Your family close by · Spain

Family reunification in Spain: choosing a route

We start with citizenship, the sponsor’s status and the family relationship. We separate the procedures that apply and draw up a separate document list for each family member.

Reviewed by: Francisco Romero Jiménez, abogado ICAB 33641, 21.10.2026

How do you identify the right family residence route?

The family route depends on the nationality and status of the person being joined, the relationship and each applicant’s circumstances. General family reunification, residence for relatives of Spanish nationals, the EU family-member regime and digital nomad family applications follow different rules. Identify the applicable framework before ordering certificates. ReloVictory helps organise the documents; age, dependency, application location and financial evidence need to be checked for the particular family.

Next steps

Gather the reference family member’s passport or identity document and evidence of their status in Spain.
Record each applicant’s exact relationship, age, marital status and location; check dependency where the route requires it.
Identify the applicable family framework before using a generic checklist or an income figure found online.
Collect relationship evidence and, where applicable, dependency, parental-responsibility, resources, accommodation and healthcare documents.
Check apostille or legalisation requirements, possible exemptions and accepted translations for each foreign document.
Establish who applies, which authority handles the procedure and where the relative must be at each relevant stage.

Related guidance

Official sources

In brief

Four regimes: general, family of a Spanish national, family of an EU citizen, family on a DNV
the regime determines the conditions, time limit and fee
General regime: the sponsor: a year in Spain and a permit valid for another year
article 68 of the Reglamento (RD 1155/2024)
Sponsor’s income: 150% of IPREM for two, +50% for each additional person
IPREM €600 a month per SEPE as of 3 October 2026; we check it on the filing date
Decision: up to 2 months, silence means refusal
the procedure is handled as a priority
Family of a Spanish citizen: 5-year permit, you can work straight away
the procedure itself has no fee, the TIE card does
Family on a DNV: +€1,068 for the first, +€356 for each additional one
per month, on top of the main applicant’s income

Who it suits and who it doesn’t

Fits

A non-EU resident who has lived in Spain for more than a year and wants to bring a spouse or partner, children under 18, or dependent parents over 65
A Spanish national whose spouse, partner, child under 26 or parent lives abroad or is already in Spain
A DNV applicant moving with their family
The family of a citizen of another EU country who lives in Spain

Does not fit

A sponsor under the general regime who has lived in Spain for less than a year (families of Spanish nationals, EU citizens and DNV holders follow other rules)
A marriage or partnership without a real shared life: the law prohibits marriages that circumvent the law (fraude de ley)
An adult child with no disability and no proven dependency: they cannot be brought under the general regime
A second spouse in a polygamous marriage: only one spouse can be reunited

Which regime applies to your family

The regime depends on the status of the person the family is joining; the degree of kinship does not affect it. Full analysis: Family reunification in Spain: how to identify the right regime.

Regime	Who is included	Basis	Main condition
General reunification (reagrupación familiar)	Spouse, partner, children, parents	Real Decreto 1155/2024, articles 65-71	Sponsor’s year of residence, income, housing and insurance
Family of a Spanish citizen	Spouse, partner, children under 26, dependent parents, parent of a Spanish child	Real Decreto 1155/2024, articles 93-99	Family tie, shared life and, where required, dependency
Family of an EU citizen	Spouse, registered partner, children under 21 or dependent, dependent parents	Real Decreto 240/2007	The EU citizen works, has sufficient means or studies
Family on a DNV	Spouse or partner, children, dependent parents	Ley 14/2013, article 62.4	Income is calculated with a supplement for each person

General regime: requirements and what they mean in practice

The sponsor files the application for the family at the Oficina de Extranjería; filing electronically from Spain counts as filing in person (article 197 of the Reglamento).

