Royal Decree 316/2026: closed window and existing cases

Spain’s 2026 extraordinary regularization: the application window has closed. Applications were accepted from 16 April to 30 June 2026. The Government’s 2 July update confirmed the close of the filing stage. This window is not open to new applications. If a case was filed on time, follow its status and official notices. Selected Correos offices remain available for in-person corrections to existing applications through 30 September 2026; this does not reopen the application window.

Sources and check date: Royal Decree 316/2026 (BOE), La Moncloa procedure guidance, 21 April 2026, La Moncloa filing-stage close, 2 July 2026; checked 2026-09-15.

Royal Decree 316/2026 was published on 15 April and took effect on 16 April 2026. It amended Spain’s Immigration Regulations and created two temporary mechanisms. The deadline for both ended on 30 June. This article remains as an explanation of the enacted decree and a reference for people who filed on time. It is not a guide to starting a new application after the window closed.

What Royal Decree 316/2026 established

The decree added two distinct regimes. Additional Provision 20 applied to certain international-protection applicants who had filed before 1 January 2026 and met the provision’s conditions. Additional Provision 21 governed extraordinary arraigo for a different group of people who had been in Spain before 1 January 2026 and met the stated requirements. The correct route and its consequences depended on the person’s status; the decree was not a general promise of residence for everyone.

Both provisions allowed applications only through 30 June 2026. The Government’s 2 July update said the filing stage had closed and reported 1,174,978 registered applications. That number counts applications received, not approvals.

What matters for an existing case

Closing the window to new applications does not replace the individual processing of a registered case. Check its status, official notices, and response deadlines. Under these regimes, provisional permission to work was tied to the official notice that processing had started, rather than the act of sending documents alone. The outcome and next steps depend on the specific case file.

If the authority sends a request for corrections, respond through the channel and by the deadline stated in that request. The 2 July update kept selected Correos offices available for in-person corrections to existing applications through 30 September 2026. This is a stage of an existing case, not a new opportunity to apply.

Criminal record certificates and foreign documents

The final decree requires a criminal record certificate or equivalent document from the country of origin and the countries of residence during the five years before entry into Spain. An applicant cannot replace it with a declaration on their own initiative. The exceptional diplomatic-request process requires proof that the certificate was requested, one month without a response, the prescribed declaration, and authorization for Spanish authorities to request it. The correct response to a case request depends on the notice received.

If help with the document is needed, the “certificate for an existing 2026 regularization case” page covers retrieval, an apostille or another form of legalization where applicable, and sworn translation. This is a document service. It cannot reopen the application window or guarantee an immigration decision.

How to use this material now

The article explains the enacted Royal Decree 316/2026, the distinction between its two mechanisms, and requirements that may remain relevant to existing cases. For action today, the official text, the notice for the specific case, and current government information take priority.

This information is general and does not replace individual legal advice.