Family Reunification in Spain: Requirements and Application Steps

Updated: 6 October 2026

Family reunification in Spain allows eligible foreign residents to bring certain relatives to live with them. The correct application depends on the sponsor’s nationality and residence permit, the family relationship and where each person is living.

This guide focuses on ordinary family reunification for non-EU residents. Families of Spanish citizens, EU citizens and holders of permits under Spain’s international mobility law follow different rules.

Which Family Residence Route Applies?

For a non-EU family member, start by identifying the sponsor’s status:

The ordinary one-year residence rule and IPREM thresholds below should not be applied automatically to the other routes. Cases involving Spanish citizens who have exercised EU free movement rights also need an assessment of the applicable regime.

For couples, our guide to moving to Spain with a non-EU partner explains the main alternatives.

When Can a Non-EU Resident Sponsor Their Family?

Under the ordinary procedure, the sponsor can generally submit the application after living in Spain legally for at least one year and applying for permission to remain for at least another year.

The family application can be filed while the sponsor’s renewal is pending. Approval requires the relevant renewal to have been granted.

Reuniting with parents normally requires the sponsor to hold long-term or long-term EU residence in Spain. The family application may be submitted while that status is being requested, but it cannot be granted before the required status is obtained.

Special rules apply to some residents moving from another EU Member State. Check your current permit before relying on the general timeline.

Which Relatives Can Be Reunited?

The ordinary route covers specific relationships:

• Spouse: aged 18 or over, with a valid marriage and no factual or legal separation.
• Partner: unmarried and aged 18 or over, through a qualifying registered partnership or a sufficiently proven stable relationship.
• Children: under 18 when the residence application is submitted, including eligible children of the spouse or partner.
• Certain adult children: where disability requires support or their health objectively prevents them from meeting their own needs.
• People legally represented by the sponsor: subject to the relevant age, disability or health conditions.
• Parents: of the sponsor or their spouse or partner, generally aged over 65, dependent on them and with reasons justifying residence in Spain. Humanitarian exceptions can apply below that age.
• An adult child acting as a caregiver: in the specific case where the sponsor has an officially recognised degree of dependency under Spanish law.

For an unregistered stable partnership, the regulation recognises at least 12 continuous months of sufficiently proven cohabitation. That prior period is not required where the couple has a child together and the relationship continues.

An adult child’s financial dependence alone does not generally qualify them under the ordinary route. For minors relocating with one parent, custody and permission to move to Spain must also be addressed.

Our comparison of civil partnership and marriage in Spain may help couples organise the evidence of their relationship.

Income Requirements for Family Reunification in 2026

The general requirement is 150% of the monthly IPREM for the sponsor and one reunited family member, plus 50% for each additional member.

The monthly IPREM is €600 in 2026. The following figures are calculated from that amount:

These are the general thresholds for ordinary reunification. They are not the income requirements for a non-lucrative visa or the Digital Nomad Visa.

The application must demonstrate sufficient, stable resources. Employment contracts, payslips, tax records and evidence of other qualifying resources should explain how the family will be supported. Income from social assistance is excluded.

Cases involving minors or eligible legally represented relatives can benefit from specific reductions. The rules consider the child’s best interests and, where applicable, the guaranteed Minimum Living Income. Those cases need an individual calculation.

Housing and Healthcare Requirements

The sponsor must demonstrate that the family has suitable accommodation. This is normally supported by a housing adequacy report issued by the competent regional authority or local council.

A rental contract or ownership document helps show your right to occupy the property. The report assesses the accommodation, including its size, use, occupants and living conditions.

Request it early. Under the regulation, the report or permitted substitute evidence must be no more than six months old when the family application is filed. If the authority has not issued and notified the report within one month, alternative evidence may be accepted, together with proof that the report was requested.

Healthcare cover is also required for the sponsor and the relatives. Check whether public entitlement provides the necessary cover or whether suitable private insurance is needed.

Documents to Prepare

Build the checklist around the family relationship and separate the residence application from the later consular visa application.

For the residence stage, prepare:

• The completed EX-02 application.
• Full passport copies for the sponsor and the family member.
• Evidence of the sponsor’s residence and relevant renewal or long-term residence application.
• Evidence of sufficient resources.
• Housing documentation and the adequacy report or permitted substitute evidence.
• Evidence of healthcare cover.
• Marriage, partnership, birth or other documents establishing the relationship.
• Custody, consent, dependency, disability or caregiving evidence where relevant.
• The declaration concerning another spouse or partner, where required.
• Proof of payment of the applicable residence processing fee.