Requirement	What it means in practice
A year of residence	You can apply once you have lived in Spain for more than a year and your permit is valid for at least another year. If your permit is being renewed, your family will only be approved after the renewal. For parents, the law requires the sponsor to hold long-term residence (article 18.1 of Ley Orgánica 4/2000; article 68.1.a of the Reglamento allows you to apply once long-term residence has been requested).
Income: 150% of IPREM	As of 3 October 2026, IPREM according to SEPE is €600 a month: that means €900 a month for you and one family member, plus €300 for each additional person; we use the value on the filing date. Income from economic activity counts as net profit. Pensions and benefits count, including contributory and non-contributory, public and private ones. These do not count: study and housing grants, compensatory pensions and maintenance (except payments in favour of the person being reunited), and income from the social assistance system. For children, article 67.1 allows a lower amount where there are circumstances in the child’s interest: for a family of two, one of whom is a minor, it sets 110% of the annual renta garantizada under the Ingreso Mínimo Vital, plus 10% for each additional minor. Whether this fits your case, we check against the text of the article. The Reglamento does not say explicitly whether to count by month or by year, so we confirm the approach with your Oficina de Extranjería (article 67.1 of the Reglamento).
Housing	A social services report no older than 6 months: the right to occupy the home, rooms, occupants, condition. If the report is not issued within a month, other evidence is accepted.
Insurance and school	Seguro de enfermedad for every family member. Your other school-age children already living in Spain must be enrolled in school.
Family tie	Marriage and birth certificates with an apostille and a sworn translation. If a child is from only one of you, you need sole custody or the other parent’s consent.
Fee	€10.94 for the initial permit, €16.40 for renewal, plus the TIE card.

Step-by-step application

Regime, income, housing. We check the sponsor’s status, calculate the income, order the housing report and check the policy.
Family documents. Passports, certificates, apostilles, sworn translations (the steps are on the “Documents and procedures” page).
Appointment and fee. Cita previa and payment with modelo 790.
Filing. We file on your behalf where the law allows a representative (notarised proxy (poder notarial), apud acta, registered representative). Where you must file in person (consulate, arraigo), we prepare the file and go with you.
Visa and entry. After a favourable decision, the family gets the visa at the consulate and enters Spain within a month.
TIE. Within a month of entry, the family applies in person for the TIE card and registers the address on the padrón.

Parents

The parents of the sponsor or of their spouse can be brought over when they are over 65, depend on you and have reasons to move. The law adds a condition: parents can only be reunited once the sponsor has obtained long-term residence (article 18.1 of Ley Orgánica 4/2000). Younger parents are brought over on humanitarian grounds. A Supreme Court judgment of 8 July 2026 removed from article 196 the clause that dependency must exist in the country of origin: it can also be proved when the parent is already in Spain. More: Family reunification with parents in Spain: conditions and limits.

Spouse, pareja de hecho and children

A spouse over 18, not divorced or legally separated. An unmarried partner qualifies in two cases: the couple is entered in a public register and the entry has not been cancelled, or you have proved a stable relationship with at least 12 months of living together in a row, in Spain or elsewhere. If you have children together, no minimum period is required. Marriage, registered partnership and unregistered couple are mutually exclusive.

In Catalonia a couple counts as stable (pareja estable) if they have lived together for more than two years, have a child together or have formalised the relationship before a notary (article 234-1 of the Civil Code of Catalonia). For residence permits the Reglamento criteria apply, and whether the authority accepts an entry in the Catalan register as a “public register” is something we check in your case. The fallback route: 12 months of living together. See Pareja de hecho in Catalonia and residence permits: how the procedures connect and Marriage or pareja de hecho: what each means for residence permits.

Children: under 18, or older if they have a disability or cannot support themselves because of their health. If a child is from only one of you, you need the other parent’s consent or a custody ruling. All cases: Residence permit for a child in Spain: birth, relocation and documents.

Family of a Spanish citizen

The permit is issued for 5 years and gives the right to work with no separate procedure. The procedure itself is a priority one and has no fee; the TIE card has a fee: €12. If both of you are already in Spain, either of you can apply, and the relative is temporarily allowed to work while the application is processed. The decision is made within two months; silence means refusal.

The family circle is wider than under the general regime: children under 26, dependent parents, a parent of a Spanish minor, one relative who is the carer of a dependent person. The Supreme Court struck down the requirement that the parent-child relationship be formalised under Spanish law, and the automatic refusal because of a criminal record in situations under article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU. More: Residence permit for relatives of Spanish nationals: the current approach.

EU regime and DNV families

The family of a citizen of another EU country gets the tarjeta de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión under Real Decreto 240/2007. The application is filed within three months of entry, and the card is issued within three months, for 5 years. Other relatives are assessed case by case. See Residence card for family of an EU citizen in Spain and CUE: registering as an EU citizen in Spain.

The family of a DNV applicant: under article 62.4 of Ley 14/2013, a spouse or partner, children and dependent parents apply together with you or later. The income requirement goes up: €1,068 a month for the first family member and €356 for each additional one. See Digital nomad family: preparing the move together, How much income a family of three needs for the DNV, Family on a DNV: spouse, unmarried partner, children over 18 and parents and the digital nomads page.

