When your residence depends on your sponsor: what puts it at risk

Key rules

• Main risk: The risk shows up mainly at renewal, when your sponsor's job, income and housing are checked again.
• Own-name route: Apply for a permit in your own name before your current one expires, or within the grace periods.
• EU family: With 5 years of continuous legal residence, you keep your residence even if your EU sponsor leaves.
• Independent status: If you already hold an independent permit or work, your renewal is assessed on your own situation.

The short answer

Your permit is tied to your sponsor's. If their permit lapses or is not renewed, you usually cannot renew yours and lose the family-based permit. The danger shows up mainly at renewal, so plan before your permit runs out.

The rules differ depending on whether your sponsor is a non-EU resident or an EU citizen. Check which group you are in first.

If your sponsor is a non-EU resident

Your permit was granted because of your sponsor's residence. It is renewed together with theirs, or by reference to theirs.

What puts it at risk:

• Your sponsor loses their job.
• Their income drops below what is needed.
• Their own permit is not renewed or lapses.
• Their housing no longer meets the conditions.

What happens at renewal. The office generally checks again that the conditions for reunification still hold. That includes your sponsor's continued employment or enough income, and adequate housing. Expect to be asked for recent proof, such as payslips, a tax return or a work contract. The documents list below shows what to gather. Practice varies between offices, so ask yours what it wants.

If you already have your own situation. If you hold an independent permit or have started to work, your renewal is judged on your own circumstances, not your sponsor's.

Your routes in your own name

Move to one of these before your current permit expires, or within the grace periods in the regulation. Otherwise you risk becoming irregular. Roughly in order:

1. Independent permit from family reunification. You must meet the conditions. For example, a spouse after two years of residence who has a work contract or enough means. A separation or a gender-violence situation can also qualify. Victims of gender violence have specific protection.
2. Long-term residence. Available after 5 years of legal residence.
3. Work permit. For people with a job offer.
4. Arraigo. This route is based on social, labour or family ties. It needs time in Spain and, depending on the type, a job offer or family ties. The categories and conditions changed with the new regulation in force since 20 May 2025, so ask the Oficina de Extranjería which ones apply now.
5. Children. Specific provisions apply once they reach adulthood.

The decision block below helps you choose between these.

If your sponsor is an EU citizen

Your rights come from the EU citizen. If they leave Spain, or stop meeting the conditions (work, self-employment, enough means and health insurance, or study), your right ends and your card can be withdrawn.

You keep your residence in these cases:

• You have 5 years of continuous legal residence. You then hold permanent residence even if the citizen leaves.
• The citizen dies.
• In certain cases of divorce.
• You meet the conditions yourself.

Family members of Spanish citizens are in a different position. A Spanish citizen does not lose Spanish status by leaving, but ask the office how the rule applies if your Spanish sponsor moves abroad.

What to do now

• Ask your sponsor to keep their payslips, latest tax return and work contract ready.
• Note your permit's expiry date and start any own-name application well before it.
• If your sponsor loses their job or permit, read the "what if" section below and act quickly.

Choosing between options

Which own-name route should you move to when your sponsor's status ends?

• Independent permit: You meet the conditions, for example a spouse after two years of residence with a work contract or means, or a separation or gender-violence situation.

• Long-term residence: You have 5 years of legal residence in Spain.

• Work permit: You have a job offer.

• EU-regime retention: Your sponsor is an EU citizen who left Spain: you keep residence with 5 years of continuous legal residence, or if you meet the conditions yourself.

Pick the route you already qualify for, and apply before your current permit expires or within the grace periods.

What survives divorce, death or abuse under each family regime

Your regime decides what happens to your residence if your sponsor divorces you, dies or abuses you. So find out which regime you are in before anything else. Do this before you separate, and do not wait for a crisis.

Which regime you are in

The test is your sponsor's nationality and your relationship to them.

Your card shows which regime you are in. For a Spanish sponsor, spouses and partners are covered by the EU-style regime. So are children and dependent parents or grandparents of the Spaniard or of the spouse. Parents of Spaniards are usually under the general regime. Spaniards who have not used free movement are treated more strictly for some relatives.

