Long-Term Residence in Spain: residencia de larga duración

Residencia de larga duración y larga duración-UE

~17 min read · Published 6 August 2026 Updated and checked against official sources 8 October 2026

Residencia de larga duración allows a foreign national to live and work in Spain indefinitely on the same terms as Spanish citizens (art. 32.1 LO 4/2000). There are two kinds. National long-term residence requires five years of legal residence. EU long-term residence also requires income and health insurance, and in return gives the right to move to another EU country. The permit does not expire. Only the TIE card is replaced every five or ten years.

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What this permit is

Residencia de larga duración allows a foreign national to live and work in Spain indefinitely, “en las mismas condiciones que los españoles,” that is, on the same terms as Spanish citizens (art. 32.1 LO 4/2000). The regulation provides for two kinds, and they are two separate permits:

Both kinds give the same rights in Spain: arts. 175 and 182 define them in the same words. They differ in their requirements and in how they are lost. For national long-term residence five years of residence are enough, and pensioners of the Spanish Seguridad Social, refugees and several other groups can get it without the five years (art. 183.3, listed in the next section). EU long-term residence requires five years, income and health insurance (art. 176), but it counts study at half and gives the right to move to another EU country.

Long-term residence is not citizenship: your own passport remains your only passport. It is also not needed for citizenship, since the qualifying period counts years of legal residence on any permit (see the section on nationality below). EU citizens and their families have their own regime, EU citizens’ residence, and the family of a Spanish citizen has a separate permit.

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Pros and cons

Pros

  • The permit has no expiry date and is never renewed.
  • You may work as an employee or self-employed without a separate work permit (art. 182).
  • National long-term residence requires no income and no health insurance (art. 183).
  • Once the five years are complete, you can apply at once, without waiting for your current permit to expire (art. 184.2).
  • Decision within three months, and silence means approval (art. 184.6).
  • Long-term residents can bring their parents through family reunification (art. 18.1 LO 4/2000).

Cons

  • Absences over the five years: no more than 6 months in a row and 10 months in total (art. 183.2).
  • Study on an estancia does not count toward the five years for national long-term residence.
  • EU long-term residence requires income under the family reunification rules and health insurance (art. 176).
  • 12 consecutive months outside the EU end both kinds (art. 201.1).
  • Long-term residence does not shorten the period for Spanish nationality.
  • The TIE card has to be replaced every five years, and every ten years after age 30.

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Who applies and on what grounds

The main ground is five years of legal and continuous residence in Spain immediately before the application (art. 183.1 RD 1155/2024 for national, art. 176.a for EU). The years that count are years on residence permits, residencia temporal (art. 32.2 LO 4/2000): work, non-lucrative, family reunification, arraigo, and permits under Ley 14/2013. Study, student mobility, volunteering and training are granted as a stay, estancia (art. 52 RD 1155/2024), not as residence. Only EU long-term residence counts half of that time, and only if on the date of the application the applicant already lives in Spain on a residence permit (art. 176.a). The rule comes from art. 4.2 of Directive 2003/109/EC. For national long-term residence, art. 183.1 requires five years of residence and does not repeat the half rule, so years of study do not count toward it.

The time between the end of a card and the decision on its renewal also counts if the renewal was filed on time: within two months before the permit expires or three months after. The previous permit then remains valid until the decision (for the non-lucrative permit art. 64.1, other permits have the same rule in their renewal provisions). A late filing may lead to a fine under art. 52.b LO 4/2000, but residence during that gap remains legal.

National long-term residence is also granted without the five years, on the grounds in art. 183.3:

Besides five years in Spain, EU long-term residence is available to the holder of another EU country’s Blue Card who moved to Spain under the mobility rules of art. 71 bis.4 Ley 14/2013 (art. 176.a). That person needs five years of legal residence in EU countries on a Blue Card, a national highly qualified permit, a researcher permit, a study or vocational training permit (counted at half) or international protection status, with the last two years in Spain on a Blue Card. On this route absences are counted outside the European Union: up to 12 months in a row and no more than 18 in total. For a beneficiary of international protection in Spain, the time from the protection application until protection is granted counts in full (art. 176.a). The Blue Card is covered in the article on highly qualified professionals.

Time under temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine (Decision (EU) 2022/382) counts in full toward the five years for national long-term residence. If the person moved from protection to another permit, the two periods are added together (Instrucciones SEM 2/2026, sixth instruction). The instruction covers national long-term residence only. The absence limits of art. 183.2 apply here too, including trips to Ukraine.

Long-term residence is personal: each family member builds up their own five years and files their own application. Three rules matter for families. A family member brought over by a long-term resident through reunification receives a first permit that runs until the resident’s TIE expires, for at least one year, and their next permit is already long-term (art. 68.9). A child born in Spain to resident parents receives a five-year permit, and when it ends the application for long-term residence is filed (arts. 159.1 and 159.7). The applicant can bring their parents through reunification only after obtaining long-term residence themselves (art. 18.1 LO 4/2000), as explained in the article on family reunification.

