Arraigo Sociolaboral Spain 2026: Rules & Fees
Two years in Spain plus a job contract at 20 hours a week, and you may already qualify. Here is how arraigo sociolaboral works after the May 2025 reform: the employer’s role, how it differs from the old arraigo laboral, and what to do if the job falls through, from a Malaga-based abogada colegiada.
- 2 years stay
- 20h/week at SMI
- Since 2009
- Malaga office
Have a job offer but no valid permit?
We check your contract meets the 20-hour and wage thresholds, verify your employer’s Social Security standing, and file your arraigo sociolaboral application end to end, for one fixed fee.
Free 10-min callArraigo sociolaboral lets you regularise from inside Spain once you have two years of continuous stay plus a job offer or contract, or a combination of contracts, totalling at least 20 hours a week at the SMI minimum wage or the applicable convenio rate. It replaced the old arraigo laboral figure under the reform that took effect 20 May 2025 (RD 1155/2024), and it no longer requires proving a prior irregular employment history. Our fee is a fixed 600 EUR.
What arraigo sociolaboral is, and who it fits
Arraigo sociolaboral is the arraigo route built around employment. It is one of five arraigo figures under RD 1155/2024, granted from inside Spain to people with two years of continuous stay who have a job offer or contract that meets specific hour and wage thresholds. Where arraigo social leans on family ties or an integration report, arraigo sociolaboral leans on an employer willing to hire you now.
This route fits people already working informally who want to move onto the books, people with a formal job offer waiting on their status, and people juggling multiple part-time roles that together add up to a real, verifiable working week. See our Arraigo Spain overview for how it compares to the other four types.
Rule of thumb: if you have two years of stay and any combination of job contracts reaching 20 hours a week at a legal wage, arraigo sociolaboral is usually your fastest route, faster in practice than waiting on an integration report for arraigo social.
The 20-hour, SMI-or-convenio rule explained
The core test is simple to state and worth getting precise on: your job offer or contract, or the sum of several contracts from different employers, must total at least 20 hours of work per week, and the pay must meet at least the SMI (salario minimo interprofesional) or the rate set by the applicable collective bargaining agreement for that role and sector, whichever is higher.
| Element | Minimum required |
|---|---|
| Weekly hours (single or combined contracts) | 20 hours/week |
| Wage floor | SMI or applicable convenio rate, whichever is higher |
| Stay in Spain | 2 years continuous |
| Employer standing | Registered and current with Social Security |
Combining two or three part-time contracts to reach the threshold is common and fully valid, provided each individual contract also independently clears the wage floor for its own role. We check this arithmetic carefully before filing, since a contract that looks fine on paper but falls a few hours or euros short is one of the most avoidable reasons files get refused.
The employer’s role in your application
Your employer signs the job offer or contract that anchors your file, and in most cases needs to be a registered business current with its Social Security and tax obligations. The employer does not file the arraigo application, you do, but a problematic employer file, arrears, an inactive registration, or mismatched activity codes, can hold up or jeopardise an otherwise solid application.
We verify the employer’s standing before filing wherever possible, since discovering a problem after submission means delay rather than a quick fix. If you have offers from more than one employer, we help you choose the combination that gives your file the cleanest paper trail.
How this differs from the old arraigo laboral
Arraigo laboral, the pre-reform figure, generally required proving an existing, often irregular, employment relationship, frequently through a labour inspection finding after someone was caught working without authorisation. That made it a reactive, sometimes punitive route.
Arraigo sociolaboral, introduced 20 May 2025 by RD 1155/2024, instead looks forward: a valid job offer or contract at 20 hours a week is enough, with no need to first prove a history of irregular work. It is a cleaner, more accessible route for the great majority of applicants, and one reason it is worth revisiting for anyone who was told a few years ago that arraigo laboral was not realistic for their situation.
Documents you need
- Valid passport, plus photocopy of relevant pages
- Proof of two years of continuous stay in Spain (empadronamiento history, medical or school records, dated correspondence)
- Signed job offer or contract(s) meeting the 20-hour and wage thresholds
- Evidence the employer is registered and current with Social Security
- Criminal record certificate from Spain and every country of residence in the last five years, apostilled and officially translated
- Two recent passport-style photographs for your eventual TIE card
If your job contract falls through
You need a valid, active job offer or contract at filing and, generally, at the time of decision. If an employer withdraws an offer, or a contract ends before your file is resolved, tell us immediately. Depending on timing, we can often substitute a replacement contract without restarting the process, or reassess whether switching to arraigo social, based on stay plus family links or an integration report, is the safer path for your specific case.
This is one of the biggest practical risks of the sociolaboral route compared to arraigo social, and it is worth discussing candidly on your free call rather than discovering it mid-process.
Timeline and refusals
The legal maximum for a decision is three months from filing, with silencio negativo, silent refusal, applying after that period, though Malaga files commonly resolve within two to four months. Preparation time before filing, gathering apostilled foreign criminal record certificates and confirming employer Social Security standing, typically adds several more weeks.
Refusals most often trace back to an employer’s incomplete Social Security standing, a contract that falls short of the hour or wage threshold, or thin stay evidence, and most are fixable on a recurso de reposicion filed within one month, or a contencioso-administrativo court appeal filed within two months.
See our TIE Card Spain guide for what happens once your arraigo sociolaboral permit is approved.
