Residence card for family of an EU citizen in Spain: EX-19 and documents

EU citizen’s family member card: who is entitled to it

The card is issued under Real Decreto 240/2007, not under regulation 1155/2024. This act applies to relatives of a citizen of another EU or EEA state or of Switzerland, if the relative accompanies or joins them in Spain. The relative does not hold EU citizenship [1]. By default this regime does not apply to the family of a Spanish citizen; other articles govern that case: residence permit for a relative of a Spanish citizen.

Other relatives (brothers, sisters, adult children who are not dependent, an unregistered partner) are allowed by article 2 bis after an individual assessment: you need to prove that the person was dependent on, or lived with, the EU citizen in the country of origin, or that their health requires care. For an unregistered partner, one year of living together or a child in common is enough. The decision must state its reasons [1].

What the EU citizen must prove

The relative has the right to live in Spain for more than three months as long as the EU citizen has it. Article 7 names four grounds: employment or self-employment in Spain, sufficient means for themselves and the family with health insurance, studies with health insurance and means, or accompanying a relative who has one of these grounds [1]. The regulation does not set a fixed amount of means: the personal situation is taken into account, but the amount must not exceed the level below which Spaniards receive social assistance, or the minimum pension [1].

So the family’s document folder has two parts: documents of the non-EU relative and documents of the EU citizen (CUE, proof of employment or means, health insurance). How the EU citizen registers: CUE and certificate EX-18.

How to apply for the card: step by step

1. Confirm the EU citizen’s legal basis and gather the documents: the relative’s passport, a document proving the relationship, the EU citizen’s CUE (or DNI), proof of dependency for those who need it, three photographs on a white background [1][2].
2. Arrange the translation and apostille. Article 8.3 of the regulation and the Policía page require the document proving the relationship (marriage, registered union, birth) to be translated and apostilled or legalised [1][2].
3. Pay the fee with modelo 790, code 012 at a bank with the printed form. The amount for this card is given on the Policía page: €12 as of early October 2026 [2][3].
4. Book an appointment and apply in person. You apply at the Oficina de Extranjería, the Jefatura Superior or the police station for the place where you will live [1][2][4].
5. Get the proof of application. The regulation requires it to be issued immediately: it is enough to prove lawful stay until the card is issued. Holding this proof must not be a condition for other rights if the situation can be proven in another way [1].
6. Collect the card. It is issued within three months of the application, and is valid from the date of entry if you applied in time [1].

Appointments in Barcelona. According to the Delegación del Gobierno en Barcelona guidance note of 20.05.2025, appointments for the EU family member card (EX19, initial and renewal) are requested by email to the address given in the note; procedures handled by the Policía need a separate appointment. The note is from earlier years, so check that it is current on the Delegación page [4]. General appointment procedure: cita previa at extranjería.

Deadlines, administrative silence and appeals

Regulation 240/2007 gives the authority three months to issue the card (article 8.4), while the Policía states in its EX-19 information sheet: the maximum time limit is 3 months, silence means refusal (desestimatorio), and you can challenge it with a reposición within a month to the same body [1][2]. We have not found a document explaining this difference and do not know how the Oficina de Extranjería in Barcelona treats it in practice. Do not treat silence after three months as success: keep the proof of application and a timeline, and ask for a review. General time limits and appeals: reposición, alzada and the courts.

While the application is being examined, applying for the card does not prevent you from staying in Spain and going about your ordinary activities (article 12.2) [1]. The regulation allows an EU citizen who has the right, and their family, to prove their status by any admissible means if the card has not yet been issued (article 14.4) [1].

What happens to the card later: renewal, permanent residence, divorce

The first card is valid for 5 years, or less if the EU citizen plans to live in Spain for a shorter time (article 8.5) [1]. After five years of continuous lawful residence the right to permanent residence arises; the permanent residence card is issued for 10 years and renewed automatically, and you apply for it within the month before the card expires or within three months after (articles 10 and 11) [1][2]. The permanent right is lost after an absence from Spain of more than two consecutive years [1].

The ordinary card has a rule on absences: it loses validity with absences of more than six months a year, but not with longer absences for certain reasons (pregnancy, childbirth, serious illness, studies, professional postings) as long as they do not exceed twelve consecutive months (article 14.3) [1]. Changes of nationality, marital status or address must be reported (article 14.2) [1].

If the EU citizen leaves, dies or the marriage ends, the foreign relative’s right may be kept independently (article 9). On divorce, one of these conditions is required: the marriage lasted at least three years, one of them in Spain; custody of the EU citizen’s children; particularly difficult circumstances, such as violence; a right of access to a child in Spain. This must be reported to the authorities [1]. A detailed look at divorce: divorce and the spouse’s residence permit.

Common mistakes

• Applying for the card when the EU citizen has no right of residence themselves: no job, no means or no health insurance. A refusal is then likely, even if the family’s documents are flawless [1].
• Confusing the CUE with the relative’s card: the EU citizen gets a registration certificate, the non-EU relative gets a card. These are different forms (EX-18 and EX-19) [2][5].
• Applying late: the three months run from entry [1].
• Bringing a marriage certificate without an apostille or without a sworn translation: apostille and legalisation, sworn translation.
• Mistaking the proof of application for the card. It is temporary proof that you applied, not a document granting the right of residence [1].
• Not proving dependency for parents and adult children. You need transfers, expenses, household composition [1].
• Not reporting changes after divorce, death or departure of the EU citizen [1].

When you need an individual review

A review is needed if the EU citizen lives in Spain without a job and is unsure how to prove means; the marriage was recently concluded outside the EU; the family includes an unregistered partner or adult children; the EU citizen also holds Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian or Kazakh citizenship; there are criminal records or previous refusals; the family is breaking up. For CIS nationals with dual citizenship, the answer depends on which citizenship applies. Comparison of the regimes: family reunification in Spain.

How we can help

The ReloVictory team checks which regime suits your family, prepares the EX-19 file, orders the translation and apostilles, books the appointment and handles the case until you receive the card. The legal side is handled by the team’s lawyer, the administrative side by a graduada social. Book: consultation. Service page: family, route card for families, general procedure: residence permit in Barcelona.

Frequently asked questions

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ReloVictory · Sources reviewed 02.10.2026 · Not a substitute for individual legal advice.