Raising children across cultures

It is for people thinking about, planning or carrying out a move to Spain. You will understand what your children are likely to become culturally, and how to keep a home language and values alive without fighting Spanish life.

Start with "How children's cultural identity forms when raised in Spain". It explains how bicultural identity develops, including children who feel Spanish when their parents do not. The other pages build on it.

Questions about your children's nationality, school language support, childcare or staying close to grandparents abroad are not covered here.

Key rules

• Alcohol age: The minimum age to buy or drink alcohol is 18 everywhere in Spain.
• Birth registration: A birth is registered within 10 days of birth, extendable to 30 days with justification.
• Identity gap: Expect your child to feel more Spanish than you do, and support it rather than resist it.
• Home language: Keep using your language yourself and make it enjoyable, rather than forcing your child to speak it.
• When it starts: Loss of the home language usually begins at school entry, around ages 3 to 6, and speeds up in primary school.
• Exposure: The amount and quality of time in the language matters more than which method you call it.

Raising children across cultures: the whole process, step by step

• Register your baby's birth and agree the order of the surnames: Within 10 days of birth, extendable to 30 days with justification. See: Your child's two surnames (apellidos) and naming choices

• Choose religion class or the alternative on the school enrolment form: At first enrolment, then at the start of each school year, usually in the June–July period. See: Religion class (clase de religión) and first communion: your options

• Start building home-language exposure and look for a community or Saturday school: From the early years and throughout school. See: Keeping your home language alive in children raised in Spain

• Raise future questions about where to study or live with your teenager: From around age 12 to 14, and return to them regularly rather than waiting for a deadline. See: Raising teenagers between Spain and your home culture

Documents you may need

Identity and residence

• Enrolment contract of a concertada or private school with a religious ideario — Religion class (clase de religión) and first communion: your options
• Identity documents for both parents — Your child's two surnames (apellidos) and naming choices

Translations and legal papers

• Official translation of the title and transcript into the destination language — Raising teenagers between Spain and your home culture
• Apostille of The Hague — Raising teenagers between Spain and your home culture

Other documents

• Título de Bachiller — Raising teenagers between Spain and your home culture
• Academic transcript with your teen's grades — Raising teenagers between Spain and your home culture
• The medical birth certificate — Your child's two surnames (apellidos) and naming choices
• Credential evaluation or recognised equivalence — Raising teenagers between Spain and your home culture
• Baptism certificate from the parish where your child was baptised — Religion class (clase de religión) and first communion: your options
• The marriage certificate or the Libro de Familia — Your child's two surnames (apellidos) and naming choices
• Civil status documents from abroad — Your child's two surnames (apellidos) and naming choices

Raising children across cultures: questions that cross several articles

Which home-language approach works best for children raised in Spain?

The best approach is the one that gives your child the most rich exposure to your language. Speaking it at home works well, especially with family contact, reading, media and friends, and one parent one language also works. Read Keeping your home language alive in children raised in Spain, and Raising teenagers between Spain and your home culture if your child starts answering in Spanish.

Does Spain offer schools or classes in my home language?

Yes, some options exist, but they depend on your city and school. Public schools run state-backed programmes for some nationalities, such as Portuguese and Moroccan, and Saturday community schools exist mostly in large cities. Ask your school or regional education department, and read Keeping your home language alive in children raised in Spain.

Is there a legal age for children to walk to school alone or stay home alone?

No, Spanish law sets no fixed minimum age for walking to school alone or staying home alone. It turns on your child's maturity, and children under about 12 should not be left alone for long periods. Schools often release young primary pupils only to authorised adults, so read Spanish parenting norms and how to handle the differences.

What should I do when my teenager refuses to speak our language or feels torn between cultures?

Avoid forcing the language, keep using it yourself at home, and make it useful through media, friends, family and trips. Validate both identities, and ask a school counsellor if the problem persists. Read How children's cultural identity forms when raised in Spain and Raising teenagers between Spain and your home culture.

What is the legal age to drink alcohol in Spain for my teenager?

The legal age to buy or drink alcohol is 18 everywhere in Spain. Street drinking is also restricted locally, and fines can be addressed to parents. Raising teenagers between Spain and your home culture covers this, and Spanish parenting norms and how to handle the differences covers wider rule differences.