Residence and work permits
Initial employed or self-employed permit, renewals and changing your status when your work changes.
immigration lawyers Madrid
Residence and work, arraigo, Spanish nationality, family reunification and appeals against refusals and removal. We tell you which route is open to you and what documents you need before anything is filed.
01 Residence and work permits
02 Arraigo
03 Spanish nationality
04 Family reunification
01 — Specialist areasSpecialist areas
Specialist areas
within immigration law
Every application has its own requirements and deadlines. We tell you which one applies to you before anything is filed.
Arraigo
Arraigo on social, socio-occupational, family, training or second-chance grounds: which one applies to you and with what evidence.
Spanish nationality
By residence, with a shorter qualifying period in cases such as marriage to a Spanish national, or by option. Preparing the file, the exams and the oath.
Family reunification
Spouse, children and older relatives. Housing and income requirements and the renewal of the cards of those reunified.
Appeals and removal
Applications for reconsideration and appeals to the administrative courts against refusals, and defence in penalty and removal proceedings.
Skilled professionals and digital nomads
Permits under Law 14/2013 for companies hiring foreign talent and for people working remotely from Spain.
02 — Immigration law
A residence permit, an arraigo or a nationality application that never arrives? We take charge of your file.
Escalera & Tuset · Immigration department
Not sure? Give us a call 911 923 480 We reply within the same working day. First consultation free.
«Excellent treatment and outstanding professionals. Thanks to Pepe Dominguez Tuset, who resolved my problems.»
03 — What we do 
We are with you from the first meeting to the decision
One named lawyer handles your matter from beginning to end.
Working out the route first
Before anything is filed, which permit applies to you and whether you meet the requirements with the documents you have.Preparing the file
We review the documents, tell you what needs a sworn translation or an apostille and file the application online.Follow-up and requests for information
We answer requests from the Immigration Office within the deadline so that the file is not closed.Renewals and changes of status
Renewing the permit and changing your status when you change job, employer or circumstances.Nationality
The complete file for nationality by residence, the CCSE and DELE exams, and the oath before the Civil Registry.Appeals
Application for reconsideration or administrative appeal and a claim before the administrative courts against a refusal.Removal proceedings
Submissions and appeals in penalty proceedings, with interim measures where there are established ties to Spain.Companies
Hiring foreign workers, intra-company transfers and managing international workforces. 04 — How we start
This is how we start to resolve your case
You will know who is handling your matter, what your options are and what it is going to cost. No surprises.
Solicitar presupuesto-
You call or write to us
On +34 911 923 480 or through the form. We get back to you within the same working day.
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We study the case
We review the documents and tell you what your real options are, with their deadlines and their risks.
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A fixed quote
We give you the cost of the solutions on the table before we start. With no obligation.
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We get to work
A named lawyer handles your matter and keeps you informed at every stage of the procedure.
05 — Questions
What people ask us before they instruct us
The general deadline is three months from the date the application is filed, and one year for nationality by residence. If that time passes without a decision, in most procedures silence counts as a refusal and can be appealed.
It depends on the procedure. Where a renewal has been filed in time, the previous permit is extended until it is decided. We confirm that with your particular case in front of us.
One month from notification for the optional application for reconsideration (or the administrative appeal, where that applies) and two months for an appeal to the administrative courts. These are strict cut-offs: once they pass, the refusal becomes final.
Ten years as a general rule; five for refugees; two for nationals by origin of Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal and for people of Sephardic origin; and one year in situations such as having been married to a Spanish national for a year without being separated. In every case the residence must be lawful and continuous.
06 — Quote
Tell us about your case. We call you today
First consultation free and with no obligation. If you have a deadline running, say so when you call: it gets priority.
911 923 480More about immigration law
Immigration law in Madrid
Immigration law governs entry to, residence in and work in Spain for people who are not nationals of an EU, EEA or Swiss State. Its basic statute is Organic Law 4/2000 and its regulation, Royal Decree 1155/2024, in force since 20 May 2025, which changed a good part of the requirements for arraigo, renewals and family reunification.
At Escalera & Tuset every immigration file is handled by a named lawyer who has known the case since the first consultation. We work out which route applies to you, prepare the documents, file the application and answer any requests for information within the deadline. And if the authorities refuse, we appeal.
Residence and work permits
The initial residence and work permit can be as an employee, where a company hires you, or as a self-employed person, where you are going to work on your own account. It lasts one year and is renewed for successive periods until you reach long-term residence, which is granted after five years of lawful, continuous residence.
We also handle changes to the permit when your circumstances change: a new job in another province, moving from employed to self-employed status, or switching from a student permit to a work permit.
Arraigo under the new regulation
Arraigo allows someone already living in Spain without a permit to regularise their situation. The regulation in force distinguishes five types: social, socio-occupational, training, family and second-chance arraigo. For the first three and for second-chance arraigo, two years of continuous presence in Spain is required as a general rule; family arraigo has no time requirement.
Each type of arraigo calls for different evidence: an employment contract, an integration report, enrolment on a course or a link to a Spanish or resident family member. We tell you which one applies to you and what documents you need before the application is filed.
Spanish nationality by residence
Spanish nationality by residence requires, under article 22 of the Civil Code, ten years of lawful, continuous residence as a general rule. That period is reduced to two years for nationals of Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal and for people of Sephardic origin, and to one year for anyone who has been married to a Spanish citizen for a year and is not separated.
The file requires passing the CCSE test on constitutional and sociocultural knowledge and, save for certain exceptions, the DELE exam at A2 level. We prepare the complete application, answer any requests for information and stay with you through to the oath before the Civil Registry.
Family reunification
Anyone lawfully resident in Spain who meets the required period of residence can apply for family reunification for their spouse or partner, their minor children and, in certain cases, their older relatives. The sponsor has to show suitable housing and sufficient means for the family as a whole.
We help you put that evidence together, file the application and then deal with the cards of those reunified and their renewal.
Appeals and removal proceedings
A refusal is not the end of the procedure. Against the decision you can bring an optional application for reconsideration (or an administrative appeal, where that applies) within one month of notification or, directly, an appeal to the administrative courts within two months, before the courts or, in nationality matters, before the Audiencia Nacional. These are strict cut-offs, so it is worth calling as soon as you receive the notification.
In penalty and removal proceedings we make submissions, appeal the decision and apply for interim measures where there are family, work or social ties in Spain that justify suspending the removal.
Companies hiring from abroad
Law 14/2013 on support for entrepreneurs provides a faster procedure for hiring highly qualified professionals, for intra-company transfers, for researchers and, since Law 28/2022, for the international remote worker permit, the so-called digital nomad visa.
We advise companies bringing in foreign talent on choosing the right permit, on dealing with the Large Companies Unit and on managing international workforces, together with our employment and tax departments.
Other practice areas
Commercial, civil, criminal, employment, tax and litigation. When your matter touches several areas, the lawyer for each one steps in and your point of contact does not change.
911 923 480