Spain to Allow Undocumented Migrants to Apply for Residency at Post Offices

Half a Million People — and Possibly Far More

In late January 2026, Spain's government made headlines across Europe and beyond when it announced a mass regularisation of undocumented migrants already living in the country — granting residency and the right to work to at least 500,000 people who are currently living in Spain without papers. Some estimates put the true number of eligible individuals considerably higher, potentially closer to one million.

The scale of the task is enormous. Processing half a million or more residency applications — each requiring individual review, document verification, and a formal decision — within a compressed timeframe would place extraordinary demands on Spain's already stretched immigration infrastructure. Staff at extranjería offices (the foreigners' offices that normally handle residency applications) had already warned the government that without significant additional funding and manpower, the workload would be "humanly impossible". Unions flagged the risk of the regularisation process effectively collapsing immigration services — causing knock-on delays for legal residents renewing their paperwork as well as new applicants.

The government's response is to spread the load. As of this week, Correos post offices and Social Security offices will have dedicated counters specifically for mass regularisation applications — significantly expanding the number of official locations where people can apply.

Where You Can Now Apply

According to the latest draft of the decree from Spain's Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, undocumented migrants who meet the eligibility criteria will now be able to submit their applications through four separate channels:

• Correos post offices — Spain's national postal service, with thousands of branches across the country, will have dedicated counters for regularisation applications
• Social Security offices (Seguridad Social) — also with dedicated counters. Importantly, applying through Social Security offices allows applicants to provide additional information that will facilitate their immediate registration in the Spanish labour system if their application is successful
• Extranjería offices — the standard foreigners' offices that handle immigration matters, which will continue to accept applications alongside the new channels
• Unions and NGOs — in a measure announced the previous week, authorised unions and non-governmental organisations are also now permitted to complete and submit residency paperwork on behalf of migrants

Applications can also be submitted online via the Mercurio platform, Spain's digital immigration processing system.

Whichever channel is used, applications will ultimately be passed to Spain's Immigration Case Processing Unit (UTEX) — Unidad de Tramitación de Expedientes de Extranjería — which sits within the Ministry of Migration and is responsible for reviewing all applications and making the final decision on each case.

What Will Be Granted

Successful applicants will receive:

• A residency permit allowing them to legally live in Spain
• A work permit allowing them to work legally
• Both permits issued for an initial period of one year

The government's objective is to resolve each case within a maximum of three months from the date of application — an ambitious target given the volume involved, but one underpinned by the expansion of processing locations and additional staffing commitments.

Who Qualifies: The Key Requirements

The regularisation is not a blanket amnesty available to all undocumented people currently in Spain. Applicants must meet a specific set of criteria:

1. Entry before December 31st, 2025 — you must be able to prove that you entered Spain on or before the end of last year. Those who arrived in 2026 are not eligible
2. Minimum five months' continuous stay — you must be able to demonstrate that you have been living in Spain for at least five months prior to your application
3. No current residency papers — the scheme is specifically for those who currently have no legal residency status in Spain. Those who already hold any form of residency permit are not eligible
4. No criminal record — you must have a clean criminal record both in Spain and in your country of origin

Proving entry date and length of stay can be done through a range of documentation — rent contracts, utility bills, bank statements, school enrolment records, employer letters, or social services records — and NGOs and unions may be able to assist with gathering the necessary evidence.

The Application Window: April to June 2026

The application window is expected to open in early April 2026 and will remain open until June 30th, 2026. This is a hard deadline — those who have not submitted their application by the end of June will not be able to benefit from this regularisation process.

With fewer than three months between the expected opening and the closing date, anyone who believes they may qualify should begin gathering the necessary documents now, rather than waiting for the formal opening. The volume of expected applications means that post offices, Social Security offices, and extranjerías are likely to be busy, and leaving everything until the final weeks carries real risk.

Why This Matters Beyond the Migrants Themselves

The regularisation has implications beyond those directly applying. For legal residents and expats who use extranjería offices for their own residency renewals, NIE applications, and other official processes, the expansion of application channels to post offices and Social Security offices should help avoid the worst of the predicted queues at immigration offices — though some additional pressure on the system is still likely during the application window.

For employers, the scheme will bring a significant number of people into the formal labour market over the coming months, expanding the pool of workers with legal employment rights. For those in sectors that employ significant numbers of informal workers — agriculture, construction, hospitality, domestic care — the changes are directly relevant.

The political debate around the regularisation continues. Opposition parties, particularly the PP and Vox, have strongly criticised the measure, arguing it creates a perverse incentive for further irregular migration. The government's position is that regularising people already living and contributing to Spanish society — removing them from a grey economy where they have no employment rights or social protections — is the pragmatic and humane response to a population that already exists and is not going anywhere.

This article is based on reporting from The Local Spain, published March 23, 2026. Requirements and application procedures are based on the draft decree from the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and are subject to final confirmation when the formal decree is published. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your situation, consult a qualified immigration lawyer (abogado de extranjería).