Spain receives 1.17 million applications for migrant regularisation — The Rio Times
Spain’s application period for the extraordinary regularisation of migrants ended on June 30, 2026. A total of 1,174,978 applications were submitted to the programme, and as of July 2, 609,737 of them had been accepted for consideration, The Rio Times reports.
About 79.6% of applicants requested a permit under the so-called extraordinary rootedness procedure, while another 20.4% of applications came from people who had previously applied for international protection. Online submissions accounted for 83.2% of applications. The country opened 448 facilities for submitting documents, including post offices, social security offices and migration services.
Programme conditions
The programme was introduced by Royal Decree No. 316/2026 of April 14, 2026. The application window ran from April 16 to June 30. If approved, applicants receive a one-year residence and work permit in any sector of the economy, either as employees or self-employed persons.
Adults who had been in Spain before January 1, 2026, remained in the country when applying and had lived there continuously for at least five months before filing the application could qualify for a permit under the extraordinary rootedness procedure. They were also required to provide an identity document, have no criminal record and meet at least one additional condition: having a job, a job offer or a declaration of self-employment; living in a family with minor or dependent family members; or having vulnerability confirmed by social services.
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Application review and political reaction
The competent authority must make a decision within three months after the case is registered. If no decision is made within this period, it will be considered a refusal. Following a positive decision, the applicant must obtain a foreigner’s identity card, the Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero, within one month.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presented a broader Integration and Citizenship Plan on June 30, which includes this regularisation. According to the government, more than €505 million has been allocated for implementing the plan in 2026. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition People’s Party, called the mass regularisation irresponsible and said it could become an incentive for new migration.
According to Spain’s National Statistics Institute, 7,437,543 foreigners were living in the country as of July 1, 2026. In the second quarter, the largest numbers of arrivals were citizens of Colombia, at 34,000, Venezuela, at 23,300, and Morocco, at 21,100.
