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How can I renew my residence permit in Spain?

Ubuntu Canarias · 12 min read

When the expiry date on your card gets close, lots of questions come up. When do I have to apply? What happens if I have lost my job? Can I travel while I wait? How much does it cost? And what if it is refused?

In this guide we try to answer them with the official information in force today. It does not replace advice from a professional, but it can help you understand your situation before you take any step.

First of all: what residence permit do you have?

Not all residence permits are renewed in the same way. The first thing is to check what type of authorisation appears on your decision or on your card (TIE). This table sums up the most common cases:

If you have had five years of legal and continuous residence in Spain, you may not need to renew, but rather apply for long-term residence. We explain it further down.

This guide covers the most common situations. If your authorisation is of another type (studies, international protection, family member of a Spanish or EU citizen, highly qualified professional, seasonal work…), check the specific procedure that applies to you. Not all of them are handled as an ordinary renewal.

The deadlines: the most important part

• You can apply for renewal in the two months before the expiry date.
• It is also accepted in the three months after expiry, but in that case the authorities may open a penalty procedure, which usually ends in a fine.
• If you apply on time, your previous authorisation remains valid until you get an answer. In the ordinary renewals explained in this guide, that means you can keep working and living in Spain as normal.

Always keep the proof of submission. Together with your expired card, it is what shows that your situation is legal while you wait. You may be asked for it at work, at the bank or for any other procedure.

What if those three months have already passed? The options depend on the type of authorisation and on your specific situation, and there is no single answer that fits every case. In that situation, the sensible thing is to get individual legal guidance as soon as possible, before submitting anything.

Renewal as an employee: the most common case

General requirements

• Having no criminal record in Spain.
• Not being listed as "inadmissible" in the Schengen countries.
• If you have children of compulsory school age, they must be enrolled in school.
• Paying the fee.

What if I no longer work for the same company?

This is one of the most common questions. You do not need to stay in the same job. The rules provide for several situations that allow renewal, and you only need to meet one:

1. You are still in the employment relationship that gave rise to your authorisation.
2. You have worked at least three months a year and, in addition, one of these applies: you have a contract with a new employer and are registered with Social Security; you have a new contract that will start if the renewal is granted; or your job ended for reasons beyond your control and you are registered as a job seeker.
3. You receive a contributory unemployment benefit.
4. You receive a public assistance benefit for your social or labour inclusion.
5. Your employment ended or was suspended because you are a victim of gender-based or sexual violence.
6. You have worked and been registered with Social Security for at least nine months in a twelve-month period, your job ended for reasons beyond your control and you are actively looking for work.
7. A family member meets the financial requirements to reunite you.

So losing your job does not automatically mean losing your residence. What matters is knowing which of these situations you fit and being able to prove it with documents: employment history, contracts, unemployment benefit certificate, job-seeker registration…

Documents

• Official form EX-03, filled in and signed.
• Valid passport, full copy (all pages).
• School enrolment report for the children in your care, if applicable.
• The documents that prove the situation on which you base your renewal.
• Documents issued in another country must be translated by a sworn translator and legalised or apostilled, unless an agreement exempts them.

The employer is also involved. If you renew as an employee with a contract, the employer pays its own fee, as you will see in the fees section.

The integration effort report (in the Canary Islands)

If you do not meet one of the requirements, you can submit an integration effort report. It is optional. It allows the authorities to assess your case even if you do not meet everything.

In the Canary Islands it is issued by the Government of the Canary Islands, which requires you to have completed training in constitutional values and human rights. You can apply for it all year round, online or at its registry offices, and it is free. They usually ask for:

• NIE or passport;
• registration certificate (empadronamiento);
• certificate of the constitutional values course.

If you think you may need it, apply in good time, before your renewal date gets close.

Other types of residence

Self-employed. It is renewed if you keep the activity going, among other requirements. It is advisable to be up to date with the tax office and Social Security. The details are in information sheet 15.

