This page does not promise you a permit and does not offer a shortcut. It sets out the order in which the Spanish system works, so you know what to do today and what you are waiting for.
1. The padrón comes first
Registering your address at the town hall is the padrón. It is not an immigration permit and it does not require papers. It is the date from which your time in Spain starts to count, and it is the basis for a health card and for a child’s school place. Do it as early as you can — every month of delay is a month lost later.
2. Keep collecting proof
The padrón certificate, doctor’s appointments, a child’s school, language courses, volunteering, rent papers — all of it builds the record of how long you have been here. Start a folder and photograph everything in it. That folder is what your application will be made of.
3. Arraigo — and being honest about it
The route to status after a long stay in Spain is called arraigo, and it comes in several kinds (social, employment, training, family). [VERIFY] — the rules changed in 2025 and each kind has its own conditions; we print no period and no condition here, because a wrong number can cost you a year. Our longer article is linked below and the text itself is on the BOE.
4. Work in the meantime
Work does not give you papers, but no route is complete without it. Keep your own record of pay and hours even when there is no contract — that record does two jobs later: it supports a wage claim, and it helps show how long you have been here.
5. Before you pay anyone
This is the moment most people are robbed. Nobody can guarantee a permit. Before you pay, take two minutes to check whether the person is on a register — the check is free.
Read these too
Common mistakes
- Putting off the padrón. It is the cheapest and most valuable step, and it needs no papers.
- Keeping papers in a bag and forgetting them. Photograph everything and email it to yourself — a lost document is lost months.
- Trusting a period an agent quotes you. The text is on the BOE and it is free to read.
Next step
Next step: book an appointment at your town hall’s padrón office, and start the folder this week.
Spain: check your adviser before you paySources
Where you see [VERIFY] we have deliberately printed no figure or condition, because we could not confirm it against an official source. Check that point yourself on the official page below.
Last verified: 2026-09-04
