Documents for Spain's 2026 regularisation — exhaustive checklist by profile

The most common mistake in the 2026 regularisation is not legal: it is documentary. A lapsed criminal record certificate, a missing apostille, or a sworn translation outside the standard triggers a subsanación (correction request) that, if unanswered within 15 days, leads to the file being archived. This guide gathers, in an exhaustive checklist, every document you need: the common ones for any applicant, the route-specific ones (employment, family, or vulnerability), and the legalisation and translation requirements for documents issued outside Spain. If you are still not sure whether you qualify, the eligibility questionnaire tells you in two minutes.

Common mandatory documents (every applicant)

These five blocks are mandatory for any of the three routes. Without one of them, the file is not processed.

1. Official form: EX-32 or EX-31

• EX-32: for people in irregular status (Additional Provision 21 of the Foreigners Regulation).
• EX-31: for international protection applicants with an application filed before 1 January 2026 (Additional Provision 20).

Both forms include annexes for the criminal record declaration and, in the vulnerability route, the space for the corresponding certification.

2. Valid passport

• Complete passport with minimum validity for the entire procedure (recommended 6 months ahead; minimum the expected duration of the file).
• Full copy of every page, including blank ones. The biographical page alone is not enough.
• If you do not have a passport, a travel document equivalent recognised by the Ministry.

3. Presence in Spain before 1 January 2026

• You need to prove two separate things: (a) that you were in Spain before 1 January 2026, and (b) that you have 5 uninterrupted months of stay up to the date of application.
• Any dated and nominative public or private document is valid: historical empadronamiento (municipal registration), Spanish health card, medical reports, rental contracts, utility bills (electricity, water, gas, internet, phone), mobile top-ups, named plane/train/bus tickets, bank transfers or remittances, school enrolments of children, NGO attendance records (Cruz Roja, Cáritas, Accem, etc.), medical appointments, police reports, hospital records.
• The more documents you provide and the more spread over time, the stronger the file. If your base does not include the padrón, see the regularisation without empadronamiento guide.

4. Criminal record certificates

• Certificate from Spain issued by the Registro Central de Penados (Spain's Central Criminal Records Office) — or, in asylum cases, the equivalent proof of clean record.
• Certificate from your country of origin, duly apostilled and with sworn translation into Spanish (see next section).
• Certificates from any other country where you lived for more than 6 months during the last 5 years.
• Maximum validity: 3 months from the date of issue. A certificate issued 4 months ago is no longer valid: request it as close as possible to the date of submission.

5. Fee paid: 38.28 EUR

• Model 790 código 052. You can fill it in and pay online at the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT) website, or at any collaborating bank.
• Provide the bank proof of payment, not just the form.
• Keep a copy of the receipt for your records.

Route-specific documents (choose one of the three)

In addition to the five blocks above, you must prove one of the three routes established by RD 316/2026.

Employment route

• Signed employment contract or binding job offer from the employer, with date and conditions, or proof of 90 days worked in the last year (even without a prior formal contract).
• Payslips if applicable.
• Vida laboral (Social Security employment history report) downloadable from the TGSS electronic portal.
• Employer certificate proving the employer is up to date with the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT) and Social Security (TGSS).
• Typically also requested from the employer: CIF (company tax ID), Social Security registration, TC2 (monthly contribution record), and responsible party declaration.

Family route

• Libro de familia (Spanish family book) or equivalent foreign document apostilled and translated.
• Marriage certificate or registered civil partnership, if applicable.
• Cohabitation certificate issued by the Ayuntamiento (town hall), or joint historical empadronamiento proving the family unit with Spanish nationals or legal residents.
• DNI / NIE / TIE of the Spanish national or legal resident you live with (copy).
• Birth certificate of minor children, if part of the family unit.

Vulnerability route

• Vulnerability certificate using the official Ministry of Inclusion template, with electronic signature and digital seal.
• Issued exclusively by: (a) the social services of the Ayuntamiento where you are registered, or (b) a Third Sector entity registered in the RECEX (Registro Electrónico de Colaboradores de Extranjería — Electronic Register of Foreigners Collaborators, Orden ISM/164/2026, with several registered entities across Spain).
• Warning: the vulnerability certificate is only valid for this procedure. It does not replace the informe de arraigo (integration report) or other general-purpose social reports.
• We will soon publish a dedicated manual on the vulnerability certificate (RECEX) with the list of entities, the request process, and the exact template.

