ARRAIGO SOCIAL
Without contract but with a first degree family member in Spain
What is arraigo social?
Arraigo social is a temporary residence and work permit that can apply those foreigners who have been living in Spain for 3 years continously, and currently don't have papers.
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How long do I need to be in Spain in order to get social arraigo?
You must have stayed for a minimum of 3 years in the country contuniously. That means that if you have left the country and come back, your time starts back to 0.
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Can I apply before 3 years if I have a job offer?
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No, unfortunatelly even if you have a job offer you need to wait for the time of 3 years to be able to process your application.
When do I need to start the process?
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The process starts exactly when you are 3 years starting to count since you arrived to Spain. Generally we use the padron as a proof of your time in Spain. For example if you registered your padron in 10th of January 2022, then by 10th of January 2025 you can already process your arraigo.
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What do I need to do before the 3 years?
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Basically you will need to make sure you study the language and obtain language certificates and that you secure that an employer when you are 3 years will offer you a contract. There is not much more that you can advance.
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If you have family member in Spain and you will have a job offer you will no need to provide any language certificate.​​
What family members are valid to apply for this arraigo?
Basically you will need to proof that someone will be able to take care of you and that is a close family.
You will need a first degree family member (parents, wife-husband-pareja, adult children) with legal residence in Spain (no minimum time required).
The important is that these family members need to have their own income (work) or savings)
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STEP 1 (interview process)
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If you do not have first a degree family members in Spain (with papers already) the process starts by presenting the documents to have an interview to check that you are integrated and know a bit of the language. Most of the people pass the interiew so don't worry about it.
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If you have family members you need to go directly to step 2 and you will not need to do the interview.
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If you have family members but you dont have a job offer/contract you still need to start by step 1.
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Documents required to start the process on step 1 without contract (no employer) but with 1st degree family member in Spain.
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If you do not have a job offer/contract but you have a family member you can apply for arraigo social without contract and you will be dependant on you family member.
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The initial documents that you will need are:
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Full passport (all pages)
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NIE of your family member
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Historico (proof of 3 years. You need histórico from each town you lived. If you have a gap in the padrón you need to provide further documents proving your stay)
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Proof of other documents (medical records, telephone bills, money remittances etc.)
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Language certificates (or proof that you have knowledge of the language of your province + spanish)
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Proof of relation with family member (birth certificate/marriage certificate/pareja de hecho)
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Work contract of your family member.
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Latest 6 nóminas of your family member​​​​​
How can I prove that I have lived in Spain for three years? How about if I have a gap in my padron?
The easiest and most common way is to do it through histórico empadronamiento that's why is very important that you register in the municipality in Spain as soon as you arrive so the time starts counting already for your 3 years.​​
1. You can show your flight ticket and other evidences that you were in Spain (money remittance, visits to docto, visits to municipality etc.. and that one generally is also a valid evidence.
2. The foreign office allows you to have up to 120 days of no proven stay. That means what if in the 3 years there is 4 months that you dont have any evidence that you were here it they will still consider your application. Having said that, we strongly recommend to keep evidences of your 3 years in Spain by having at least an evidence per month that you were in Spain if you do now have padrón record.​​​
What do they ask in the interview for the arraigo social?
The interview process is something that worries many of the applicants however it should not be. The interview will be carried out by the social workers of the municipality on the location where you live.
The first propuse of the social workers that will do the interview is to check whether you actually understand and speak Spanish (and Catalan if you live in Catalonia) and they will find this out by asking you basic questions about yourself, your family, your hobbies, your personal details etc.. basic general questions that if you have studied the language for a bit you will know.
The second is to understand how you belong to the community. That is, these questions will mainly focus on what you have done in the last 3 years in the country and your current situation. All this to see if you can really benefit from arraigo. If you do not have a contract of employment, it will also be checked to see if you have sufficient financial means.
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You can always asks us and we will explain you the most common questions thay they ask.
STEP 2. (Foreign office)​
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After you obtain the informe (repport) of arraigo social and you have passed the interview then it will be the time to present the application in the Foreign Office which is who will finally give you the aproval of your residence permit application.
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The initial documents that you will need are:
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Full passport (all pages)
- NIE of your family member
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Historico (proof of 3 years) You need an histórico from each town you lived updated.
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Proof of other documents (medical records, telephone bills, money remittances etc.)
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Informe of arraigo social interview
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Proof of relation with family member (birth certificate/marriage certificate/pareja de hecho)
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Work contract of your family member.
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Latest 6 nóminas of your family member
How long is the process?
The total time depends on the province that you live (each foreign office has a branch in each province and their times are different)​. Generally the total process is around 6-9 months from begining until you receive your application result but that time can be longer if you are lacking documents or if the foreign office needs further evidences.
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How long will be the residence permit?
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The residence permit that you will get will be valid for one year since the aproval of your residence permit.
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How and when can I renew my permit?​
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The residence permit can be renewed 2 months before expiration of your card and the main requirement is that you are still a dependant on your family member so that family member still need to be working and have income or savings.
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When I will be able to get a working permit?​
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When you process your renewal or after, if you find someone willing to hire you and you have a job offer you can already convert your non working permit into a working permit.
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If you have that job offer you will no longer be a dependant on your family member and you will no need
How much is the process?
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The price depends on the province that you live, the steps that we need to do etc.. but generally the price is around 300€.
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What includes our services.
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Advising you about the process.
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Preparing the application and documents for you and the company.
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Presenting and tracking your application.
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Obtaining the result and preparing all for finger print.​​
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How to pass my documents?
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We work nationally in all Spain so you can bring your documents to our office in Barcelona or send to us via email to info@msmlegalconsulting.es or via whatsapp.
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