Hosting relatives in Spain with visits, space and visa rules

Terms used

• Carta de invitación — The carta de invitación is an invitation letter from you, validated by the police, showing you will host your relative.
• Padrón — The padrón is the municipal register of people who live in a town.
• Cita previa — The cita previa is an appointment you must book before visiting many public offices.
• Prórroga de estancia — The prórroga de estancia is an extension of a short visitor stay, granted only for exceptional reasons.

Key rules

• Visa-exempt stay: Visa-exempt relatives can stay up to 90 days in any 180 days across the whole Schengen area.
• EU relatives: EU relatives can stay up to three months with a valid ID card or passport, then must register.
• Invitation letter: The law does not require a carta de invitación for every visitor, so ask the consulate handling the visa.
• Padrón: Do not register short-term visitors on the padrón.
• Overstaying: Overstaying can bring a fine, expulsion and a ban, so book flights inside the allowed days.

Start with your relatives' nationality

Whether they need a visa depends on their passport, not on your status in Spain.

• Visa needed: nationals of countries such as India, China, Morocco, Nigeria, Russia, Turkey, the Philippines, Cuba and Egypt need a Schengen visa before they travel.
• Visa-exempt: nationals of countries such as the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Israel and Singapore do not. Some other passports, such as biometric Ukrainian and Georgian ones, are also exempt.
• EU/EEA and Swiss citizens need no visa.

The lists change from time to time. Check the current list on the Spanish foreign ministry's visa page before they book.

How long they can stay

Visa-exempt relatives can stay in Spain and the rest of the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180 days. The count looks back 180 days from each day of the stay. Days in all Schengen countries add up, and arrival and departure days count. Time spent in Spain on a residence permit or long-stay visa does not count.

EU relatives can stay up to three months with a valid ID card or passport. For longer, they must register. Registration requires work, self-employment, enough money plus health insurance, or study. Non-EU family members of an EU citizen need a residence card for family members after three months.

If a serious reason, such as illness or a family emergency, means someone must stay longer, they can ask for an extension (prórroga de estancia). They must apply in person, with an appointment, at a foreigners office or police station before the authorised stay ends. Bring the passport, proof of the reason (such as a medical report), proof of money and accommodation, and health insurance. A fee applies. Extensions are decided case by case and are usually short.

Entry rules at the border

Non-EU visitors need:

• a passport issued in the last 10 years and valid at least three months beyond their planned departure;
• a visa, if their nationality requires one;
• proof of the purpose of the trip and where they will stay, plus a return or onward ticket;
• proof of enough money and health insurance;
• no entry ban against them.

Officers can ask for any of these. Systems for non-EU travellers are changing: the EU entry/exit system started in October 2025 and registers fingerprints and a face image at first entry. A separate pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals has been planned and its start date has slipped. Check whether it is mandatory before your relatives travel. Family members of EU citizens with a residence card are generally exempt.

The invitation letter

No law requires a carta de invitación for every visitor. In practice, consulates often ask for one from visa-requiring nationals. Border officers sometimes ask visa-exempt visitors who cannot show a hotel booking. Ask the Spanish consulate that handles your relatives' visa whether it wants one.

The Policía Nacional issues it. You apply as the host.

1. Book an appointment (cita previa) at the Policía Nacional station for your area. In some areas without a station, the Guardia Civil does it.
2. Bring the completed application form, your original ID or residence card with a copy, your guest's passport details, proof of your home (title deed, rental contract or recent utility bill) and proof of income, usually a payslip or tax return.
3. Pay the small fee through the tasa form. It is around €8, but confirm the amount locally.
4. The police check your documents and stamp the letter.
5. Send the stamped original to your guest. They show it with the visa application or at the border.

The consulate or border officer still decides whether to accept it.

Where they will sleep

Many Spanish flats have two or three bedrooms and one bathroom, so a sofa bed or air mattress is common. Agree bathroom use and quiet hours in advance. They are usually late evening and the afternoon siesta in many buildings. Lunch is typically 2pm to 3pm and dinner after 9pm. Outside big cities, shops may close at midday.

