The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration clarified on 20 February that knowledge of Catalan, Basque or other co-official languages will *not* be a prerequisite for the initial residence/work permit under Spain’s forthcoming extraordinary regularisation of an estimated 500,000–700,000 undocumented migrants. The statement answers concerns raised after Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) claimed linguistic integration would be mandatory.
According to the latest draft Royal Decree, applicants will need to show five months’ residence in Spain before 31 December 2025, a clean criminal record and no threat to public order—conditions that will be double-checked through a police background report commissioned ex-officio. Language competence will matter only at the *first renewal* (after 12 months) if the migrant opts for the “arraigo social” or “arraigo laboral” pathways and cannot demonstrate continuous employment. In such cases, an integration report from the regional government may cite attendance at Catalan or Basque classes as evidence of community ties.
If you’re navigating Spain’s shifting immigration landscape, VisaHQ can simplify the paperwork. Their dedicated Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) offers real-time updates, document checklists and expert review services, helping both individual applicants and HR departments avoid costly mistakes and keep applications on track.
![Government says Catalan or Basque not required for Spain’s mass regularisation—only for later renewals]()
The nuanced position reflects a tense negotiation with Catalonia and the Basque Country, which lobbied to embed their languages in immigration rules. Madrid’s compromise preserves national uniformity at the entry stage while giving regions a lever to encourage linguistic assimilation later.
For employers, the clarification removes an immediate barrier to hiring newly-regularised staff, especially in agriculture, hospitality and elder-care where labour shortages are acute. Human-resources teams should still anticipate that employees may pursue language courses during the first year to secure renewal; offering subsidised tuition could become a retention tool.
Legal advisers note that the Decree remains in public consultation and may still evolve before Cabinet approval expected in March. Companies relying on non-EU talent should monitor the final text and prepare compliance check-lists for the April-to-June application window.
According to the latest draft Royal Decree, applicants will need to show five months’ residence in Spain before 31 December 2025, a clean criminal record and no threat to public order—conditions that will be double-checked through a police background report commissioned ex-officio. Language competence will matter only at the *first renewal* (after 12 months) if the migrant opts for the “arraigo social” or “arraigo laboral” pathways and cannot demonstrate continuous employment. In such cases, an integration report from the regional government may cite attendance at Catalan or Basque classes as evidence of community ties.
If you’re navigating Spain’s shifting immigration landscape, VisaHQ can simplify the paperwork. Their dedicated Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) offers real-time updates, document checklists and expert review services, helping both individual applicants and HR departments avoid costly mistakes and keep applications on track.
The nuanced position reflects a tense negotiation with Catalonia and the Basque Country, which lobbied to embed their languages in immigration rules. Madrid’s compromise preserves national uniformity at the entry stage while giving regions a lever to encourage linguistic assimilation later.
For employers, the clarification removes an immediate barrier to hiring newly-regularised staff, especially in agriculture, hospitality and elder-care where labour shortages are acute. Human-resources teams should still anticipate that employees may pursue language courses during the first year to secure renewal; offering subsidised tuition could become a retention tool.
Legal advisers note that the Decree remains in public consultation and may still evolve before Cabinet approval expected in March. Companies relying on non-EU talent should monitor the final text and prepare compliance check-lists for the April-to-June application window.
