Spain's RD 316/2026 regularisation window closes 30 June – relevant for stalled DNV applicants
Spain’s extraordinary regularisation programme under Royal Decree 316/2026 closes on 30 June 2026, with no extensions. Around 500,000 undocumented foreigners may qualify for a one-year residence and work permit if they were physically present in Spain before 1 January 2026 and can prove five continuous months of stay at the time of application. The Decree entered into force on 16 April; online applications opened the same day through sede.seg-social.gob.es, with in-person filing accepted at Correos, INSS offices, and provincial immigration offices since 20 April. More than 130,000 applications were filed in the first week.
The route is open to applicants meeting the core conditions (clean criminal record, valid or expired passport, no entry ban) plus at least one of three qualifying grounds: employment (existing or offered work in Spain), family unit (school-age children, dependent adults or first-degree parents), or vulnerability (presumed for anyone in irregular administrative status).
Why this matters
For remote workers and digital-nomad applicants whose Spanish Digital Nomad Visa application stalled, lapsed, or was denied, RD 316/2026 may be the only practical route to regularise status before the standard three-year arraigo timeline becomes available. Administrative irregularity is presumed sufficient evidence of vulnerability under the Decree. The 30 June deadline applies absolutely and incomplete files will be rejected without a right to resubmit – so anyone considering this route needs to file in the next two weeks, with documents prepared.
This regularisation is separate from – and does not replace – Spain’s standard Digital Nomad Visa application route, which continues to operate under Law 28/2022 with a €2,849/month income threshold for single applicants in 2026. For a full breakdown of DNV requirements, see our Spain Digital Nomad Visa 2026 guide.
Context
Spain’s previous mass regularisation closed on schedule in 2005 with no extensions, setting precedent for this 30 June 2026 deadline. The Decree is intended to reduce undocumented labour, increase social-security contributions, and provide legal certainty to long-term residents – not to create a new general migration pathway. Standard arraigo routes will remain available after 30 June but require three years of continuous residence rather than the two-year shortcut implicit in this extraordinary window.
What to watch
After 30 June, RD 316/2026 applications close completely. Anyone unable to file before then will need to wait for one of the standard arraigo routes – arraigo social, arraigo familiar, or arraigo laboral – each of which has its own requirements and longer residence prerequisites.