Residence for Children in Spain
If you're a legal resident of Spain and your child is born here, that's a separate and lighter procedure than family reunification - no visa, no income or housing test, filed entirely inside Spain. If your child was born elsewhere, the usual route is ordinary family reunification - but if they've already been living in Spain with you for 2 years, there's a softer alternative.
Contents
- Two different cases
- Child born in Spain
- Child born outside Spain
- Renewal and the path to permanent residence
Two different cases
The current Immigration Regulation (RD 1155/2024) splits a foreign resident’s children into two distinct scenarios, each with its own requirements:
- the child was born in Spain, while at least one parent already held or was obtaining resident status - article 159;
- the child was born outside Spain - either ordinary family reunification, or, if the child has already actually been living in Spain for 2 years without formal status, a separate route under article 160.
Both routes lead to the same result - a 5-year resident card that opens the door to long-term residence - but the filing requirements and deadlines differ.
Child born in Spain
This is the simplest of all the residence routes for minors: no visa, no income or housing test, handled entirely inside Spain.
Condition: at least one parent holds a valid residence authorisation at the time of filing.
Filing deadline (article 159): 6 months from the date of birth. If the parent didn’t yet hold their own residence at the time of birth, the 6-month clock starts from when the parent obtained it.
Documents and process
- application on the standard form;
- copy of the child’s passport or travel document;
- copy of the birth certificate issued by the Spanish Registro Civil (the birth is first registered there, usually within the first weeks, based on the hospital’s documentation);
- proof of school enrolment, if the child is of school age.
The administration must decide within 1 month. If the application has defects, you get 10 days to fix them or it’s dismissed. Once approved, you have 1 month to book the child’s fingerprint appointment (with a parent) for the physical TIE card.
If you hold a digital nomad visa or another Ley 14/2013 permit
The legal basis for the child is the same article 159. The practical difference is that the application is filed through the same case system as your own Ley 14/2013 permit, processed centrally by UGE-CE rather than your local Oficina de Extranjería, and linked to your own file number. That generally means faster handling, independent of local office backlogs - but this specific processing detail changes more often than the underlying law, so confirm the current process when you actually file.
Child born outside Spain
There are two different paths here, depending on where the child is now.
Child still abroad, joining you in Spain - the standard family reunification procedure applies, with its own income, housing, document and timeline requirements: see the dedicated page on Family reunification. One difference worth flagging: the income threshold for reunifying a minor child is softer than for a spouse - a stable income at the SMI level can suffice, rather than the full 150% of IPREM.
Child already actually living in Spain with you for at least 2 years, but without their own formal status (for example, they arrived on a tourist visa and stayed) - a separate route under article 160 of RD 1155/2024 applies. It’s an alternative to full reunification, with softer conditions:
Conditions and documents under article 160
- the child is unmarried and under 18 (or older, if a disability makes them dependent);
- at least 2 years of continuous residence in Spain with the resident parent at the time of filing;
- proof of actually living together with the resident parent or guardian;
- proof of school enrolment, if of school age, and evidence of continuous schooling throughout the residence period;
- the other parent’s consent, unless the applicant has sole custody;
- under the current regulation, income and housing requirements are not required for this route - that’s the key difference from ordinary family reunification.
Evidence of the 2-year residence includes passport stamps, expired visas or documents, school records, and padrón registration.
Renewal and the path to permanent residence
Under the current regulation, a child’s residence doesn’t “renew” in the traditional sense: once the first period ends, a new initial authorisation is issued for the remaining time - again under article 159 or 160 - without re-proving income or housing, which the old rules required.
The first card runs 5 years. Once that period ends, long-term residence opens up - see Long-term residence in Spain. On reaching working age, the status automatically carries the right to work, either employed or self-employed.
Frequently asked questions
My child was born in Spain - do they need a visa?
No. If you file within 6 months of the birth (or within 6 months of you obtaining your own residence, if you didn't have it yet when the child was born), the whole procedure runs without a visa, entirely inside Spain, under article 159 of RD 1155/2024.
I hold a digital nomad visa - is my child's residence handled the same way?
The legal basis is the same (article 159), but the application is filed through the same case file and system as your own Ley 14/2013 permit (UGE-CE), linked to your file number, rather than through your local immigration office. In practice that means the same centralised body handles it. Treat this as a practical detail rather than a fixed rule - digital procedures change faster than the underlying law, so confirm the current process with your gestor or at filing.
My child was born outside Spain - what's the route?
Usually ordinary family reunification (see the dedicated page). Exception: if the child has already been actually living in Spain with you for at least 2 years without formal status, article 160 of RD 1155/2024 offers a separate route without the income and housing requirements that ordinary reunification demands.
How long is the card valid, and what happens after?
The first card runs 5 years. Under the current regulation this isn't a 'renewal' in the old sense: once the first period ends, the child gets a new initial authorisation for the remaining time, again under article 159 or 160, without re-proving income or housing. After 5 years, long-term residence opens up.
Does being born in Spain automatically make my child a Spanish citizen?
No - Spain doesn't apply pure birthright citizenship. A child of foreign parents born here acquires resident status, not citizenship, under the route this page describes. Citizenship by birth applies only in narrow cases (for example, to prevent statelessness) - that's a separate question from the ordinary residence process covered here.