Non-lucrative residence. To renew you must have actually lived in Spain for more than 183 days during the calendar year, have sufficient financial means for you and your family without working, and have kept your health insurance for the whole period, and still have it. The renewal lasts two years.

The amount depends on how many people are in your family and is calculated using the IPREM as a reference. Many immigration law firms state 400% of the IPREM for the holder and an extra 100% for each family member, but the official sheet does not publish the figure. Confirm it before applying. The means are usually proved with bank statements, pension or other income certificates, and the insurance with the valid policy and proof of payment.

Family reunification. It is renewed with form EX-02 (or EX-11 if the person who reunited you has long-term residence). The family relationship must continue and the sponsor must still hold a valid residence permit. If your sponsor does not meet the requirements, the rules allow, in some cases, the other parent or the partner living in Spain to apply for the renewal. The renewal lasts four years and allows you to work.

Arraigo. An arraigo authorisation lasts one year. When it ends, it is not "renewed" like the others. There are two routes:

• Changing it to a residence and work authorisation.
• Extending it for another year. For that you must still meet the original requirements, be registered with the public employment service and actively look for work. You can be exempt from looking for work in justified cases such as illness, disability or retirement age.

Extraordinary arraigo (2026 regularisation). People who obtained residence through the extraordinary regularisation approved in April 2026 (Royal Decree 316/2026) have a one-year authorisation that allows them to live and work anywhere in Spain. As the expiry date approaches there are two routes, within the usual deadline (two months before or three months after):

• Changing it to a residence and work authorisation. This is the main route. Submitting the application keeps the previous authorisation valid until you get an answer.
• Extending it, only if the change is not possible. You need to prove active job seeking with registration at the public employment service, or a favourable integration effort report. The extension is for one year. If there are justified reasons that prevent you from working (serious illness, disability or retirement age), it can be up to four years.

Official sheet 28 ter does not yet develop this section. That is why it is worth checking it in good time and, if in doubt, getting guidance before the year is up.

After five years: long-term residence

If you have lived in Spain legally and continuously for five years, you can apply for long-term residence. With it you will no longer have to renew your authorisation: you will only renew the card every five years.

Trips outside Spain do not break continuity if each one lasts up to six months and in total they do not exceed ten months in those five years. There are exceptions for work trips and force majeure.

You apply with form EX-11, within the same deadlines as a renewal.

How much it costs: the fees

These are the amounts in force under Order PJC/617/2025:

The renewal fee is paid within ten working days after you submit the application. The form is generated on the official website and can be paid at any bank, even if you do not have an account there.

If someone charges you much more than this, what they are charging is their fees, not the procedure. It may be a legitimate service, but you have the right to know what you are paying for and to get an invoice.

How and where to apply

Online, on the Mercurio platform, on the e-office of the Ministry of Territorial Policy. You can log in with a digital certificate or with Cl@ve (Cl@ve PIN or Cl@ve Permanente, registered with your NIE). You will need all your documents scanned and legible.

In person, at the Immigration Office of your province, with a prior appointment.

Another person can also submit it on your behalf, as your representative.

After applying: what can happen

You may be asked for more documents. This is called a requerimiento. You are usually given ten working days to provide what is missing. If you do not reply in time, your application may be closed. That is why it is so important to check your notifications.

Electronic notifications expire. If you are notified electronically and do not open the notification within ten calendar days, it is considered received anyway. If they cannot reach you, it is published in the Tablón Edictal Único (official notice board).

The authorities have three months to reply. In ordinary renewals as an employee, non-lucrative and family reunification, and in long-term residence applications, if you have not been notified of anything after that period, the application is considered granted by administrative silence. This does not apply to every procedure: in extraordinary arraigo, for example, silence is negative and no answer means refusal.

Before taking anything as granted, check the information sheet for your case, look up the status of your file and ask for the certificate that proves the silence.

