Spain is about to carry out the largest regularisation of undocumented migrants in more than two decades — and whether you’re a legal resident, an employer, or simply part of the expat community in the Canary Islands, it’s worth understanding what’s happening and why it matters.
The Spanish government approved a Royal Decree in January 2026 that will open a three-month application window for an estimated 500,000 people currently living in Spain without legal status. Applications are expected to open in early April 2026 and close on 30 June 2026.
Here’s what you need to know.
What Is the Regularisation?
Spain’s regularización extraordinaria is a one-off amnesty programme that offers a legal pathway to residency for foreign nationals who are already living in Spain without documentation. It is the first mass regularisation since 2005, when the Zapatero government regularised around 700,000 people under similar circumstances.
The programme was born from a citizen-backed initiative (Iniciativa Legislativa Popular) that gathered more than 700,000 signatures and was supported by hundreds of civil society organisations, trade unions, and the Catholic Church. The government says the goal is to reduce labour exploitation, bring workers into the formal economy, and ensure access to healthcare and social services for people already contributing to Spanish society.
Who Can Apply?
To qualify, applicants must meet three core requirements:
- Present in Spain before 31 December 2025. The cut-off date is fixed in law and cannot be extended. Applicants must be able to prove they were physically in Spain before this date.
- At least five months of continuous residence. This does not need to have been completed by 31 December 2025 — applicants who were in Spain on that date and who complete five months by the time they submit their application (between April and June 2026) are eligible.
- No criminal record. Applicants must have a clean criminal record and must not be subject to an EU entry ban.
Asylum seekers who lodged their claim before 31 December 2025 are also covered, without needing to separately prove five months of residence.
How Do You Prove You Were in Spain?
There is no fixed list of acceptable documents, but the government has indicated that any combination of public or private records will be considered. Common forms of evidence include:
- Empadronamiento (municipal registration) certificate or historical padrón record
- Spanish bank statements showing activity over the relevant period
- Utility bills, phone contracts, or rental agreements in the applicant’s name
- Medical appointment records from Spanish health services
- Receipts from money transfers sent from Spain
- Certificates from language schools, NGOs, or social services
- Transport tickets, invoices, or any dated document placing the person in Spain
What Do Applicants Receive?
Those who meet the requirements will be granted a one-year residence and work permit, renewable under standard immigration rules. The permit allows employment in any sector and any province in Spain — both as an employee (cuenta ajena) and as self-employed (autónomo).
Critically, the mere admission of an application — which the government has committed to processing within 15 days — will allow applicants to begin working legally while their case is decided. Full processing is expected to take a maximum of three months.
Additional benefits include access to the public healthcare system (Seguridad Social) and the right to register for social security contributions. Any ongoing expulsion proceedings against applicants will be suspended.
Minor children of applicants who are already in Spain can be regularised simultaneously and will receive residence permits valid for five years.
How to Apply
Applications will be submitted through the government’s MERCURIO online immigration platform, which requires a digital certificate or Clave permanente. For those who cannot apply online, in-person appointments will be available at Social Security and immigration offices — but these must also be booked through MERCURIO.
In-person offices are expected to open extended afternoon hours (4:00 PM to 7:00 PM) specifically for regularisation appointments. The processing will be handled centrally by a specialist unit (UTEX) based in Vigo.
If you or someone you know may be eligible, the most important step right now is to start gathering evidence of your stay in Spain — particularly anything dated before 31 December 2025. Criminal record certificates from your home country may also be needed and can take weeks to obtain and apostille, so don’t leave this until April.
What This Means for Expats and Employers
Even if you’re a legal resident, this programme is likely to affect you in several ways:
For employers: If you employ domestic staff, carers, cleaners, or workers in hospitality, construction, or agriculture, some may be eligible to regularise their status. This means they can be formally employed, insured, and covered by Social Security — reducing legal risk for both parties. The government has confirmed that employers will not face penalties for previously employing undocumented workers who regularise through this programme.
For all residents: Immigration offices across Spain, including in the Canary Islands, are expected to come under significant pressure during and after the application window. If you have a pending TIE renewal, residency modification, or any other Extranjería procedure, consider getting it underway sooner rather than later. Processing delays for routine applications are widely anticipated.
For the Canary Islands specifically: The archipelago has been at the centre of Spain’s migration debate, with tens of thousands of arrivals by sea in recent years. Many of those who arrived and remained in the islands may now qualify. Local immigration offices in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas — already stretched — are expected to see a significant increase in demand.
Key Dates at a Glance
| Date | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 31 December 2025 | Cut-off date — applicants must have been in Spain before this date |
| Early April 2026 | Application window opens (exact date TBC) |
| 30 June 2026 | Application window closes — no applications accepted after this date |
| Within 15 days of submission | Application admitted → provisional work authorisation issued |
| Within 3 months | Final decision on residence permit |
The Bigger Picture
Spain is not the first European country to attempt a mass regularisation — Italy, Greece, and Portugal have all carried out similar programmes in recent decades. The Spanish government argues that bringing undocumented residents into the formal economy will boost tax revenues, reduce exploitation, and strengthen the social security system at a time when Spain faces demographic decline and chronic labour shortages in key sectors.
Critics, including the opposition Partido Popular and Vox, have argued the move could encourage further irregular migration. Polling suggests Spanish public opinion is divided, though a majority in surveys conducted by the CIS support some form of regularisation for long-term undocumented residents.
Whatever your position, the practical reality is clear: half a million people already living in Spain will soon have a legal pathway to residency. If you’re an expat employer, a resident expecting to use Extranjería services in the coming months, or simply someone who wants to understand what’s changing — now is the time to pay attention.
We’ll update this article when the exact application start date is confirmed. For the latest immigration news affecting expats in Spain and the Canary Islands, bookmark our News page.