Family reunification in Spain: route card for a spouse, children and parents

Family reunification in Spain: a 10-step plan

1. Work out the regime from the sponsor’s status

   The regime depends on who already lives in Spain: a non-EU resident, a Spanish citizen, a citizen of another EU country or a DNV applicant.

   • Wrote down the nationality and status of the person the family is joining
   • Found my regime in the table above
   • If the sponsor is on a DNV, opened the DNV route card and the article on family with a DNV

   Where: Reglamento (articles 65-71 and 93-99), Real Decreto 240/2007, Ley 14/2013Timing: before you start gathering documentsCost: free

   When to get help: the sponsor has dual nationality, their permit is being renewed, or the grounds are changing: the regime and deadlines are worked out from the documents.

2. Check the regime’s requirements

   The general regime is the most demanding. For the family of a Spanish citizen, articles 94-96 set no income or housing requirements; what you need is the relationship and living together.

   • General regime: I have lived in Spain for over a year and my permit is valid for at least another year
   • General regime: income of at least 150% of IPREM for me and one family member and 50% for each additional one (with IPREM at €600 per SEPE as of 3 October 2026, that is €900 and €300 a month; for children, article 67.1 may give a different amount)
   • Family of an EU citizen: the EU citizen works, has sufficient means or studies

   Where: Reglamento, SEPE (IPREM value)Timing: before applyingCost: free

   When to get help: mixed income or income from abroad. The Reglamento does not say outright whether to count by month or by year, and the approach is checked with your Oficina de Extranjería.

3. Prove the family relationship

   The relationship is proved with documents bearing an apostille and a sworn translation into Spanish. An unmarried partner can rely on registration in a public register or 12 consecutive months of living together; with children in common, no minimum period is required.

   • Marriage or birth certificate with an apostille and sworn translation
   • Partner: an extract from the register or proof of 12 months living together
   • Child of one parent only: the other parent’s consent or a custody ruling
   • Parents: proof of dependency (under the general regime they must be over 65)

   Where: authorities of the issuing country, Registre de parelles estables Catalunya, sworn translatorTiming: order the apostille and translation early, times vary by countryCost: apostille and translation are paid separately

   When to get help: the couple is registered in the Catalan register. Whether the authority accepts it as a public register is checked case by case; the fallback is 12 months of living together.

4. Prepare housing, income and insurance (general regime)

   These documents hold up cases most often. The housing report is not issued instantly, and there is a limit on how old it can be.

   • Ordered the housing report; on the filing date it is no more than 6 months old
   • Gathered proof of income: income from business activity counts as net profit, pensions and benefits count, while study and housing grants, maintenance payments and social assistance income do not (article 67.1)
   • Took out seguro de enfermedad for all family members
   • Other school-age children already living in Spain are enrolled in school

   Where: social services or the Ajuntament where you liveTiming: under the Reglamento the report is issued within a month; if it is late, other evidence will doCost: see the authority’s page

   When to get help: sublet housing or a room, irregular income, children from different marriages.

5. Pay the fee and book an appointment

   The general regime has a fee; the family of a Spanish citizen applies without one and pays only for the TIE card.

   • Found modelo 790 and the code for my procedure on the authority’s page
   • Paid the fee and kept the receipt
   • Booked a cita previa at the Oficina de Extranjería, if one is needed

   Where: sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es, Policía Nacional (tasas)Timing: before applying; see the information sheet for the payment deadlineCost: €10.94 initial and €16.40 renewal under order PJC/617/2025; the family of a Spanish citizen pays no fee

   When to get help: you are unsure of the fee code or the appointment type: a mistake costs time and money.

6. Submit the application

   Under the general regime, the sponsor applies in person; electronic filing from Spain counts as in person. For the family of a Spanish citizen, the Spanish citizen applies, and if both are already in Spain, either of them can. A relative of an EU citizen applies for the card themselves.

   • Worked out who applies and at which Oficina de Extranjería
   • Filed the application and kept the resguardo and a copy of the whole file
   • If a representative applies, arranged a poder notarial or an apud acta authorisation

   Where: Oficina de Extranjería in Barcelona; for EU family, the Oficina de Extranjeros or a comisaríaTiming: for the EU family card, three months after entryCost: the fee from step 5

   When to get help: the couple has neither a marriage nor a registration, the child is from one parent only, or the sponsor’s status is in doubt.

7. Watch for notifications and answer any requerimiento

   Under the general regime and for the family of a Spanish citizen, a decision is due within two months; silence means refusal. When both are in Spain and the application has been accepted, the Spanish citizen’s family may live and work here while it is processed.

   • I open electronic notifications: one left unread for 10 calendar days counts as rejected
   • Answered the requerimiento within the deadline in the notice and sent the complete set of documents
   • In case of refusal, noted the date of notification and the deadline to appeal

   Where: sede, Carpeta CiudadanaTiming: up to 2 months, silence means refusalCost: free

   When to get help: a requerimiento on the substance and any refusal: the deadline to appeal is short.

8. Get the visa and enter Spain

   If the family is abroad, after a positive decision they get a visa at the consulate where they live. They must enter within a month.

   • Applied for the visa at the consulate where the family lives
   • Bought tickets after getting the visa and entered within a month
   • Kept proof of entry

   Where: the Spanish consulate where you live, where to apply from CIS countriesTiming: entry within a monthCost: consular fee at the consulate’s rate

   When to get help: the visa is delayed or the month to enter is nearly up.

9. Request the TIE and get through the first 30 days

   The TIE is requested in person within a month: after entry, or, if the family applied from Spain, after notification of the decision. Then come address registration, school and the health centre.

   • Booked huellas and filed EX-17 with the 790-012 receipt (how it works in Barcelona)
   • Registered the address on the padrón: empadronamiento in Barcelona
   • Got the tarjeta sanitaria and enrolled the children in school: tarjeta sanitaria in Catalonia

   Where: Policía Nacional by appointment, AjuntamentTiming: one monthCost: TIE €16.08, €12 for family members of a Spanish citizen

   When to get help: the month for the TIE has almost run out, or there is a mistake on the card.

10. Plan for renewal and an independent permit

    You apply for renewal within the two months before expiry or the three months after it. Under the general regime the permit is issued for 4 years and is tied to the sponsor’s status; for family members of a Spanish citizen it is issued for 5 years.

    • Put the renewal window in the calendar
    • Checked eligibility for an independent permit: a spouse or partner after one year on family reunification, with their own means or a job; children on reaching adulthood or after 5 years in Spain
    • Reporting changes to the authority: divorce, a new address, changes in the family

    Where: Oficina de ExtranjeríaTiming: 2 months before or 3 months after expiry; 3 months of silence means approvalCost: €16.40 under Order PJC/617/2025, plus €19.30 for the TIE on renewal

    When to get help: divorce, the sponsor’s death or domestic violence: the independent permit has special rules in these cases.