Find out all the details about the mass regularization of foreigners in Spain in 2026 in this article.
In this article, we analyze the latest news, the confirmed requirements, how the process to benefit from it will work, and other frequently asked questions that you are surely asking yourself.
It’s all here!
Spain is currently undergoing a significant change in terms of immigration policy, with a clear shift towards regularizing the status of migrants already living in the country and granting them legal residence.
The aim of this initiative is to reduce administrative irregularities and strengthen social and labor integration, in a measure that could benefit more than 500,000 migrants.
This process begins with the entry into force of Royal Decree 1155/2024, which updates the Immigration Regulations and adapts them to the current migratory reality, introducing more flexible procedures and greater legal certainty.
As a continuation of this reform, in 2026, the government has promoted new extraordinary channels for regularization, aimed at foreigners who were in Spain before December 31, 2025, articulated through transitional provisions in the regulations.
What is the objective of this mass regularization?
The approach responds both to social integration criteria and to economic and demographic needs.
Below are the most important points about this new regularization you should know.
Who may benefit from this regularization? Requirements
Below is the information we have available so far regarding the requirements, to assess whether you could benefit from this regularization.
However, it is important to note that nothing is in force yet.
Accordingly, there would be two main pathways for regularization based on exceptional circumstances, each with clear and relatively flexible requirements.
These are the key criteria that must be met:
General requirements (applicable to all cases)
Be physically present in Spain
Have been in Spain before December 31, 2025
Have no criminal record in Spain or in the countries of residence during the past 5 years
Not pose a threat to public order, security, or public health
Not be subject to an entry ban to Spain nor be under a non-return commitment
Pay the corresponding administrative fee
Specific requirements depending on the regularization pathway
1. Asylum seekers (exceptional roots / arraigo excepcional):
Have submitted an application for international protection before December 31, 2025
Apply for regularization by June 30, 2026
2. “Single” exceptional residence authorization:
In addition to the general requirements, at least one of the following must be met:
Have worked in Spain or hold an employment contract
Have a family unit in Spain (school-aged children, dependent relatives, or ascendants)
Be in a situation of social vulnerability, which is presumed in cases of administrative irregularity
Additionally, it is important to note:
There is no requirement to provide documentation already held by the administration
Residence may be proven by any legally valid means of evidence
- In cases of difficulty obtaining criminal record certificates from the country of origin, exceptional flexibility mechanisms are provided for
So, will the regularization of foreigners in an irregular situation happen?
Yes. Everything points to there being effective regularization of foreign nationals in an irregular situation in Spain, although legally articulated as authorizations due to exceptional circumstances and not as automatic or mass regularization.
The process is currently at an advanced regulatory stage: the government has presented and processed the amendment to the Immigration Regulations, incorporating specific transitional provisions that enable these new avenues for regularization.
The key element is that the regulation already defines who will be eligible and under what conditions (those we have seen in the previous section), focusing the process on people who were already in Spain before December 31, 2025, and who meet basic requirements of permanence and no criminal record.
But when will this regularization actually take place?
The text itself sets a clear timeline: applications for these exceptional authorizations may be submitted until June 30, 2026, which marks a specific time window for regularizing the administrative situation.
Therefore, this is not a future hypothesis, but rather a regularization process already underway, with a defined timetable and a legal framework that, once it comes into full effect, will allow thousands of foreign nationals to leave their irregular situation behind and legally access residence and work in Spain.
Get in touch with our lawyers and let us guide you step by step:
