Family reunification for residents
You will know whether you can sponsor your family, what you must prove, the order of steps, and how to cope with the wait.
If you live in Spain on a non-EU residence permit, you can bring your spouse, registered partner, children and dependent parents to join you. An unregistered partner can be reunified with proof of a stable relationship. This is called reagrupación familiar. You apply in Spain first as the sponsor…
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What family reunification (reagrupación familiar) actually requires
Family reunification works in two stages: you apply from Spain as the sponsor, then your family applies for a visa at a Spanish consulate.
Can you sponsor your family: residence time and permit validity
Explains who can sponsor family to Spain: which permits qualify, how long you must have lived here, how much validity your card needs, and what a pending renewal means. For non-EU residents planning a family reunification application.
The income test for reunification: how much and what counts
Explains how much income you need to show to bring family to Spain, how the amount grows with each relative, and which proof is accepted. Written for non-EU residents planning family reunification.
Getting the adequate housing report (informe de vivienda adecuada)
Explains who issues the housing report needed for family reunification, what the home must meet, what to show if you rent or own it, and how long it takes. For sponsors whose family will live with them in Spain.
Visa and entry after your family's reunification is approved
Explains the consular stage once your family's reunification is approved: when relatives must apply for the visa, how the consulate works, and the entry deadline. It is for residents sponsoring relatives who are still abroad.
Can your family visit you while reunification is pending
Your relatives can visit you in Spain as short-stay visitors while your reunification file is pending.
How your province's immigration office affects a family file
Speed and practice for family applications depend on the province where you file.
About this topic
The steps, in order:
- Check that you can sponsor: permits, time in Spain and validity.
- Show that your income meets the test: how much and what counts.
- Get the housing report from the issuing office: who issues it and what it needs.
- File form EX-02 with the Oficina de Extranjería of your province and pay the fee: what the application requires.
- After approval, your family applies for the visa at the consulate, enters Spain and applies for the TIE: visa and entry.
- While you wait, relatives can visit on a short stay: visits during the wait.
- If your province's office is slow: what to do on day 46.
- If your application is refused: appeals and deadlines.
Key rules
- Income needed: You must show income of 150% of IPREM for the first relative and an extra 50% of IPREM for each additional relative.
- Foreigner card: After entering Spain, your family must apply for the foreigner card (TIE) within one month.
- Visa window: Once the reunification is approved, your family has two months to apply for the visa at the Spanish consulate.
- Sponsor: You must have lived legally in Spain for one year, and your residence authorisation must be valid for one further year when you file.
- Entry deadline: The reunification visa is valid for 3 months, and your family must enter Spain within that time.
- Decision time: The immigration office must decide your application within 45 days of registration; if it does not, the application is deemed granted, and the two-month visa window starts on day 45.
- Parents: A parent can be reunified only if you hold long-term residence.
Family reunification timeline from your filing date
If your answer to “On what date will you file the application?” is 15 Mar 2027, your steps fall on these dates:
| Step | When | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Leave five weeks to check permit type, time in Spain and one further year of validity | 8 Feb 2027 | |
| Request the housing report from the town hall or regional housing office | 15 Feb 2027 to 15 Mar 2027 | |
| Gather income proof: 150% of IPREM, plus 50% per extra relative | 1 Mar 2027 to 8 Mar 2027 | |
| File with the immigration office in your province and pay the fee | 15 Mar 2027 | Hard to undo |
| Wait for the decision on your application | 29 Apr 2027 | Deadline |
| Your family applies for the visa at the Spanish consulate | 29 Apr 2027 to 29 Jun 2027 | Deadline |
| Allow a month for the consulate's visa decision | 29 May 2027 to 29 Jul 2027 | |
| Your family enters Spain while the visa is valid | 29 May 2027 to 29 Oct 2027 | Deadline |
| Your family applies for the foreigner card (TIE) with fingerprints | 29 May 2027 to 29 Nov 2027 | Deadline |
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What to read next
More in Partners, dependents, and family routes
Choosing your family route
You will know which regime applies to each family member, whether to bring them now or later, and roughly what it will cost.
Partners and registered partnerships (pareja de hecho)
You will know which formal step gives your partner status, how to take it, and how to prepare for relationship scrutiny.
Children and their residence status
You will know how each child is covered, what to register for a newborn, what custody evidence is needed and what changes as the child grows.
Also in Immigration and residency
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Always verify important information with the relevant official authority or a qualified adviser before acting. This website uses large language models together with various public data sources, official government documents and other established sources. Due to the amount of data on this website, some information might be wrong. Information may also be incomplete or outdated.