Arraigo sociolaboral fees, fixed and published
One flat professional fee. Government tasas and third-party certificate costs are paid separately, at cost.
| Service | What’s included | Fixed fee |
|---|---|---|
| Arraigo sociolaboral, main applicantContract review, employer check, filing | Contract compliance review, employer Social Security check, EX-11 filing, TIE follow-through | €600 |
| Recurso de reposicion (appeal)If your application is refused | Resolution review, file reinforcement, administrative appeal filing | €450 |
| Criminal record certificatesSpain + countries of residence, last 5 years | Filing and apostille coordination, per certificate | €75 |
Government filing tasas and sworn-translation costs are billed at cost, separately from our fee. We confirm the full cost breakdown for your specific case on the free call.
Three steps, start to finish
Free 10-min call
We review your job offer or contracts, check they clear the 20-hour and wage thresholds, and confirm your stay evidence.
We build your file
We verify your employer’s Social Security standing, coordinate criminal record certificates and translations, and prepare your EX-11 filing.
Filed, tracked, resolved
We file at the Oficina de Extranjeros, track your file to resolution, and move straight to your TIE card appointment once approved.
Arraigo sociolaboral questions, answered
What is arraigo sociolaboral in Spain?
Arraigo sociolaboral is a residence permit for exceptional circumstances granted to people already in Spain with two years of continuous stay who hold one or more job offers or contracts totalling at least 20 hours per week, paid at least the SMI minimum wage or the applicable collective agreement rate. It is the arraigo route built specifically around having an employer ready to hire you.
How many years of stay does arraigo sociolaboral require?
Two years of continuous stay in Spain, the same figure as arraigo social, reduced from three years under the reform that took effect 20 May 2025 (RD 1155/2024).
What job contract terms qualify for arraigo sociolaboral?
You need one contract, or a combination of contracts from different employers, that together total at least 20 hours per week, and the pay must meet at least the SMI (salario minimo interprofesional) or the wage set by the applicable collective bargaining agreement (convenio), whichever is higher for that role and sector.
Can I combine two part-time jobs to qualify?
Yes. If no single employer offers you 20 hours a week, two or more part-time contracts can be combined as long as the total reaches 20 hours weekly and each contract independently meets the SMI or convenio wage floor. This is common for people working across hospitality, cleaning, or care roles with multiple employers.
What is the employer’s role in an arraigo sociolaboral application?
The employer signs the job offer or contract and, in most cases, needs to be registered and up to date with Social Security and tax obligations, since a problematic employer file can hold up or jeopardise the application. The employer does not file the application itself, that responsibility sits with you as the applicant, but their paperwork has to be in order for your file to succeed.
How is arraigo sociolaboral different from the old arraigo laboral?
Arraigo laboral, the pre-2025 figure, generally required proving an existing employment relationship, often through a labour inspection finding after working without authorisation. Arraigo sociolaboral, introduced by RD 1155/2024, instead asks for a job offer or contract going forward, at 20 hours a week minimum, without needing to prove a prior irregular employment history. It is a materially easier and cleaner route for most applicants.
What happens if my job contract falls through before the decision?
You need a valid, active job offer or contract at the time of filing and, generally, at the time of decision. If your employer withdraws the offer or the contract ends before resolution, you should notify us immediately so we can assess whether a replacement contract can be substituted without restarting the process, or whether switching to arraigo social based on stay and family links or an integration report is the safer path.
What documents does arraigo sociolaboral require?
A valid passport, proof of two years of continuous stay in Spain, the signed job offer or contract meeting the 20-hour and wage thresholds, evidence the employer is registered and current with Social Security, a criminal record certificate from Spain and every country of residence in the last five years, apostilled and translated, and passport photos for your future TIE card.
How long does an arraigo sociolaboral application take?
The legal maximum for a decision is three months from filing, with silence after that period counting as a refusal (silencio negativo). Malaga files commonly resolve within two to four months, though gathering apostilled foreign criminal record certificates and confirming the employer’s Social Security standing can add several weeks of preparation before filing.
Can I work for a different employer than the one on my application?
Once your arraigo sociolaboral permit is granted, it authorises you to work generally, not only for the employer named in the file. You are free to change jobs after approval, provided you keep working in line with the permit conditions.
Does time as a visa overstayer count towards the two years for sociolaboral?
Yes. As with arraigo social, the two years of continuous stay do not need to have been legal residence, only physically documented presence in Spain through empadronamiento, medical, school, or similar dated records.
What happens if my arraigo sociolaboral application is refused?
You can file a recurso de reposicion within one month of notification, or a contencioso-administrativo court appeal within two months. Refusals commonly trace back to an employer’s incomplete Social Security standing, a contract that falls short of the 20-hour or wage threshold, or thin stay evidence, all of which are usually fixable on appeal.
Can arraigo sociolaboral lead to permanent residency and citizenship?
Yes. It grants a renewable temporary residence permit that counts towards the five years needed for long-term residence and towards the ten years, or two for Ibero-American nationals, needed for Spanish nationality by residence.
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Let’s talk through your situation
Tell us about your job offer or contract and how long you’ve been in Spain, we’ll tell you where you stand, in plain English or Spanish. No obligation.
No obligation. English, Spanish.
- Response time
- Within 24 hours
- Call length
- 10 minutes, free
- Languages
- English and Spanish
- Location
- Calle Reding 6, Malaga, or video call