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Requirements and documents

Five years of residence are required, with no breaks beyond those allowed. The limits are nearly the same for both kinds, and the exceptions differ (art. 183.2 and 176.a RD 1155/2024):

AbsenceNationalEU
A single absenceup to 6 months in a rowup to 6 months in a row
All absences over five yearsup to 10 monthsup to 10 months
Work-related absencesup to 18 months in total, each up to 6 in a rowup to 18 months in total, each up to 6 in a row
Force majeure, supported by documentsdoes not break continuity, assessed case by caseno exception
Work abroad under a contract with an NGO, foundation or association recognized as being of public utility, on research, development cooperation or humanitarian projectsdoes not break continuityno exception

An irregular departure does not fall within these limits for either kind: the rule makes the reservation “salvo que las correspondientes salidas se hubieran efectuado de manera irregular.” This means that a single absence of more than six months breaks the count, and the five years start again on return. For national long-term residence the exceptions are force majeure and NGO work. For EU long-term residence there are none.

Absences are counted over the five years before the day of the application. The 183-day rule per calendar year that applies when renewing a non-lucrative permit (art. 64.2.f) does not apply to long-term residence, which has its own count under arts. 183.2 and 176.a.

The applicant must also not be a threat to public order or public security. The Oficina de Extranjería, the immigration office of the province, requests the Spanish criminal record and a police report itself and may refuse on this ground (art. 184.4 and 184.5).

Documents for national long-term residence (art. 184.3, Hoja 49, the information sheet of the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration):

For EU long-term residence two requirements are added to the five years (art. 176):

€900 a month for a family of two and €300 for each additional family membercurrent for 2026

The income is calculated as for family reunification: which income counts, how savings are assessed, when the threshold is reduced for children. This is explained in the article on family reunification.

Documents for EU long-term residence (art. 177.3, Hoja 50): form EX-11, a passport copy, proof of payment of the fee under the same section 2.6, documents on income and insurance, a criminal record certificate under the same “en su caso” rule, and on the Blue Card route documents on residence in other EU countries.

Not required:

Foreign documents are filed with an apostille or consular legalization and a translation into Spanish by a sworn translator (Hoja 49 and 50). The certificate itself is covered in a separate article.

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Can you work

Yes. Art. 182 RD 1155/2024 defines long-term residence as a permit “a residir y trabajar en España indefinidamente en las mismas condiciones que los españoles.” You may work as an employee or self-employed, in any occupation and anywhere in Spain, without a separate work permit and without a change of status.

National long-term residence gives no right to work in another EU country. EU long-term residence gives the right to move there for more than three months and work on the terms that country sets under Chapter III of Directive 2003/109/EC (art. 14 of the Directive).

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How the process works

An applicant who is in Spain files with the immigration office of their province, in person or electronically through Mercurio (art. 184.1 RD 1155/2024, Hoja 49). An applicant abroad files in person at the Spanish consulate where they live, and the consulate forwards the application to the immigration office of the province where they will live.

The application is filed as soon as the five years are complete, with no need to wait until the current permit expires. The last sentence of art. 184.2 states that the filing window “no será de aplicación” to anyone whose permit is in force and who already meets the conditions of art. 183. The same rule applies to EU long-term residence (art. 177.2). A work permit runs until May 15, 2028, and five years since entry were reached on October 1, 2026: the long-term residence application can be filed from October 1, 2026. If the permit has already expired, an application filed within three months after expiry keeps it valid until the decision, but a fine may be imposed for the delay (art. 184.2).

The five years are counted up to the day the application is filed, not the date the appointment was booked. An application filed before the five years are complete is not decided on the merits: it is not admitted for processing as “manifiestamente carente de fundamento,” that is, manifestly unfounded (DA 4ª.1.f LO 4/2000). A repeated application after a refusal, with no change in circumstances, is not admitted either (DA 4ª.1.c).

The immigration office checks whether the five years are complete and the absence limits respected, and requests the criminal record and the police report (art. 184.4). The decision is due within three months, and silence means approval (art. 184.6 for national, art. 177.6 for EU). This means that after three months without an answer the application is deemed approved. Approval by silence is evidenced by a certificate of silence, as explained in the article on administrative silence.

Within one month of notification of approval, the applicant applies in person to the police for the TIE (art. 184.7 and 177.7). The EU long-term residence card bears the entry “Residente de larga duración-UE.” The first card is valid for five years (art. 185.1 and 178.1).

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Refusal and appeal

The application is refused if the five years are not complete, if absences exceed the limits, or if the applicant is found to be a threat to public order or public security (art. 184.5 and 177.5 RD 1155/2024). A refusal is always express, by a written decision: silence here means approval. After a refusal the applicant remains on their current permit and renews it in the ordinary way.

Decisions of the immigration office end the administrative route (DA 9ª RD 1155/2024). A refusal can be challenged by a recurso de reposición, an appeal to the same office, within one month of notification (art. 124 Ley 39/2015), or directly by a recurso contencioso-administrativo, a claim before the Juzgado de lo Contencioso-Administrativo, the first-instance administrative court, within two months (arts. 8.4 and 46.1 LJCA, Ley 29/1998, the law on administrative court proceedings).