If you rent, you can generally host family and friends as guests, and short family visits do not need your landlord's permission. Letting a room to paying guests does need the landlord's written consent. Holiday-let restrictions in building rules do not normally apply to visiting relatives.

Expect higher electricity, water, gas, heating or air-conditioning and food bills.

Registration and insurance

Do not add visiting relatives to the padrón. That is for people who actually live at the address. Visa-exempt visitors can generally stay at a private address without separate police registration.

Make sure their health insurance covers Spain. Non-EU visitors without an EHIC need private travel cover.

If they overstay

Staying beyond the authorised period is a serious offence. It can mean a fine from €501 to €10,000 or expulsion, with an entry ban of up to five years. A short overstay often means only a fine. It is recorded in the entry/exit system and can harm future visa applications. Get legal advice if it happens.

The timeline, document list, checklist and questions below cover the practical steps.

Timeline and deadlines

• Find out whether your relatives' nationality needs a Schengen visa: before anyone books travel

• Check that each passport was issued within the last 10 years and is valid for at least three months beyond the planned departure: before booking travel

• Arrange the invitation letter, if the consulate or border may ask for it: before the visa application or the trip

• Visa-exempt relatives stay in Spain and the rest of the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180 days: from the day they arrive, counting arrival and departure days

• EU relatives stay with a valid ID card or passport for up to three months, then register for longer stays: from the day they arrive

Documents your relatives need to visit you in Spain

What non-EU relatives should carry

• A Schengen visa, if their nationality needs one.

• Proof of where they will stay: a hotel booking, or a carta de invitación (an invitation letter from you, validated by the police).

• A return or onward ticket, plus papers showing the purpose of the trip.

• Proof of enough money for the stay: cash, a card with a bank statement, traveller's cheques or a letter of guarantee. The border figure is €100 per person per day with a minimum of €900 per person, and €20 per day (still with the €900 minimum) if accommodation is prepaid. Children count at half.

• Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 of cover, valid across the Schengen area and covering emergency care, hospital treatment and repatriation. It is mandatory for visa applicants and strongly advised for everyone else.

Checklist

• Check whether each relative's nationality needs a Schengen visa or is visa-exempt.

• Check the current EES and ETIAS rules for each non-EU relative before they travel.

• Ask the Spanish consulate that handles the visa whether it wants a carta de invitación. Border officers may also ask for one if your guest has no hotel booking.

• Send the stamped original carta to your guest so they can show it with the visa application or at the border.

• Ask your guests to carry a return ticket, proof of enough money and health insurance for Spain.

• Read your lease and building rules. Family guests are normally fine, but paying guests need the landlord's written consent.

What to watch out for

• Overstaying can mean a fine or expulsion: Staying beyond the authorised period is punished by a fine from €501 to €10,000, or by expulsion with an entry ban of up to five years in Spain and the Schengen area. It is recorded at the border and can lead to refusal of entry later. Agree the departure date before the trip and count every day, including arrival and departure days. If someone must stay longer, speak to a lawyer.

• An extension is not automatic: Extensions are granted only in exceptional cases such as illness or a family emergency. They are usually short and a fee applies.

Frequently asked questions

Can my relatives extend their visit if someone falls ill?

Yes, a short stay can be extended in exceptional cases such as illness, a family emergency or other serious personal reasons. Your relative must apply in person, with an appointment, at a foreigners office (Oficina de Extranjería) or police station before the authorised stay ends.

What happens if my relatives stay longer than allowed?

Overstaying is a serious infringement that can bring a fine from €501 to €10,000, or expulsion with an entry ban of up to five years. A short overstay often means a fine only. The overstay is also recorded at the border and can harm future visa applications.

Who issues the carta de invitación and what do I bring?

The Policía Nacional issues it at the police station for the area where you live, after you book an appointment (cita previa). Bring your ID or residence card, your guest's passport details, proof of your home such as a rental contract or recent utility bill, and proof of income such as a payslip. A small fee applies.

Do I need to register my visiting relatives on the padrón?

No, do not add visiting relatives to the padrón (the municipal register) for short visits.