Family Reunification in Spain
Family reunification (reagrupación familiar) lets a non-EU national legally living in Spain bring over a spouse or partner, children and dependent parents. The process starts in Spain, driven by the resident, and the reunified spouse, partner and children receive a card with full work rights from day one. Here are the 2026 rules under RD 1155/2024.
Contents
- What it is in plain terms
- Who it is for
- Who can be reunified
- Requirements in 2026
- Right to work
- How the process works
What it is in plain terms
Reagrupación familiar is a residence permit for the family of a non-EU national who already lives legally in Spain. The right is set out in articles 16-19 of Organic Law 4/2000 and the procedure in articles 65-71 of the current Immigration Regulation (RD 1155/2024). The reunified family member’s card runs until the same date as the sponsor’s card at the moment the family enters Spain, with a minimum of 1 year, and for a spouse, partner or child of working age it carries full work rights from the start.
Who it is for
It suits residents of Spain on ordinary permits (employed work, autónomo, post-arraigo statuses and others) who have completed their first year, are renewing, and want to bring their family over. Important boundaries: this route applies only when both sponsor and family are non-EU nationals. If the sponsor is a Spanish or EU citizen, a separate and more favourable regime applies (family of a Spanish national, or the EU regime). Holders of Law 14/2013 permits (digital nomads, entrepreneurs, investors) are usually better served by that law’s own family track, filed together with their main application.
Who can be reunified
- A spouse or partner over 18. A partnership counts if it is registered in a public registry of an EU member state, or if it is a stable unregistered relationship with at least 12 continuous months of cohabitation; the cohabitation period is waived where the couple has children together. Only one spouse or partner can be reunified, and marriage and partnership are mutually exclusive for these purposes.
- Children (yours or your spouse’s/partner’s) under 18 at the date of filing. Over 18 only where they have a disability requiring support, or are objectively unable to provide for themselves for health reasons. If only one parent reunifies a child, you need proof of sole custody or the other parent’s consent.
- Persons under the sponsor’s legal representation (guardianship and similar), under the same age rules, provided the legal institution is compatible with Spanish law.
- Parents (yours or your spouse’s/partner’s): over 65, financially dependent on the sponsor, with reasons justifying their residence in Spain. Under 65 only in exceptional humanitarian cases. For parents, the sponsor must hold larga duración or larga duración-UE residency.
- An adult child who will act as the sponsor’s carer, where the sponsor has an officially recognised degree of dependency under article 26 of Law 39/2006. This is a new figure introduced by RD 1155/2024.
Siblings, nephews, nieces and other extended relatives are outside this regime.
Requirements in 2026
- Sponsor’s track record: at least 1 year of legal residence in Spain plus a filed renewal application for at least another year. The family’s authorisation is granted only once the sponsor’s renewal is actually approved. Exception: reunifying parents requires larga duración.
- Financial means: stable, regular income of at least 150% of the monthly IPREM for a two-person unit (sponsor + 1), plus 50% of IPREM per additional member. Softer thresholds apply where minors are involved: a stable income at or above the SMI can suffice, and for a two-person unit including a minor the reference is 110% of the annual guaranteed IMV amount, plus 10% per additional minor. Details: Income requirement and IPREM
- Adequate housing: an informe de vivienda adecuada issued by the regional authority or the town hall, no older than 6 months. If the report is not issued within a month of being requested, the requirement can be proven by any admissible evidence together with a copy of the report request.
- Health insurance (seguro de enfermedad) covering the sponsor and the family members. If the sponsor works and is enrolled in Seguridad Social, the family can usually join as dependants after arrival, but documented cover must be shown at the application stage.
- Criminal record certificate and apostille - required from the relative at the visa stage (adults of criminal age, covering the last 5 years of residence).
- Medical certificate - required from the relative at the visa stage.
- Civil documents proving the family link (marriage, birth certificates and so on), legalised or apostilled and sworn-translated into Spanish.
- Any other school-age minor children of the sponsor already living in Spain must be enrolled in school.
- When reunifying a spouse or partner: the sponsor’s declaration that no other spouse or partner lives with them in Spain. If remarried, a court ruling settling the position of the previous spouse and children.
- When reunifying parents: proof that the sponsor has transferred funds or covered the parent’s expenses during the last year.
Right to work
Yes, without caveats: a spouse, partner or child of working age holding a reunification card may work as an employee or as an autónomo anywhere in Spain, in any occupation, with no additional administrative procedure. This is written directly into the regulation and sets reunification apart from many other residency types.
How the process works
The process has two stages and starts in Spain: first the sponsor obtains the authorisation at the Oficina de Extranjería, then the relative applies for the visa at the Spanish consulate for their place of residence and travels over.
