ARRAIGO SOCIAL

Without contract but with a business plan

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.

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.

Can I apply before 3 years if I have a job offer?

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?

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.

What do I need to do before the 3 years?

Basically you will need to make sure you study the language (spanish and catalan if you live in Catalonia) and obtain language certificates and that you secure that you will have the funds in your bank account to be able to show to the foreign office.

We have seen that mainly they want that the money is in a bank in Spain (although in some parts of Spain they accept also abroad bank certificate).

In many parts of Spain they will require that your average funds are there for at least 12 months so its not advisable to transfer the money just before the 3 years as your average balance for the last 12 months will be insufficient. Best to have your savings for at least one year or to have stable monthly income into your bank account. For example having a monthly income of 1.000€ every month after one year will be okay to show you have sufficient funds.

STEP 1 (interview process)

The process starts by presenting your documents and application to have an interview to check that you are integrated and you know a bit of the language. Most of the people pass the interiew so don't worry about it.

Documents required to start the process

Full passport (all pages)
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)
Proof of other documents (medical records, telephone bills, money remittances etc.)
Language certificates (or proof that you have knowledge of the language of your province + spanish)
Proof of funds (banking certificate from Spain preferably) of at least 10.000€

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.

If you do not have a possiblity for the padrón right away or there is a certain time that you are not registered in the padrón don't worry because:

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.

You can always asks us and we will explain you the most common questions thay they ask.

STEP 2. (Foreign office)

After you obtain the result of the interview of arraigo the next step is presenting the documents in the foreign office.

The initial documents that you will need are:

Full passport (all pages)
Historico (proof of 3 years. You will need an updated one.
Proof of other documents (medical records, telephone bills, money remittances etc.)
Business plan and documents related
Proof of funds or business layout of investment

How long is the process?

The total time depends on the province that you live and on the speed of the foreign office in that moment but generally 3-6 months is the average as of the moment.

How long will be the residence permit?

The residence permit that you will get will be valid for one year since the aproval of your residence permit.

How and when can I renew my permit?

The residence permit can be renewed 10 months before expiration of your card and the main requirement is that you are working in that moment and that you have worked at least 3 months during that first year.

There are more options how to renew your papers but the advisable is that you work during that first year as self employed with the company that you plan to create or that was already created so you won't have problems at renewal.