When it is granted: the card

You have one month from the notification to apply in person for the new card (TIE) at the police station or immigration office that corresponds to you. You will need a prior appointment, form EX-17, your passport, a recent colour photo with a white background and proof of fee payment. Your fingerprints will be taken there.

Do not miss this deadline. A favourable decision is not much use if you do not have the card.

Can I travel while I wait?

It depends on your situation. If your card is still valid, you can travel with it. The problem arises when the card has expired and the renewal is in progress: the proof of submission is not valid for re-entering Spain. In that case you need a return authorisation, which you request with a prior appointment, your passport, the renewal receipt and proof of fee payment, and which allows you to travel for 90 days.

If your situation is different (an initial application still pending, a special procedure, a passport about to expire), check first which document you need. Do not assume the return authorisation solves any trip.

The return authorisation only allows entry through Spain. If your trip includes a stopover or passes through another Schengen country, you may be refused entry or boarding. Before buying your ticket, check your route with the immigration office or the airline.

What if it is refused?

What counts is your decision letter: at the end it must state which appeals you can file, before whom and within what deadline. Read it carefully. As a usual reference in administrative procedures:

• Appeal for reconsideration (recurso de reposición), before the same body, within one month.
• Judicial review (recurso contencioso-administrativo) before the courts, within two months.

The deadlines are short. If your renewal is refused, get legal advice as soon as you receive the decision, not when the deadlines are about to run out.

Mistakes to avoid

• Leaving it until the last day. The two-month window before expiry exists so that you have some margin.
• Not keeping the receipts. Neither the proof of submission nor the proof of fee payment.
• Not checking notifications during the process.
• Submitting an expired passport. If it is about to expire, renew it first at your consulate.
• Travelling without a return authorisation.
• Forgetting the card appointment after the favourable decision.
• Paying to "speed up" the procedure. No one can guarantee a result or speed up a file by paying.

Documents worth having ready

The exact list depends on your authorisation, but in almost all renewals you will be asked for some of these:

• Valid passport (copy of all pages).
• Your current card (TIE).
• The official form that applies to you (EX-03, EX-02, EX-11…).
• Updated registration certificate (empadronamiento), if you have moved.
• Employment history, contracts or payslips, if you renew through work.
• Unemployment or other benefit certificate, if applicable.
• School enrolment report for your children of compulsory school age.
• Integration effort report, if you do not meet a requirement.
• Proof of fee payment.

When to seek individual guidance

A general guide helps you understand the procedure, but there are times when you should not rely on it alone. Seek individual guidance if:

• your card expires in a few days or has already expired;
• you have received a notification or a requerimiento and are not sure what they are asking for;
• your renewal has been refused;
• you have a trip planned while the renewal is in progress;
• your situation does not fit any of the cases in this guide.

Where to find information

Every case has details a general guide cannot cover. If you have questions, you can:

• check the official information sheet for your type of residence on the website of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration;
• book a prior appointment at the Las Palmas Immigration Office or the police station on the official appointment website;
• apply in the Canary Islands for the integration effort report, if you need it;
• go to a free legal guidance service or a social organisation that gives advice on immigration matters.

If you have questions, you can also write to us at info@ubuntucanarias.org. We will guide you on where to start and where to get help in your case.

Official links

• Sheet 13 – Renewal of residence and work as an employee
• Sheet 15 – Renewal as self-employed
• Sheet 7 – Renewal of non-lucrative residence
• Sheet 10 – Renewal for family reunification
• Sheet 29 – Socio-labour arraigo
• Sheet 28 ter – Extraordinary arraigo
• Sheet 49 – National long-term residence
• National Police – Long-term residence card
• Government of the Canary Islands – Integration effort report

This guide is general information provided by Ubuntu Canarias and does not replace individual legal advice. Immigration rules change often and only the rules in force when you submit your application apply. Always check the information with official sources.

Information reviewed on 11 October 2026.