Family reunification in Spain 2026: requirements, financial means and steps

Family reunification (reagrupación familiar) is the authorisation that allows a foreign national already living legally in Spain to bring their spouse or partner, their children and, in some cases, their parents. As a general rule, the person living in Spain (the sponsor, reagrupante) applies, and the relative then applies for a visa at the consulate. There is one exception: when the sponsor holds an EU long-term residence permit (residencia de larga duración-UE) granted by another EU Member State, the relative can submit the reunification application. It is governed by articles 16 to 19 of Organic Law 4/2000 (Ley Orgánica 4/2000) and by articles 65 to 71 of the Immigration Regulation approved by Royal Decree 1155/2024 (Reglamento de extranjería), which came into force on 20 May 2025.

A house with lit windows at the end of a path, a symbol of a family coming together in Spain.

This route is for non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationals with residence in Spain. If you are Spanish or a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, your family does not come through this route: it has its own route, with different requirements. We explain it in the guide to residence for relatives of Spanish citizens (in Spanish) and in the one on the EU family member residence card (in Spanish).

Can you apply for family reunification now, or is something still missing?

Almost every question about family reunification comes down to three things: whether you have been resident for long enough, whether your income reaches the amount the law requires for the number of people in your family, and whether your home is suitable for everyone. If any of them fails, the usual outcome is a refusal (or a request to correct the application), and in the meantime your relative cannot apply for the visa.

The most costly mistakes are applying with income that only just reaches the threshold, with a contract that has only just started or with an expired housing report, and finding out when the decision arrives. Another frequent mistake is obtaining documents from the country of origin without an apostille or a sworn translation and having to repeat them while the relative is already waiting. If you want us to review your case before you apply, you can find the information on our family reunification page.

Family reunification requirements in 2026 at a glance

The official information sheet no. 8 from the Ministry of Inclusion (in Spanish), updated in May 2025, summarises the requirements and documents. Below we explain each point according to the Regulation, which is what prevails when the information sheet is not up to date.

The year of residence and its exceptions

The general rule is that you can only apply once you have lived legally in Spain for one year and have applied for renewal (or hold an authorisation that allows you to reside for at least one more year). In practice, many people apply for family reunification together with their first renewal. If you do that, bear in mind that your relative's authorisation is not granted until your renewal is granted.

There are two exceptions:

• If you hold long-term residence or EU long-term residence (residencia de larga duración or larga duración-UE) granted in Spain, you can bring your parents or those of your spouse or partner. You can apply as soon as you have applied for long-term residence, even if it has not yet been granted.
• If you hold an EU long-term residence permit granted by another Member State and have moved to Spain.

Which relatives you can bring

Article 66 of the Regulation lists the relatives who can be reunited:

• Spouse over 18, provided you are not separated in fact or in law and the marriage is not fraudulent. Only one spouse can be brought, even if the law of the country allows polygamy.
• Registered or unregistered partner (pareja de hecho) over 18. This covers a partner registered in a public register of an EU Member State and also an unregistered partner who can prove a stable relationship with at least twelve months of continuous cohabitation. If you have children together, proving the stable relationship is enough, without that minimum period. In the article on civil partnership or marriage for residence papers (in Spanish) we compare the two options.
• Children of yours or of your spouse or partner, including adopted children, who are under 18 when the application is submitted. Also adult children with a disability who need support or who cannot meet their own needs because of their health. If the child belongs to only one of you, that parent must have sole parental authority or custody and the child must actually be dependent on them, with permission to move to Spain from a judge or from the other parent; if custody is shared, the other parent's consent is required.
• Minors, people with a disability who need support measures, or adults who cannot meet their own needs because of their health, of whom you are the legal representative, provided the act of representation is not contrary to Spanish law.
• Ascendants: your parents or those of your spouse or partner, under the conditions we explain below.
• Adult child who will care for you: this is new in the Regulation in force since 2025. An adult child of yours or of your spouse or partner can be brought to act as your carer if you have a recognised degree of dependency under article 26 of Law 39/2006 on dependency (Ley 39/2006).

Bringing your parents over 65

This is the question we receive most often. The law requires three things at the same time:

1. That you hold long-term residence or EU long-term residence. Under the general scheme, with temporary residence, even if renewed, you cannot bring your parents (articles 17.1.d and 18.1 of Organic Law 4/2000). Some special schemes, such as the EU Blue Card (Tarjeta azul-UE), have their own rules.
2. That the father or mother is over 65. Below that age it is only allowed exceptionally, on humanitarian grounds (razones humanitarias). The cases in article 196.6 of the Regulation include the ascendant being the spouse or partner of the other ascendant, when the latter is over 65 and has already obtained authorisation; coming to care for your minor children or adult children with a disability who need support or who cannot meet their own needs because of their health; or suffering from multiple conditions tending towards chronicity or a severe loss of functional or mental capacity.
3. That they are dependent on you (a tu cargo) and that there are reasons justifying that they live in Spain. This is shown, for example, with the money transfers you have sent them and with documents proving their situation. For financial dependency, the Regulation presumes that they depend on you if, for at least the previous year, they received funds or had expenses covered for a minimum of 51% of the annual GDP per capita of their country of origin; in addition, the person supporting them must have the financial autonomy set out in article 196.3.d). Dependency is also presumed in any case if the ascendant is over 80 or suffers from multiple conditions tending towards chronicity or a severe loss of functional or mental capacity. The Supreme Court judgment of 8 July 2026 only annulled the part of article 196.2.b that required the financial dependency to arise in the country of origin or provenance, insofar as it prevented proving it when the ascendant was already in Spain; the other dependency requirements still apply, including that it be real, stable and existing before the application.