Fees and timeframes

What	Amount or timeframe	Basis
Initial permit, reagrupación	10,94 €	Order PJC/617/2025
Renewal, reagrupación	16,40 €	Order PJC/617/2025
TIE card	first €16.08, on renewal €19.30	Order PJC/617/2025
Decision, reagrupación	up to 2 months, silence means refusal	article 68.6
Renewal, reagrupación	file 2 months before or 3 months after expiry; 3 months of silence means approval	article 71

The amounts under the order of 13.06.2025 are indexed at the start of each year; before paying, we check them against the modelo 790 form. We are not responsible for the authorities’ response times.

Common mistakes

Choosing the regime by degree of kinship rather than by the sponsor’s status.
Applying before a year of residence, or forgetting that your permit is being renewed.
Bringing a housing report older than 6 months.
Not getting the other parent’s consent for the child to move.
Bringing certificates without an apostille or with an ordinary translation: Apostille and legalisation of documents for Spain, Sworn translation for Spain: how to order it without mistakes.
Missing the one-month deadline to enter after the visa, or to apply for the TIE card.

How we work and what is paid separately

Case handling: from €968 incl. IVA, family member +€363. All prices.

First consultation: 15 minutes free. Full individual consultation: €121 for 45 minutes. After that we price the work individually and draw up an estimate, which you sign before we start. Government fees and translations are paid separately and appear as separate lines in the estimate. Advance payment: 50% before work begins and 50% before filing.

We handle your case until the authority’s decision. Corrections in response to requests and refiling are included in the price; an appeal is not. If you miss an appointment, the appointment has to be paid for again. We do not promise approval and are not responsible for the authorities’ timeframes: the decision is made by a government body. The legal side is handled by the team’s lawyer; tax and administrative matters by a tax and administrative specialist (graduada social). We file wherever the law allows a representative; where filing must be in person, we prepare the file and accompany you.

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Frequently asked questions

How much do I need to earn to bring my wife and child?

Under the general regime, 150% of IPREM for the sponsor and one family member and 50% for each additional person: €900 and €300 a month with IPREM at €600 (SEPE, 3 October 2026); for children, article 67.1 of the Reglamento may give a different amount. For a DNV family: €1,068 for the first member and €356 for each additional one, per month.

Can I bring my parents?

Yes, if they are over 65, depend on you and have reasons to move. Younger parents are brought over on humanitarian grounds. Dependency can be proved even if the parent is already in Spain.

Do we need to be married for me to bring my partner?

No. A partner from a public register or a couple with proven cohabitation of at least 12 months will qualify. With children in common no minimum period is needed. We check in your case whether a Catalan registration is accepted.

Can a spouse or partner work?

Under the general regime and for family members of a Spanish citizen, the permit gives the right to work with no extra procedure. Family members of a student cannot work.

How long does the decision take?

Up to two months under the general regime and for the family of a Spanish citizen; silence means refusal. Actual timescales depend on the authority, and we are not responsible for them.

When does a family member get an independent permit?

A spouse or partner can get one after a year under reagrupación if they have their own means or work. Children get one on reaching adulthood under the same conditions, or after 5 years in Spain. Separate rules apply to divorce, the death of the sponsor and domestic violence.

Can you apply if the family is already in Spain as tourists?

Under the general regime, family members get a visa at the consulate. The exception is the family of a Spanish citizen: if both are in Spain, the application is filed here. We check the status before applying.

Do certificates need an apostille and a translation?

Yes: an apostille for documents from countries party to the 1961 Hague Convention, and a sworn translation into Spanish. The procedure: “Documents and procedures”.

Do you always have to live in Spain for a year first?

That condition cannot be applied to every family route. General reunification and its exceptions are checked separately from the rules for families of Spanish citizens, EU citizens and applicants under Ley 14/2013.

Does one document list work for a spouse, a child and a parent?

No. The shared family file is supplemented with individual evidence. A child’s age, parental authority and a relative’s dependency can affect which documents are needed and whether the basis applies.

Sources

Sources reviewed on 03.10.2026. This material is for information only and does not replace an individual consultation. DNV figures updated on 01.10.2026.

How does this apply to your situation?

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Where to start preparing

For the first review, prepare a short description of your situation, your current status and the timing you have in mind. First we clarify the basis and the order of steps, then we agree on the scope of support and the documents needed.

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Deadlines, mandatory payments and requirements are checked for each specific procedure. Approval is not guaranteed.

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