult, holding no other stay or residence permit and having no other immigration application pending.
Not having held temporary protection as a person displaced from Ukraine.
No criminal record in Spain or in the countries where you lived in the five years before arriving. Convictions eligible for removal from the Spanish register are disregarded, but removal must be requested before the decision.
For EX-32, also meeting one of three grounds: having worked in Spain, or having a job offer or a self-employment plan (contracts totalling more than 90 days in a year); living in Spain with your family unit of minor children, adult children with a disability or first-degree ascendants; or being in a situation of vulnerability certified by social services or by an organisation on the official register of immigration partners.
Paying the government fee (form 790, code 052), which became due when the application was admitted and had to be paid within ten working days.

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03Documents

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If your application is pending: the notice of admission or start of the procedure, which provisionally allows you to work.
Proof of fee payment, if it was requested with the admission notice.
Whatever a document request asks for: often evidence of presence before 1 January 2026 or of the five months, or your home country criminal record certificate.
If you could not obtain that certificate: proof that you requested it, a signed declaration and an authorisation for the Spanish authorities to obtain it through diplomatic channels (annexes to the form).
If your application was granted: the decision, passport, photograph and TIE fee; for EX-31, also proof that you withdrew your asylum claim.
If it was refused: the full decision and the date it was notified, which is essential to calculate the appeal deadline.

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04How we handle it online

Status check
We work out where your file stands (admitted, awaiting documents, granted, refused or no reply) from the notices and details you have.
Document requests
If you have been asked for more documents, we prepare the reply and file it within the ten or fifteen days stated, so the file is not closed as abandoned.
Approval and TIE
We explain how to apply for your TIE within a month and, for EX-31, how to withdraw the asylum claim as the rules require.
Appeal after refusal
We analyse the grounds and prepare the administrative or court appeal that applies, within the deadline.
Before the year ends
In the two months before expiry we file the change to an ordinary permit or, if that is not possible, the exceptional extension.
If you missed the deadline
We look at the ordinary routes: arraigo sociolaboral, social, socioformativo, second chance or family ties, or the permit for relatives of Spanish nationals.

05Timescales and validity

The authorities have three months to decide from the date the application was registered. That period can be suspended, for example while criminal records are obtained through diplomatic channels (up to three months). The Royal Decree states that if no decision is notified within three months, the application is treated as refused. The Ministry's portal, however, says the provisional right to work remains valid until an express decision is issued. Do not assume anything is lost without reviewing your file.

If granted, the permit lasts one year and takes effect from the date you applied. It allows you to live and work, employed or self-employed, anywhere in Spain. In the two months before it expires you must apply to change it to another permit under Article 191 of the Regulations; this is also possible within three months afterwards, with a possible fine. If no change is possible, the Regulations allow a one-year extension if you are actively seeking work or have an integration report, and a four-year extension in cases of serious illness, disability or retirement age.

If refused, the provisional right to work ends automatically, and if you are employed you must tell your employer. The refusal can be appealed; the deadline depends on the type of appeal stated in the decision, so act as soon as you receive it.

06Do I need to attend anything in person?

There is nothing left to file in person for the regularisation itself. We submit replies to document requests and appeals electronically; the Ministry also said post offices would keep accepting documents in reply to requests. The step that does require you in person is the TIE: within a month of approval, at the police station or police service for your area, where your fingerprints are taken.

07Common mistakes and reasons for refusal

Believing the deadline is still open or will reopen. It closed on 30 June 2026 and no rule extends it.
Missing a document request deadline. It is fifteen days at most, and without a reply the file is closed as abandoned.
Not keeping your address for notifications up to date. If delivery fails, the notice is published officially and deadlines run anyway.
Forgetting to apply for the TIE within a month of approval.
Letting the permit expire without applying for the change in the two months before.
Applying for ordinary arraigo while the regularisation is still pending: the Regulations do not allow two applications open at once.
For EX-31, not withdrawing the asylum claim after approval.

08Frequently asked questions

Is the extraordinary regularisation still open?

No. It closed on 30 June 2026, as set by Royal Decree 316/2026, and the Government did not extend it. The Ministry of Inclusion's official portal shows the process as closed. New applications are no longer possible.

I missed the deadline. What can I do?

Use the ordinary arraigo routes in the Regulations. After two years in Spain you may qualify for arraigo sociolaboral (with a job contract, and a provisional right to work once the application is admitted), arraigo social or arraigo socioformativo. If you held a permit in the last two years, second chance arraigo. If you have a child from another EU country or a Spanish relative, there are routes with no minimum stay.

I applied and have heard nothing. Can I work?

From the notice that the procedure has started you are provisionally allowed to live and work anywhere in Spain, as an employee or self-employed. The Ministry says this remains valid until an express decision is issued. If your employer asks, the admission notice is the document that proves it.

I have been asked for more documents. What now?

Reply within the deadline in the notice, which cannot exceed fifteen days. Without a reply in time the file is closed. We review the request and prepare the response.

My application was granted. What happens after a year?

The permit is not renewed as such: in the two months before it expires you apply to change it to an ordinary permit, for example for employment or self-employment. If that is not possible, the Regulations allow an exceptional extension of one year, or four years in cases of illness, disability or retirement age.

My application was refused. Can I appeal?

Yes. The decision states which appeal is available and the deadline. We review the grounds and tell you honestly whether you have a case or whether ordinary arraigo is the better path.

What happens to my asylum claim if I am granted EX-31?

You must withdraw the asylum claim, or any pending appeal, and show proof when you apply for your TIE. The permit counts as arraigo social and lasts one year.

09Legal basis

Royal Decree 316/2026 of 14 April, amending Royal Decree 1155/2024 (BOE-A-2026-8284)
Royal Decree 1155/2024, twentieth additional provision (asylum applicants, EX-31)
Royal Decree 1155/2024, twenty-first additional provision (extraordinary arraigo, EX-32)
Royal Decree 1155/2024, Articles 126.h) and 191
Organic Law 4/2000, Article 31.3
Law 39/2015, Articles 22 and 95 (suspension and lapse of proceedings)

Information reviewed on 03.10.2026 against the law in force. This page is for general information and is not a substitute for advice on your own case.

Spain's extraordinary regularisation 2026 has closed: what to do now if you applied, and if you missed it

At a glance