Spain’s long-awaited mass regularisation drive is now officially under way after Royal Decree 316/2026 entered into force on 16 April and was publicly explained in a government FAQ on 19 April. The measure—commonly referred to as the “Extraordinary Regularisation Process” (Regularización Extraordinaria)—creates a one-off, five-month window for certain non-EU nationals who were already living in Spain before 1 January 2026 to obtain a renewable, one-year residence permit. Applications may be filed online 24/7 through the Mercurio system or in person at 436 designated Social-Security, Correos and immigration offices, but physical filings require a pre-booked appointment and, according to the decree, must be offered free of charge. KPMG’s mobility advisory team warns that the volume of filings—estimated by the government at 500,000 but by think-tank FUNCAS at up to 840,000—will almost certainly overwhelm appointment capacity and slow routine immigration processing. Employers are therefore being urged to map recruitment plans against likely backlogs and to audit existing foreign staff for possible compliance risks. The decree targets two groups: (1) administrative irregulars who can prove continuous residence of at least five months, and (2) asylum-seekers whose protection applications were lodged before 1 January 2026. Applicants must present a clean criminal record and, where relevant, a new “certificate of vulnerability” issued by registered social-service entities.
![Spain Opens 2026 Extraordinary Migrant Regularisation Process]()
To help navigate this unprecedented process, VisaHQ offers corporate HR teams and individual applicants an online portal for Spain (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) that consolidates real-time requirements, document templates and application tracking, making it easier to submit error-free files and avoid missed deadlines.
Successful candidates receive open work authorisation covering all sectors and regions. From a business-mobility perspective, the scheme offers multinational employers a chance to regularise informal labour, reduce reputational risk and expand the legal talent pool—particularly in agriculture, logistics and hospitality, where undeclared work is most prevalent. However, HR teams should prepare for delays in NIE/TIE issuance and for knock-on effects on other permit categories as resources are diverted. Planning horizons for 2026 assignments may need to be extended by several weeks.
To help navigate this unprecedented process, VisaHQ offers corporate HR teams and individual applicants an online portal for Spain (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) that consolidates real-time requirements, document templates and application tracking, making it easier to submit error-free files and avoid missed deadlines.
Successful candidates receive open work authorisation covering all sectors and regions. From a business-mobility perspective, the scheme offers multinational employers a chance to regularise informal labour, reduce reputational risk and expand the legal talent pool—particularly in agriculture, logistics and hospitality, where undeclared work is most prevalent. However, HR teams should prepare for delays in NIE/TIE issuance and for knock-on effects on other permit categories as resources are diverted. Planning horizons for 2026 assignments may need to be extended by several weeks.
