Many Ukrainians now live in Spain under the temporary protection granted after Russia’s 2022 invasion. The key question is no longer just how to get here, but how to move from temporary protection to a stable residence permit without losing the time you have built up. Here are the real options and the documents worth having ready.
Key facts
- Entry: with a biometric passport you can stay in the Schengen area visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This stay does not allow work.
- Temporary protection: the EU has extended it until 4 March 2028 (Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1912). It includes a residence and work permit, employed or self-employed, from age 16. Since 31 July 2026, first-time applicants may be asked to prove they have met their military obligations in Ukraine; this does not affect people who already had protection.
- Citizenship: the general 10-year legal, continuous residence rule applies, with the CCSE and DELE A2 exams and a declaration renouncing Ukrainian nationality at the oath.
- Driving: Spain has a licence exchange agreement with Ukraine. While you hold temporary protection, your Ukrainian licence is recognised without exchange.
- Social security: the Spain–Ukraine agreement lets you combine contribution periods from both countries.
How people usually move
- Temporary protection. Available to people who lived in Ukraine before 24 February 2022 and were displaced by the war, and their family members. You apply at the CREADE centres (Pozuelo de Alarcón and Málaga; in Barcelona the CREADE arranges the police appointment) or at designated police stations. Temporary protection
- Switching to an ordinary permit. Since April 2026 (Royal Decree 316/2026, new 19th additional provision of the Immigration Regulation) you can apply from within Spain for any permit that can be processed there. If you already work, the usual route is a modification to residence and work. SEM Instruction 2/2026 sets out how. Permit modification
- Arraigo. Social, socio-labour or socio-training arraigo (family arraigo, for example for the parent of a Spanish child, has no such minimum). Time under temporary protection counts towards the 2 years of stay that arraigo requires. Arraigo
- Family. Marriage or registered partnership with a Spanish or EU citizen, or being the parent of a Spanish child. Family member of a Spanish or EU citizen
- Skilled or remote work. If you arrive now without temporary protection: highly qualified professional, EU Blue Card or the digital nomad visa for remote work for companies outside Spain. Highly qualified professional
- Long-term residence. After 5 years of legal, continuous residence; time under temporary protection counts in full.
Documents and apostille
- Criminal record extract (vytiah pro nesudymist) from Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVS). You order it in Diia or on the MVS portal. For Spain, request the paper version with an apostille, which can be ordered together with the extract.
- Birth and marriage certificates from the Ukrainian civil registry (DRATS), apostilled and with a sworn translation into Spanish. If your certificate dates from the Soviet era, you may need a current duplicate to apostille it.
- Temporary protection decision and TIE: keep the decision (downloadable from the Ministry of the Interior website) and your cards. They prove your time of residence for arraigo and long-term residence.
- Valid biometric passport. If it expires while you are in Spain, apply for renewal at a Ukrainian consular office early, as you will need it for any change of permit.
- Original Ukrainian driving licence, to exchange it once you leave temporary protection.
What to keep in mind
- The Spanish Embassy in Kyiv advises against travel to Ukraine. If you need a national visa from there, check its website for the services it currently provides.
- So far Spain has automatically extended the validity of temporary protection cards (most recently until 4 March 2027). Follow official announcements on the extension to 2028.
- Do not renounce temporary protection before your new permit is granted: the renunciation is filed afterwards and shown when you apply for the new TIE.
- Do not apply for temporary protection in two countries: the EU asks states to refuse a new permit to anyone who already holds one in another member state.
- Register on the padrón and keep contracts, course certificates and receipts: they will support an arraigo application.
Frequently asked questions
What happens when temporary protection ends?
For now it runs until 4 March 2028. The EU asks member states to ease the transition to other statuses, and in Spain you can already apply from within the country for an ordinary permit (modification, arraigo, family member of a Spaniard or long-term residence). It is wise not to leave it to the last moment.
Does time under temporary protection count for other permits?
Yes for arraigo and long-term residence: under SEM Instruction 2/2026 it counts towards the 2 years for arraigo and the 5 years for long-term residence. For citizenship, which requires 10 years of legal residence, your specific case should be reviewed.
Can I drive in Spain on my Ukrainian licence?
Yes while you hold temporary protection, with no translation or international permit. If you switch to another residence permit, you can drive on it for six months and exchange it without a test for cars and motorcycles, provided you obtained it before becoming resident in Spain.
Official sources
- Decisión de Ejecución (UE) 2026/1912: prórroga de la protección temporal hasta el 4 de marzo de 2028
- EUAA: Instrucción SEM 2/2026 sobre el paso de la protección temporal a otras autorizaciones
- Ministerio de Inclusión: preguntas y respuestas sobre protección temporal
- DGT: nota informativa sobre permisos de conducir ucranianos
- DGT: países con convenio de canje
- Servicio Central de Servicios del MVS de Ucrania: extracto de antecedentes penales