Your reunited parents can live with you, but that authorisation does not allow them to work. In addition, unlike other relatives, a person reunited as an ascendant can only bring other relatives in turn once they hold long-term residence and prove financial solvency, unless they have dependent minor children, adult children with a disability who need support, or adult children who cannot meet their own needs because of their health.

A table with places of different sizes for each member of the family.

Financial means: how much money you need to show in 2026

The law requires fixed and regular resources to support yourself and your family. They are calculated on the IPREM (the Spanish public income reference index, Indicador Público de Renta de Efectos Múltiples), which in 2026 is €600 per month (€7,200 per year), according to the SEPE table of amounts (in Spanish), consulted on 13/11/2026.

Some rules in article 67.1 that change the calculation:

• When you bring minors, the immigration office may lower the amount if the child's best interests call for it. In that case, for a family of two members, one of them a minor, the requirement is 110% of the guaranteed annual amount of the Minimum Living Income (Ingreso Mínimo Vital), plus 10% for each additional minor. It is a possibility, not an automatic right.
• Gross income from employment is counted, including the proportional part of extra payments. If you are self-employed, net income is taken into account.
• The income of your spouse or partner and of first-degree relatives who live with you and reside in Spain can be added.
• The following do not count: grants for studies or housing, maintenance or compensatory pensions (except those in favour of the relative you are bringing) and social assistance benefits.
• Resources are assessed according to their nature and regularity. A newly signed or temporary contract can raise doubts if it is not backed by other evidence.

The guide to financial means for residence (in Spanish) explains how to prove income depending on whether you are employed or self-employed.

Suitable housing: the report you will be asked for

The home must be suitable for the number of people who will live in it. This is proven with a report from the autonomous community where you live or, if the community has authorised it, from the town council (ayuntamiento). It sets out the title that allows you to occupy the home, the number of rooms, the use of each room, how many people live there and the conditions of habitability and equipment.

What you should know under article 67.2:

• The authorities must issue the report within one month of your request. If they do not, you prove that this period has passed and show the housing with other documents covering the same points.
• The report must be no more than six months old when you submit the application.
• The report is not binding: the immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) assesses all the documents as a whole.
• The home can be in the name of any member of the family unit, not only the sponsor, and you can prove it with title deeds, a rental contract or another title of use.

Documents for the application

According to the information sheet, the sponsor submits:

• The signed EX-02 form (in Spanish). You can download this and the other forms on the Ministry's general forms page (in Spanish).
• A full copy of your valid passport and of the relative's full passport.
• If you are bringing your spouse or partner, a sworn statement (declaración responsable) that no other spouse or partner lives with you in Spain. If you have remarried, the court decision that settled the situation of your previous spouse (housing, pension and maintenance).
• Documents proving the relationship: marriage certificate, partnership registration certificate, birth certificates or adoption, custody or guardianship decisions.
• Proof of financial means (contract and payslips, tax return, bank accounts or certificates of self-employed activity).
• The housing report or, if it was not issued within one month, proof of that delay together with the substitute documents.
• Health insurance for you and your relatives.
• For parents, proof that they depend on you and of the reasons that justify them living in Spain.

Documents from other countries must be translated by a sworn translator (traductor jurado) into Spanish or into the co-official language of the place where you apply. In addition, foreign public documents must be legalised or apostilled, unless they are exempt from legalisation under an applicable international agreement. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes the list of sworn translators and interpreters (in Spanish) and explains how legalisation and the apostille (in Spanish) work.

Diagram of the family reunification process to reach Spain.