We prepare and file the appeal to the immigration office ourselves. A court claim requires an abogado and a procurador: we prepare the case, and a partner Spanish lawyer represents the client in court.

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TIE card, loss and recovery

The permit itself is not renewed: it has no expiry date. The TIE card is replaced: first after five years, then every five years until age 30 and every ten years after that (art. 185.1 and 178.1 RD 1155/2024). The application is filed within two months before the card expires, and the old card remains valid until the decision. Filing within three months after expiry also keeps it valid, but a fine may be imposed for the delay (art. 185.2). The application comes with a passport, proof of payment of the fee and a photograph (art. 185.4 and 178.4).

This does not mean that an expired card ends the permit: arts. 185.3 and 178.3 state that late renewal “no supondrá en ningún caso la extinción.” For EU long-term residence the only consequence is a fine. For national long-term residence, when the card is replaced the immigration office checks that the conditions on which the permit was granted are still met (art. 185.3).

The permit ends under art. 201.1 when:

Living in another EU country does not end national long-term residence: art. 201.1 counts only time outside the European Union. EU long-term residence also ends after six years outside Spain, even if the holder spent all that time in another EU country. In exceptional circumstances the Directorate-General for Migration Management (DGGM) may keep it in force (art. 201.2).

Lost long-term residence does not have to be rebuilt over five new years. It can be recovered (recuperación):

NationalEU
When it can be recoveredafter loss through 12 months outside the EU or through EU long-term residence in another country, and after the end of a no-return undertaking on voluntary return (art. 188)after loss through 12 months outside the EU, through EU long-term residence in another country, or after six years outside Spain (art. 186)
What to showdocuments proving the requirements and the paid fee (art. 189)fixed income for yourself and your family, health insurance and the paid fee (art. 187)
Where to filein person, at the immigration office of the province where you will live, or at a Spanish consulatethe same
Decision3 months, silence means approval3 months, silence means approval
CardTIE within one month of notification or entry, valid for 5 yearsthe same

The application is made on form EX-11. When filing from abroad, the consulate issues a visa, and the applicant enters Spain already as a long-term resident (arts. 187.2 and 189.2). Only the person who held the permit in their own right can recover it. Family members who obtained it through reunification cannot, and the person who brought them over files a new reunification application (art. 186.2). For national long-term residence there is an exception for children who are minors on the date of the application (art. 188.2).

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Nationality and moving to another EU country

Years of residence count toward the period for Spanish nationality: generally 10 years, and 2 years for nationals by origin of Latin American countries, the Philippines and certain other countries (art. 22.1 Código Civil). Long-term residence is not needed to apply.

A holder of EU long-term residence may move to another EU country and apply for a permit there under that country’s rules (art. 14 of Directive 2003/109/EC). If they obtain EU long-term residence there, the Spanish one ends (art. 201.1.d RD 1155/2024).

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EU long-term residence from another country

A holder of EU long-term residence granted by another EU country may live in Spain without a visa (art. 32.3 LO 4/2000, art. 179.1 RD 1155/2024). The application is filed before entry at the Spanish consulate where the applicant lives in the EU, or directly with the immigration office, no later than three months after entry (art. 179.2, Hoja 51).

The requirements depend on the purpose (art. 179.3.d):

€28,800 a year for the applicant and €7,200 for each family membercurrent for 2026

This amount is higher than the threshold for EU long-term residence in Spain: that one follows the family reunification rules (art. 176.b), while here the regulation refers to the funds required to live without working (art. 179.3.d).

The decision is due within two months, and silence means refusal (art. 179.4). This means that after two months without an answer the application is deemed refused and can be appealed. The applicant must enter Spain within three months of notification of approval (art. 179.5). The permit takes effect on entry or, if the applicant is already in Spain, on notification, and for work on registration with the Seguridad Social, which must happen within three months (art. 179.6). The TIE application is filed within one month, and the card is issued for five years (art. 179.7).

Family members who lived with the holder in the previous country file their own applications without a visa, at the same time or later, and receive a family reunification permit (art. 180.1 and 180.8). Such a resident obtains EU long-term residence in Spain later on the general terms, and the status in the previous country is then lost (art. 181.1 and 181.2). The status in the previous country can be kept by applying in Spain for a temporary residence permit instead of a long-term one (art. 32.3 LO 4/2000).

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Author Aleksandr Nazarov

Frequently asked questions

I already hold national long-term residence. Can I get EU long-term residence later?

Yes. National long-term residence is a residence permit in force, and the filing window in art. 177.2 RD 1155/2024 “no será de aplicación” to anyone whose permit is in force and who meets the conditions of art. 176. You can apply whenever you have five years before the application within the absence limits, income under the family reunification rules and health insurance.

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I had a long trip abroad a few years ago. Does it block my application?

It depends on how long it was. A trip of more than six months in a row resets the count. A shorter one counts toward the 10-month total only while it falls within the five years before the application (art. 183.1 and 183.2 RD 1155/2024). A later filing date takes earlier trips out of the calculation.

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