Can your partner or children work or study on a family permit

• Partner of a non-EU resident (reunification): works as an employee or self-employed, in any sector and area, from the day the permit is granted. The TIE is the proof, and there is no separate work permit. A reunified dependent parent has no right to work.
• Partner of a Spanish or EU citizen: no separate work permit once the right to reside is recognised. The application receipt lets them stay and work while the card is pending.
• Partner on an entrepreneur, highly qualified or Blue Card route: work is included in the family permit.
• Partner of a student: no automatic right to work. The family authorisation does not by itself allow a job, so a partner who wants to work applies for their own permit.

Until the permit is granted, budget as a one-income household. A reunification decision takes 45 days, and the entry visa and travel follow. Add your partner's pay only once they can legally work. Moving with a partner: what changes covers which route applies to your partner.

Your children

A child of working age on a family permit may work from 16 with no separate authorisation; under 16, work is not allowed. Treat a teenager's income as a bonus, not a plan. At 18 a child can apply for their own independent permit.

School is compulsory and free from 6 to 16 for every child living in Spain. Public pre-school and education after 16 are also open to children on a family permit.

Study for adults

A spouse or an adult child on a family permit can enrol in university or vocational training.

If you are a UK citizen

With Withdrawal Agreement rights, you and your family follow those rules, which allow work: UK Withdrawal Agreement family. Without them, you follow the non-EU rules on this page.