Joining your Spanish or EU citizen child as a dependent parent

Key rules

• Dependency: You must truly depend on your child's support; occasional gifts do not count.
• Parents of Spaniards: The EU family card does not cover parents of Spanish citizens, who use ordinary foreigner routes.
• Deadline: Apply for the family card within 3 months of arriving in Spain.
• Visa: If your nationality needs a Schengen visa, the family visa is free.
• Work: The card lets you work as an employee or self-employed without a separate permit.

Which parents can use this route

If your child is a citizen of another EU country and lives in Spain, you can apply for a family card as a dependent parent. The key condition is that you depend on your child for support.

If your child is Spanish, the answer is different. Spain's own nationals are outside the EU free-movement rules, and Spanish law extends this route to a Spaniard's spouse and descendants, not to their parents. You must use the ordinary foreigner routes instead. The exception is a Spaniard who has used free movement in another EU country. Practice on that case is unsettled, so ask the Oficina de Extranjería before you choose a route. A 2025 reform of the immigration rules did not change this.

What "dependent" means

You must be in a real situation of financial dependence. In practice, this means you need your child's material support to meet your basic needs in your home country. You do not have to prove you tried to find work. A gift your child sends now and then is not enough.

How to prove past support

No fixed amount or length of time is set by law. Offices expect support that is real, ongoing and enough to cover basic needs. Each office decides case by case, so what is accepted varies by province.

Useful evidence:

• Bank transfers or money-transfer receipts from your child to you. Regular payments covering several months up to a year before you apply are the strongest.
• A certificate from your home country showing you have no income or no property.
• Tax records.
• Proof that you live in your child's household.

Ask the office you will apply to how many months of transfers it expects.

What your child must show

There is no fixed income threshold. Your child must show they can support you, usually with proof of their income or employment. You also need health insurance, and you must not become a burden on Spain's social assistance system.

Visa and deadline

Whether you need a visa depends on your nationality. If your country needs a Schengen visa, you must get a "family member of EU citizen" visa at a Spanish consulate. It is free. If your country is visa-exempt, such as the US, UK or Canada, you can enter without one.

Either way, apply for the family card within 3 months of arriving in Spain.

Applying in Spain

You apply at the Oficina de Extranjería or police station in your province, and you need an appointment. Some provinces also accept online applications. You get a temporary receipt, then a TIE card valid for 5 years. The legal time for a decision is 3 months, but it often takes longer. The documents list and timeline below give the details.

After 5 years you can apply for permanent residence.

Working

With the family card you can work as an employee or be self-employed. You do not need a separate work permit.

If you are a parent of a Spaniard

The decision guide below compares your options. In short, you look at the ordinary foreigner routes, or you can visit visa-free for up to 90 days if your nationality allows it.

Choosing between options

Which route applies to you as a parent of an EU or Spanish citizen?

• EU family card as a dependent parent: Your child is a citizen of an EU country other than Spain and lives in Spain, and you depend on their financial support. You get a family card valid for 5 years.

• Ordinary foreigner routes: Your child is a Spanish citizen who has not used free movement in another EU state. Spain does not extend the EU regime to parents of Spaniards, even after the 2025 reform, so you need a normal national visa to settle.

• Ask the Oficina de Extranjería about the EU regime: Your child is a Spanish citizen who has lived and worked in another EU state using free movement. Ask the office whether you can use the EU family card.

The EU family card is open to you only if your child is an EU citizen other than Spanish (or a Spaniard who has used free movement) and you are financially dependent on them. Otherwise use the ordinary foreigner routes.

Timeline and deadlines

• If your nationality needs a Schengen visa, apply for the free family member of EU citizen visa at a Spanish consulate: before you travel to Spain

• If your nationality is visa-exempt, travel to Spain without a visa: when you arrive

• Book an appointment (cita previa) at the Oficina de Extranjería or police station in your province: soon after you arrive

• Receive a temporary receipt, then wait for the decision: the legal period for a decision is 3 months, though it can take longer

• Collect your TIE card, valid for 5 years: after your application is approved

Documents you need

• Your valid passport.

• Your child's birth certificate showing you as the parent, issued in your home country, apostilled and translated into Spanish.

• Proof of your child's EU citizenship and registration in Spain, such as the Certificado de Registro de Ciudadano de la Unión (the EU citizen registration certificate) or a similar document.

• Proof that you depend on your child: transfer receipts from your child to you, a certificate from your home country that you have no income or no property, tax records, or proof that you live in your child's household.

• Proof of your child's income or employment, to show they can support you.

• Proof of your address in Spain (empadronamiento, the registration of your address at the town hall).

• Health insurance that covers you in Spain.

• Application form EX-19 (family member of an EU citizen), together with the fee form modelo 790 código 012.

Checklist

• Check that your child is a citizen of an EU country other than Spain, or has used free movement in another EU state.

• Check whether your nationality needs a Schengen visa, and if it does, apply for the free family visa at a Spanish consulate.

• Gather bank transfer or money-transfer receipts from your child, covering several months to a year, plus a home-country certificate of no income or no property.

• Ask your child for proof of their income or employment.

• Arrange health insurance for yourself in Spain.

• Get your child's birth certificate apostilled and translated into Spanish.

• Book a cita previa at the Oficina de Extranjería or police station in your province, and ask which forms and documents they want.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work in Spain once I hold the family card?

Yes, with the EU family member card you can work as an employee or be self-employed, with no separate work permit. The card gives you the same access to work as your child who is an EU citizen. It is valid for 5 years.

Is there a minimum amount or length of money transfers to prove I depend on my child?

No, there is no fixed legal minimum amount or duration for the support your child sends you. Offices usually expect real, ongoing support that covers your basic needs at home, ideally regular transfers over several months to a year. Each office judges the case, so practice varies by province.

Does my child need to earn a set income to sponsor me?

No, there is no fixed euro income threshold for the sponsor of a dependent parent of an EU citizen.