How family reunification is processed, step by step

1. You submit the application at the immigration office in your province or online through the Mercurio platform. As a general rule, the sponsor submits it, in person or through a representative. If the sponsor holds an EU long-term residence permit granted by another Member State, the relative can also submit it.
2. You pay the fee with form 790, code 052, within ten working days of submitting the application. Check the current amount when you generate the form; in our guide to immigration fees (in Spanish) we explain how to fill in and pay it.
3. The immigration office decides. The Regulation sets a period of two months. The Regulation provides for these applications to be processed with priority, but if that period passes without notification, the application is deemed refused by administrative silence (silencio administrativo). You can track the file as we explain in the guide to checking your immigration file (in Spanish), and in the one on legal deadlines in immigration procedures (in Spanish) you will see what to do if it is delayed.
4. Your relative applies for the visa at the Spanish consulate in their country of residence, within two months of being notified that the authorisation has been granted. They need a passport valid for at least one year (article 38.d of the Regulation), a criminal record certificate for the last five years (if they are of the age of criminal responsibility), a medical certificate and the originals proving the family relationship.
5. The consulate decides on the visa within a maximum of one month from the application. Once notified, the relative has one month to collect it and, once collected, one month to enter Spain.
6. Once in Spain, they apply for their TIE (foreigner identity card, Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero) within the month following entry, at the police station or police office where they live. We explain it in the guide to getting the TIE (in Spanish).

The relative's authorisation expires on the same date as your own authorisation in force when they enter Spain, with a minimum of one year. If you hold long-term residence, the relative's first authorisation lasts until the date of your TIE (minimum one year) and the next one is already long-term.

What rights the reunited relative has

• Working. The spouse, the partner and children of working age can work as employees or self-employed without any further procedure. Reunited parents do not have that permission.
• Independent residence. Article 69 of the Regulation allows the spouse or partner to obtain their own residence and work authorisation after at least one year of residence through family reunification, if they have sufficient means of their own or meet the requirements of a work authorisation. Also in the event of a break-up, if the relationship lasted at least three years and there was at least one year of cohabitation in Spain (or less, if they have custody of the children in common), applying within the following six months. And with no minimum period of residence or cohabitation if they are a victim of gender-based, sexual or domestic violence, of trafficking or of family abandonment, with the accreditation provided for in article 69.2.b; in these cases the application must be submitted within six months of notification of the corresponding reports or documents. Nor is a minimum period required if the sponsor dies, but the application must be made within six months of the death. Children can obtain it on reaching the age of majority if they meet those requirements of means or work, or after five years of residence in Spain. Parents, when they obtain an authorisation to work.
• Bringing relatives in turn. A person who has been reunited can bring their own relatives once they hold a residence and work authorisation independent of yours. If they were reunited as an ascendant, they also need long-term residence and to prove financial solvency, unless they have dependent minor children, adult children with a disability who need support, or adult children who cannot meet their own needs because of their health.

When it is worth having your case reviewed

There are situations in which a mistake can delay the procedure and keep your relative waiting abroad:

• Your income is close to the minimum, you are changing jobs or you are self-employed with irregular income.
• You want to bring your parents and are not sure whether your long-term residence already counts, or whether you will be able to prove that they depend on you.
• Your partnership is not registered and you have to prove cohabitation, or the child is from a previous relationship and the other parent's permission is missing.
• Your family reunification or the visa has been refused, or the period has passed without an answer and you have to decide between appealing and applying again without missing the deadlines in the notification.
• You are combining family reunification with your renewal or with your move to long-term residence, and one depends on the other.

In these cases, reviewing the payslips, the housing report and the documents from the country of origin before applying prevents many refusals. If you want a lawyer to review it or want us to handle the whole application, you can handle your family reunification with a lawyer from start to finish.

Frequently asked questions about family reunification

What are the requirements for family reunification in Spain?

Having lived in Spain for one year and having applied for authorisation to reside for at least one more year, showing income of 150% of the IPREM for two people (plus 50% for each additional family member), having suitable housing and health insurance, and the relative having no criminal record in Spain.

How much money do I need to bring my family to Spain in 2026?

With the 2026 IPREM, €900 per month for two people, €1,200 for three and €1,500 for four, adding €300 for each additional person. If you are bringing minors, the amount may be lower.

Can I bring my mother or father if they are under 65?

Only exceptionally, on humanitarian grounds. The general rule requires them to be over 65, to depend on you and for you to hold long-term residence.

I have Spanish nationality. Can I use this route to bring my mother?

No. Relatives of Spanish citizens have their own route, with different requirements. We explain it in the guide to residence for relatives of Spanish citizens (in Spanish).

What changed with the new Immigration Regulation?

Royal Decree 1155/2024 has been in force since 20 May 2025. Among other things, it specifies that an unregistered partner proves the relationship with twelve months of cohabitation, in or outside Spain, includes the adult child who will care for a dependent sponsor, and sets out how income is calculated and how housing is proven.

Can the reunited relative work?

Yes, the spouse, the partner and children of working age can work as employees or self-employed from the moment they hold the authorisation. Reunited parents cannot work with that authorisation.

What happens if I get no answer within two months?

The application is deemed refused by administrative silence. You can appeal that refusal or wait for the immigration office to decide, and it is worth checking the status of the file before deciding.

Where is the European legislation on family reunification?

In Directive 2003/86/EC on the right to family reunification, which Spain applies through Organic Law 4/2000 and its Regulation.

Final advice

Before applying, work out your income against that year's IPREM, request the housing report well in advance and start preparing the apostille, legalisation and translation of the documents from the country of origin that need them.