01What it is and who it is for
Long-term residence (residencia de larga duración) lets you live and work in Spain indefinitely on the same terms as Spanish nationals. It is what most people call permanent residence. You no longer have to prove every few years that you have a job, income or a family link: you only renew the physical card.
Royal Decree 1155/2024, the immigration regulations in force since 20 May 2025, provides for two types. National long-term residence is normally granted after five years of continuous legal residence. EU long-term residence (larga duración-UE) also requires stable income and health insurance, and has one advantage: it is based on EU Directive 2003/109/EC and makes it easier to move to another EU country under that country's rules.
National long-term residence can also be granted without the five years in some cases: people receiving a contributory Spanish retirement pension, or a contributory pension for permanent absolute disability or severe disability (gran invalidez), people born in Spain who on reaching adulthood have lived legally in Spain for three consecutive years, former Spanish nationals by origin, young people who were in the care of a Spanish public body for five years, and refugees, stateless persons and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection.
This route is for non-EU nationals under the general immigration rules. British nationals who were resident in Spain before 2021 are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement and follow a different procedure.
02Requirements
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03Documents
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04How we handle it online
- Counting the five years
We go through your permits and trips abroad to confirm you have five years and that no absence breaks continuity.
- Choosing the type
We explain whether national or EU long-term residence suits you better, based on your income, insurance and any plans to move within Europe.
- Preparing the file
We gather the income, insurance and criminal record documents and check they are current and translated.
- Electronic filing
We file on Mercurio, the immigration authorities' online platform. You do not need to book an appointment or travel.
- Follow-up and decision
We answer any request for documents and track the three-month deadline. Once approved, we explain how to apply for your card.
05Timescales and validity
If your current permit is about to expire, you apply in the two months before the expiry date. Applying in that window extends your permit until a decision is made. You can still apply within three months after expiry, with the same extension, although the authorities may open penalty proceedings for the delay. If your permit is still valid and you already have the five years, you can apply at any time.
The immigration office has three months to decide and notify you. If it does not, the application is deemed approved by positive administrative silence.
Once approved, you have one month to apply in person for your foreigner's identity card (TIE, tarjeta de identidad de extranjero). The card is renewed after five years, then every five years until you turn 30 and every ten years after that. Renewing the card late does not cancel your residence, although it can lead to a fine.
You can lose long-term residence if, among other things, you spend twelve consecutive months outside the European Union. EU long-term status is also lost after six years outside Spain. In both cases there is a procedure to recover it.
06Do I need to attend anything in person?
The application is filed online with no appointment needed. The in-person part is having your fingerprints taken for the TIE at the police station or immigration office for your area, within one month of approval, and then collecting the card. If you are outside Spain when you apply, the application must be lodged in person at the Spanish consulate where you live.
07Common mistakes and reasons for refusal
- Absences from Spain above the limits: more than six months at a time or more than ten in total over the five years.
- Gaps without a valid permit between renewals, which break continuity.
- Counting years as a student in full: for EU long-term status they count at 50%, and only if you already hold a residence permit when you apply.
- Applying for EU long-term status without enough stable income or valid health insurance.
- Criminal records in Spain or in other countries of residence in the last five years.
- Letting your permit lapse for more than three months before applying.
08Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between national and EU long-term residence?
Both let you live and work in Spain indefinitely. EU long-term residence also requires stable income and health insurance, and is based on an EU directive that makes it easier to move to another EU country. The national version is simpler to prove and has special cases that do not require five years.
How long can I have spent outside Spain?
Absences cannot exceed six months at a time or ten months in total over the five years. If you were away for work, the total can reach eighteen months. For national long-term residence, absences due to properly justified force majeure do not break continuity either.
Do my years as a student count?
For EU long-term residence, time spent in Spain on a study, volunteering or training stay counts at 50%, provided you hold a residence permit when you apply. For example, two years of study count as one.
When should I apply?
In the two months before your current permit expires or, at the risk of a fine, in the three months after. If your permit is still valid and you already meet the requirements, you can apply earlier.
Can I lose long-term residence?
Yes, for example if it was obtained by fraud, if an expulsion order is issued, or if you spend twelve consecutive months outside the EU. EU long-term status is also lost after six years outside Spain. If you lose it through absence, you can apply to recover it.
Does long-term residence lead to Spanish citizenship?
They are separate. Long-term residence does not make you a Spanish national, but your years of legal residence keep counting towards Spanish citizenship by residence, which usually requires ten years.
I am the family member of an EU citizen. Is this the right route?
No. Family members of EU citizens have their own system and obtain a different form of permanent residence under Royal Decree 240/2007. We will point you to the right route when we review your case.
How long is the card valid and how do I renew it?
Long-term residence is indefinite; what expires is the physical card (TIE). The first renewal is due after five years, then every five years until you turn 30, and every ten years from that age. You apply in the two months before the card expires, which extends the old card until a decision is made; applications in the three months after expiry are also accepted, at the risk of a fine. You provide the official form, a valid passport, a photo and proof of payment of the fee. Failing to renew the card on time never ends your residence status.
Permanent residency vs citizenship: which is better for me?
Long-term residence lets you live and work in Spain indefinitely, but you remain a foreign national: you travel on your own passport, renew the TIE and can lose the status, for example after twelve consecutive months outside the EU. Spanish citizenship gives you a Spanish ID card and passport and EU citizenship, and can only be lost in the cases set out in the Civil Code. In return, it usually requires ten years of legal residence, passing the CCSE and, unless you come from a Spanish-speaking country, the DELE A2, and giving up your current nationality except where the law makes an exception. Which suits you depends on whether you want to keep your nationality, how much time you spend abroad and whether you need an EU passport; the two are compatible, as your years of long-term residence keep counting towards citizenship.
I lost it. Can I recover it?
It depends on what you lost. If your card was lost, stolen or damaged, you apply for a new one, which is not a renewal and is valid for the time left on the old card; if you need to travel meanwhile, you can request a re-entry permit (autorización de regreso) by showing you have applied for the replacement. If you lost the long-term residence status itself, for example after twelve consecutive months outside the EU, there is a recovery procedure filed in person at the immigration office or at the Spanish consulate where you live. The authorities have three months to decide and, if they do not reply, the application is treated as granted. Family members who came through reunification cannot apply for recovery themselves, except minors in the case of national long-term residence.
09Legal basis
- Organic Law 4/2000, Article 32
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, Articles 175 to 178 (EU long-term residence)
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, Articles 182 to 185 (national long-term residence)
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, Articles 186 to 189 (recovery) and 201 (loss of status)
- Council Directive 2003/109/EC concerning the status of long-term residents
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.