Divorce, death and abuse

The two regimes handle all three situations differently. Do not assume that what worked for a friend with a different card will work for you.

• Divorce or separation: Keep your card and your documents, and ask before you sign or file anything.
• Death of your sponsor: Ask about your options straight away, before your current card expires.
• Abuse: Your safety comes first. You can report abuse to the police or call 016, the free and confidential helpline, without your sponsor knowing. Ask about your residence rights at the same time.

For each case, ask the immigration office (oficina de extranjería) for your province which rules apply to your card type. Borderline cases, such as parents of Spaniards, need a direct answer from that office.

Borderline cases, such as parents of Spaniards, and exact conditions should be checked with the Oficina de Extranjería.

Documents you need

• Recent payslips of your sponsor, to show their income at renewal

• Your sponsor's latest tax return, as proof of income

• Your sponsor's work contract, to show continued employment

What if your sponsor loses their job or permit

If your sponsor loses their job, their permit or their right to live in Spain, your own permit is at risk. Don't wait for it to run out: move to a permit in your own name before it expires. Which route you use depends on whether your sponsor is a non-EU resident or an EU or Spanish citizen.

Do these first, in this order

1. Check your permit's expiry date. Everything below must be filed before that date, or within any grace period the rules give you. If you let it pass, you can become irregular.
2. Find out which group you are in. The two groups have different rules.
3. Gather proof of your relationship, your time in Spain, and any job offer, contract or income.
4. Book an appointment at the Oficina de Extranjería (the immigration office) and file before the deadline.

If your sponsor is a non-EU resident

Your permit depends on theirs. If theirs lapses or isn't renewed, you generally can't renew yours on the same basis. Look at these routes, roughly in this order:

• Independent permit from family reunification. This works if you meet the conditions. For example, a spouse may qualify after two years of residence if they have a work contract or enough means. A separation or a gender-violence situation can also open this route.
• Work permit. This is for people with a job offer.
• Arraigo. This is a permit based on roots in Spain: social, work-related or family ties.

If your sponsor dies, you can apply for an independent permit. Bring the death certificate, proof of your relationship, proof that you lived in Spain, and proof of means or a job offer. If you have family ties to a Spanish citizen, the family arraigo route may also fit.

If your sponsor is an EU or Spanish citizen

Your right to stay comes from theirs. If they leave Spain or stop meeting the conditions (working, self-employed, enough money and health insurance, or studying), your right can end and your card can be withdrawn. There are protections:

• If you have already reached 5 years of continuous legal residence, you keep your residence even if they leave.
• If you meet the conditions yourself, you can keep your rights after they leave.
• You keep your rights in certain cases of divorce.
• If the citizen dies, you keep your residence if you were living with them in Spain and one of these applies: they had lived in Spain for at least two years, the death was caused by a work accident or occupational disease, or you are the spouse of a Spanish national. You must also show that you meet the conditions for workers, self-employed people, or people with enough means and health insurance.

To keep your residence after a death, apply to the Oficina de Extranjería for a card as a person who keeps the right. Do it while your current card is still valid.

If your sponsor is a Spanish citizen who moves abroad, ask the Oficina de Extranjería how it applies the rule to you before you decide what to file.

What to watch for

• Filing late is the most common and costly mistake. File first, then wait for the decision.
• Bring proof of income or a job offer. Most own-name routes rely on one.
• Keep copies of everything you submit, including your appointment confirmation.

Frequently asked questions

Will the immigration office check my sponsor's income when I renew?

Yes, the office generally re-checks your sponsor's job or means and housing when you renew a family permit.

What can I do if my sponsor's permit lapses?

You should move to a permit in your own name before your current one expires. Options include an independent permit, long-term residence, a work permit or arraigo (a residence route based on ties to Spain). Apply before expiry or within the grace periods, to avoid becoming irregular.

Do I lose my card if my EU sponsor leaves Spain?

Yes, your right normally ends and the card can be withdrawn if your EU sponsor leaves Spain or stops meeting the residence conditions. You keep your residence if you have 5 years of continuous legal residence. You may also keep rights after the citizen's death or after departure if you meet the conditions yourself.