Second-chance roots residence
Losing your card doesn't always mean starting from scratch. If you have already held residence in Spain, we study how to recover your legal status.
What it involves
Second-chance arraigo (arraigo de segunda oportunidad) is a residence permit for foreign nationals who had papers in Spain and lost them, for example because they could not renew. It is designed for people who have kept living here and want to return to legal status without having to start from scratch.
Is this your case?
- You had a residence card, lost your job and could not renew it.
- Your renewal was refused and since then you have been living in Spain without papers.
- You let your card expire because you didn't know or because of personal problems.
- You don't know whether this route, social arraigo or another permit suits you best.
How we help
We piece together your history in Spain with you: the permits you held, when you lost them and what you have done since. With that information we choose the most suitable route, prepare the documents and submit the application. We follow the file and, if more papers are requested, we respond for you. We can help you in Spanish, Arabic, Tamazight, French and English, at our offices in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Málaga and Barcelona or online, wherever you are in Spain.
If you held long-term residence, we look at residence recovery; and if your renewal was refused recently, an appeal against the refusal may be possible.
Frequently asked questions
- Is second-chance arraigo the same as residence recovery?
- No. Recovery is mainly for people who held long-term residence and lost it. Second-chance arraigo is for people who held another type of permit and could not keep it.
- My card expired a long time ago and I didn't renew it. What do I do?
- Don't wait any longer: the more time passes, the fewer options there may be. Gather your old cards, your padrón registration and any contracts or payslips, and contact us to see which route you have.
- Do I have to prove that I haven't left Spain?
- Generally, it is taken into account that you have kept living in Spain. Your padrón registration, medical reports or bills in your name help to prove it. We tell you which documents to gather.
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Tell us about your case.
A first conversation — confidential and without obligation — to understand whether we can help, and how.
We speak Spanish, Arabic, Tamazight (Berber), French and English.