At the visa stage, the family member must also follow their consulate’s checklist. This commonly includes the approval, national visa form, photograph, passport, original relationship documents, a medical certificate, criminal record certificates where required and proof of residence in the consular district.

Foreign public documents generally require an apostille or diplomatic legalisation unless an exemption applies, plus an accepted translation where needed. Check the Ministry’s guidance on legalisation and translation.

Before ordering certificates, check the required format and validity period. Review names, dates and passport details across the file so that discrepancies can be explained before submission.

How to Apply: The Ordinary Procedure

1. Submit the Residence Application in Spain

The sponsor submits the application to the competent Immigration Office for their province, personally or through a representative. Electronic submission is available through Mercurio.

Keep the filing receipt, fee receipt and a complete copy of the documents. Monitor notifications and respond to requests for additional evidence within the deadline given.

2. Obtain the Residence Decision

The statutory maximum decision period is two months. This is not a guarantee that the family can complete every stage within that time.

Ordinary initial family reunification has negative administrative silence: no response within the applicable deadline does not automatically grant residence. Requests for documents and other procedural events can affect the calculation.

3. Apply for the Visa at the Spanish Consulate

Once the residence authorisation is granted, the relative generally has two months from notification of the approvalto submit the visa application at the Spanish consulate responsible for where they reside.

The statutory maximum visa decision period is one month from submission, subject to applicable procedural rules. Appointment availability and document requests can affect the overall schedule.

Check the appointment procedure early, but plan the visa filing around the residence approval and its deadline.

4. Collect the Visa and Travel

Under the current ordinary procedure, the visa must be collected within one month of notification of its grant. Entry into Spain must then take place within one month after collection.

Read the approval and visa instructions carefully before booking travel.

5. Apply for the TIE

After entering Spain, the family member must apply for the Foreigner Identity Card, or TIE, within one month, through the competent police service.

The residence authorisation, visa and physical TIE are separate parts of the process. Prepare the card application documents and arrange the required appointment promptly.

Can Reunited Family Members Work in Spain?

Under ordinary family reunification, the spouse, partner and children who have reached the legal working age are authorised to work as employees or self-employed without a separate work authorisation.

Do not assume that every other relative receives the same work rights. Parents and other categories require a separate check.

Can You Apply While Already in Spain?

The standard ordinary procedure usually involves a residence application by the sponsor in Spain followed by a visa application by the relative abroad.

Entering as a tourist does not automatically replace that procedure. If your relative is already in Spain, assess their immigration status and available route before filing.

Different rules apply to certain relatives of Spanish citizens, qualifying EU family members and families applying under Law 14/2013. Location alone does not determine eligibility.

What Changes for Digital Nomad Families?

Eligible relatives of a Digital Nomad Visa applicant can apply together with the main applicant or join them later under Law 14/2013. They do not normally need to wait for the ordinary one-year sponsorship period.

Eligibility, financial requirements, documentation and filing rules must be checked under that separate regime. See our Digital Nomad Visa Spain guide for that route.

Common Questions

Can I Bring My Parents After One Year in Spain?

Not generally under ordinary reunification. The sponsor normally needs long-term residence, and the parent must meet the dependency, age and other applicable requirements.

Do We Need to Be Married?

No. A qualifying registered or sufficiently proven stable partnership can be accepted. Evidence of the relationship remains essential.

Does €900 per Month Guarantee Approval?

No. It is the general threshold for a two-person family using the current IPREM. The authority also examines the resources and all other requirements.

How Long Does the Whole Process Take?

The residence and visa stages have separate statutory periods. Preparing documents, obtaining the housing report, arranging appointments and responding to requests add time. Plan the full sequence before choosing a moving date.

Legal review: Francisco Javier Theuer Carmona, immigration lawyer and member of the Granada Bar Association (ICAGR 7984). 

Last reviewed: 6 October 2026

Get Help With Your Family Residence Application

To identify the appropriate route, start with five facts: the sponsor’s nationality, their current permit, the family relationship, each person’s location and the planned moving date.

Nodisea can help you assess the route, prepare the supporting evidence and manage the application. Book a free immigration consultation to discuss your family’s circumstances.

Official Sources

• Ministry of Inclusion: ordinary family reunification.
• Royal Decree 1155/2024: current consolidated immigration regulation.
• Organic Law 4/2000: family reunification rights.
• Law 31/2022: statutory IPREM amount, Additional Provision 90.
• Ministry of Inclusion: relatives of Spanish citizens.
• Royal Decree 240/2007: EU family residence framework.
• Law 14/2013: family applications under the international mobility regime.