Step-by-step process
- The sponsor files the application (form EX-02) with the full document set: in person at the Oficina de Extranjería of their province, or online via the Mercurio platform with a digital certificate.
- The government fee (modelo 790 código 052) accrues on filing and must be paid within 10 working days.
- Decision: up to 2 months. Administrative silence counts as refusal (silencio negativo). The resolution arrives by certified post or electronically (Mis Expedientes section).
- After approval, the relative has 2 months to apply in person for the visa at the Spanish consulate for their district (a representative files for minors). The visa file includes a passport valid for at least 4 more months, the criminal record certificate, the medical certificate and original civil documents proving the family link.
- The consulate decides on the visa within 1 month. The visa must be collected in person within 1 month of notification.
- Entry into Spain: no later than 1 month after collecting the visa.
- Within 1 month of entry, the relative books the police appointment in person, gives fingerprints and receives the TIE card.
Timeline and costs
Timeline: 2 months for the decision in Spain, up to 1 month for the visa at the consulate, plus the windows for filing the visa (2 months), collecting it (1 month), entering Spain (1 month) and requesting the TIE (1 month). In practice the full journey from filing to card usually takes 4-6 months, depending on how busy the offices are.
Costs: the authorisation fee (modelo 790 código 052, heading 2.1.2), the consular visa fee and the TIE fee. The amounts are set officially and change periodically, so confirm current figures when you file. The real spending is usually on sworn translations, legalisation or apostilles, and insurance where needed.
Renewal and path to permanent residency/citizenship
The first card runs until the same date as the sponsor’s card at the moment the family enters Spain, with a minimum of 1 year. Renewal is filed within 2 months before expiry or up to 3 months after. The renewed card is issued for 4 years and remains tied to the sponsor’s valid residency; the underlying conditions (family link, means, housing, schooling of minors) must still hold.
A spouse or partner can move to an independent residence permit after 1 year on reunification, by showing their own sufficient means or meeting the conditions for an employed or self-employed permit. Separate protective rules apply in cases of divorce, the sponsor’s death, or domestic and gender violence. Children obtain independent status on reaching adulthood, subject to conditions.
After 5 years of legal residence, larga duración opens up. Years on reunification count towards citizenship: 10 years in the general case, 2 years for nationals of Latin American countries, the Philippines and a few others.
Common mistakes
- Filing before the sponsor’s renewal is actually approved: the family’s authorisation cannot be granted until it is.
- Showing income exactly at the minimum, or income that is not stable: the test is stable and regular means, so one-off transfers do not work.
- Forgetting the informe de vivienda, or submitting a report older than 6 months.
- Trying to reunify parents without larga duración, or parents under 65 without genuine humanitarian grounds.
- An unregistered couple unable to document 12 months of cohabitation: joint leases, bills and registration records need to be gathered in advance.
- Civil documents without apostille or legalisation, or without a sworn translation.
- The relative missing one of the one-month windows: visa collection, entry, or the TIE request.
Frequently asked questions
Who can be reunified: spouses, children, parents?
A spouse or partner over 18, including an unregistered stable couple with 12 months of cohabitation. Children under 18, or older only if they have a disability or cannot support themselves for health reasons. Parents over 65 who depend on you, but reunifying parents requires the sponsor to hold long-term residency (larga duración).
How much income must the sponsor show?
Stable, regular income of at least 150% of the monthly IPREM for a two-person family unit (sponsor plus one relative), plus 50% of IPREM for each additional member. A softer threshold linked to the SMI and IMV applies where minors are involved. Current figures are on the income and IPREM page.
Can the reunified family member work?
Yes. The reunification card held by a spouse, partner or child of working age automatically authorises employment and self-employment (autónomo) anywhere in Spain, in any occupation and sector, with no extra permits or procedures. This built-in work authorisation is one of the strongest advantages of this residency type.
What are the housing requirements?
The sponsor must have adequate housing and prove it with an informe de vivienda adecuada, a report issued by the regional authority or the town hall. It describes the size of the home, number of rooms and living conditions, and must be no older than 6 months at the date of filing.
When can a resident apply for reunification?
Once they have lived legally in Spain for at least 1 year and have applied to renew their residency for at least another year. The family's authorisation is only granted after the sponsor's renewal actually goes through. To reunify parents the bar is higher: the sponsor needs long-term residency, larga duración or larga duración-UE.
How long does the application take?
The immigration office must decide within 2 months; silence counts as refusal. The relative then has 2 months to apply for the visa, the consulate decides within 1 month, and the visa must be collected and used to enter Spain within one month each. The full journey typically takes 4-6 months.