Foreign documents: apostille and sworn translation

Any document issued outside Spain must pass two filters: legalisation (apostille) and sworn translation. They are two separate steps and they must be done in the correct order.

Hague apostille

• If your country is a signatory to the Hague Convention (most European and American countries are), the apostille issued by the designated authority in your country of origin is enough (usually the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, or supreme court, depending on the country).
• If your country is not a signatory, you need consular legalisation: a slower process involving the Spanish consulate in your country and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid.

Sworn translation into Spanish

• All documentation in a language other than Spanish must be accompanied by a sworn translation into Spanish.
• The translator must be appointed by the MAEC (Spanish Foreign Ministry). A public list is available on the MAEC portal.
• Order matters: first apostille the original document, then commission the sworn translation. The sworn translator must also reflect the stamps and annotations of the apostille in the translation.
• If you skip the sworn translation, the file enters subsanación and you have 15 days to provide it. If you do not respond, the file is archived.

Common documentary mistakes

• Lapsed criminal records: obtaining them too early and submitting with more than 3 months old. Request them as close as possible to the submission date.
• Forgetting an intermediate country of residence: if you lived for more than 6 months in a third country during the last 5 years, you also need a criminal record from that country. Many applications fail by unintentional omission.
• Translation without apostille, or apostille without translation: both steps are needed separately. Order: apostille first, translation after.
• Partial passport copy: a full copy of every page is required, not only the biographical page nor only the used ones.
• Wrong fee code: the correct code is 790 código 052 (the same as arraigo). 012 is for the subsequent TIE (Foreigner's Identity Card), not for the application.
• Submitting EX-32 when EX-31 applies: if you have a prior international protection application, your form is the EX-31.
• Generic social services reports instead of the official vulnerability certificate: only the Ministry template with electronic signature is valid.

For more context on the role of criminal records in the process, see the regularisation and criminal records guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if a document lapses between the prior appointment and the submission? Prioritise documents with limited validity (criminal records, certificates) after you have a confirmed appointment. Request them 2-3 weeks before the appointment to arrive with a safety margin and within the 3-month validity.

Do I need a sworn translation of documents in English? Yes. Any document in a language other than Spanish — including English, Portuguese, French — needs a sworn translation into Spanish for this procedure.

Is empadronamiento enough as sole proof of stay? Not as sole proof, but it is the strongest. Combine it with other documents (bills, medical appointments, transfers) to cover any gaps and give the file more weight.

What happens if a document is missing on the day of the appointment? It depends on the channel: Correos and Extranjería usually accept the submission with a subsanación notice. You will have 10-15 days to provide what is missing. If you do not, the file is archived.

Can I submit plain photocopies or do I need certified copies? Submit originals plus plain copies on the day. The civil servant compares and returns the originals. Notarised certification is not required unless the form explicitly asks for it.

When can I start working once I have submitted the application? When the UTEX (Unidad de Tramitación de Expedientes de Extranjería — Foreigners' File Processing Unit) admits your application for processing, it issues a procedure initiation notice. That document — not the submission receipt — provisionally authorises you to reside and work anywhere in Spain and in any sector. RD 316/2026 does not set a fixed deadline: in practice it ranges from days to several weeks.

Official sources

• Regularisation portal — Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations: https://www.inclusion.gob.es/regularizacion
• Official prior appointment form: https://www.inclusion.gob.es/formulario-cita-previa-regularizacion-extraordinaria-2026
• Modelo 790 código 052 — Spanish Tax Agency: https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es
• Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Official sworn translators: https://www.exteriores.gob.es
• Hague Convention — signatory countries and apostille: https://www.hcch.net/es/instruments/conventions/specialised-sections/apostille

Conclusion

Documentation is the most controllable part of the procedure: unlike the timelines of the Administration, this depends on you. A complete file on the day of the appointment avoids subsanaciones, delays, and the risk of archiving. The three critical blocks are criminal records within 3 months, apostille and sworn translation in the correct order, and route-specific documentation matching your case.

For the full context of the process, see the main guide to the in-person process. For how to book the appointment, you have the guides for Correos and Oficina de Extranjería. And for the vulnerability certificate (RECEX), we will publish in the coming days a dedicated manual with the list of entities and the detailed process.