Arraigo Social Without a Work Contract in Spain (2026)

Updated: 3 October 2026

Eligible applicants can apply for arraigo social in Spain without an employer’s work contract. However, you must still demonstrate the required family ties or social integration, sufficient financial means and the other conditions for this residence authorisation.

The appropriate evidence depends on your circumstances and how you will support yourself.

Arraigo social and arraigo sociolaboral are different

Arraigo sociolaboral is the route based on qualifying employment contracts. Arraigo social assesses family ties or integration together with financial means.

If your application depends on an employer’s contract, see our arraigo sociolaboral guide.

Applying through qualifying family ties

The qualifying relatives are a spouse, registered partner, parent or child who is a foreign national holding a Spanish residence authorisation.

Where you rely on a qualifying relative’s resources, you must document the relationship, their residence status and your cohabitation.

The Ministry’s guidance requires 100% of the IPREM for the resident relative plus 100% for the applicant, totalling 200% of the IPREM. The resources must be available in Spain.

For this family-ties pathway, a social integration report is not a general requirement. You must still meet the financial and remaining eligibility conditions.

Applying without qualifying family ties

If you cannot establish those family ties, you must demonstrate your integration through a favourable social integration report, subject to the rules on alternative evidence where the report is delayed.

You must also prove sufficient financial means. Instructions SEM 1/2025 refer to at least 100% of the IPREM for the applicant, available in Spain and maintained throughout the authorisation’s validity.

The report supports your integration; it does not replace the financial requirement. Our social integration report guide explains who issues it and how to request it.

Can self-employment support the application?

Yes. Article 127(c) allows financial means to come from a self-employed activity when the requirements of Article 84 are met.

The supporting dossier should address:

• The licences, permissions or declarations required for the activity.
• Relevant qualifications, experience and professional registration where applicable.
• Sufficient investment to establish the project.
• A documented project showing the activity, costs, funding and expected income.

A business plan alone does not establish eligibility. You must demonstrate that the proposed activity satisfies the applicable requirements.

This remains an arraigo social application, including the relevant family-ties or integration evidence.

Are personal savings enough?

A bank balance does not automatically establish that you qualify.

The financial dossier must demonstrate the resources’ source, ownership, availability in Spain and sufficiency for the relevant period. Family support must also be supported by the required relationship and financial evidence.

Before relying on savings, transfers or income from abroad, check how those resources fit your application and what documentation is needed. A promise of support alone does not prove sufficient means.

What other requirements apply?

For an ordinary arraigo social application, you must demonstrate at least two years of continuous presence in Spain before applying. Absences during that period cannot exceed 90 days.

Time spent awaiting a final decision on an asylum application does not count towards that qualifying period.

You must also meet the applicable nationality, criminal-record and immigration-status conditions. Under the current rules, you cannot hold a stay or residence authorisation or have a pending procedure for its grant, extension, renewal or modification.

See our general arraigo guide for the wider eligibility checklist.

How to prepare your application

1. Identify your application basis. Establish whether you qualify through family ties or need integration evidence, and how you will demonstrate financial means.
2. Prepare your personal documents. Gather your complete valid passport, evidence of your time in Spain and the required criminal-record certificates.
3. Document family ties or integration. Include the relevant family and residence documents or the integration report.
4. Build the financial dossier. Provide evidence supporting the resources you rely on, including the additional documents for a self-employed project where applicable.
5. Complete and submit the application. Use the EX-10 form, pay the applicable application fee and follow the competent Immigration Office’s submission procedure. Keep the receipt and monitor requests for further documents.

Foreign documents may require legalisation or an apostille and an official translation. Check the requirements before submitting them.

Our immigration forms guide explains the relevant forms.

Frequently asked questions

Is the financial reference the Ingreso Mínimo Vital?

For the arraigo social financial requirements described here, the reference is the IPREM. Check the amount applicable when you submit your application.

Does submitting an arraigo social application allow me to work?

Submitting an ordinary arraigo social application does not itself authorise work. Follow the terms and effective date of any authorisation granted.

If you need help assessing your eligibility or preparing your financial evidence, you can book a free immigration consultation with Nodisea.

Legal review: Francisco Javier Theuer Carmona, immigration lawyer and member of the Granada Bar Association (ICAGR 7984).

Last reviewed: 3 October 2026

Official sources

• Ministry of Migration: arraigo social
• Instructions SEM 1/2025 on residence authorisations through arraigo — PDF
• Royal Decree 1155/2024: consolidated Immigration Regulation, including Articles 84, 126 and 127