What the 2025 immigration regulation changed for families

What changed

The regulation reformed family reunification, the family routes and arraigo familiar. Concretely:

• Reunification covers partners in a stable relationship. Registered or not, a partner who can prove 1 year living together, or a child in common, can be reunified with a non-EU resident. Parents must be over 65 and dependent.
• The income test is lower. The sponsor shows 150% of the IPREM a month for the first relative and 50% for each further one: EUR 900, EUR 1,200 and EUR 1,500 a month for 1, 2 and 3 relatives in 2025.
• Arraigo familiar covers more people. It is a residence permit for relatives of a Spanish citizen or former Spanish citizen. It first covered the parent of a Spanish minor and the child of a person who was originally Spanish. Since 2025 it also covers spouses and partners of Spanish citizens who are already in Spain and, in some situations, dependent relatives.

Arraigo familiar gives residence and work authorisation. You start it by filing form EX-10 with the Oficina de Extranjería. The fee for an initial temporary residence authorisation such as this is 73.26 EUR for 2026, paid with modelo 790 code 052. A spouse or partner of a Spanish citizen who is abroad asks for the EU family card instead: route map.

If you filed before 20 May 2025

Your file continues under the earlier rules unless you opt for the new ones, and you opt for them when they are more favourable for your case.

How to spot outdated advice

• Anything dated before 20 May 2025 can describe the old rules.
• Advice that says partners or relatives cannot qualify is out of date for reunification.
• Advice that says a couple must marry or register first is out of date: a stable partner with proof qualifies.