01What it is and who it is for
The residence card for family members of EU citizens, often called the community card (tarjeta comunitaria), allows relatives who are not EU nationals to live in Spain for more than three months. It is based on the Free Movement Directive 2004/38/EC and governed in Spain by Royal Decree 240/2007. It allows you to work as an employee or self-employed on the same terms as a Spanish national.
One important change: since 20 May 2025, family members of Spanish citizens have their own system under the Immigration Regulations (Royal Decree 1155/2024) and, as a rule, no longer apply for this card. Only relatives of Spaniards who have exercised free movement remain under the EU system, for example where the Spanish citizen lived with the family in another EU country and is moving back to Spain.
The card depends on the EU citizen having a right to reside in Spain. So, besides the family relationship, you must show that the EU citizen works here, or has sufficient resources and comprehensive health insurance, or studies with insurance and resources.
02Requirements
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03Documents
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04How we handle it online
- Case assessment
We confirm whether your case falls under the EU system or another route (family member of a Spaniard, family reunification) and check the EU citizen's position: work, resources, insurance and registration certificate.
- Complete file
We tell you exactly which documents you need from abroad and from Spain, and review translations, apostilles and evidence of cohabitation or dependency.
- Filing
We file the EX-19 application online where the office accepts it. If the office requires in-person filing, we prepare everything and tell you where and how to attend your appointment.
- Follow-up
We track the file, answer any requests and keep an eye on the three-month deadline for issuing the card.
- Fingerprints and card
Once approved, we guide you through the fingerprint appointment at the police station and card collection, and remind you when to apply for permanent residence.
05Timescales and validity
You must apply within three months of arriving in Spain. When you apply you receive a receipt that proves your lawful stay until the card is issued; meanwhile you may remain in Spain and carry on with your activities.
The card must be issued within three months of the application, and approval takes effect from your date of entry as a family member. It is valid for five years, or for the EU citizen's planned period of residence if shorter.
After five years of continuous legal residence in Spain you acquire the right of permanent residence. The permanent card is requested on the same EX-19 form and is renewed every ten years. The temporary card can lapse if you are away from Spain for more than six months in a year, except for the legal exceptions (studies, serious illness, pregnancy and childbirth, posting abroad, up to twelve consecutive months).
06Do I need to attend anything in person?
Fingerprinting at the police station to issue the card is always in person. How the application is filed depends on the office: some accept online filing through a representative, others require the family member to attend in person with an appointment. If that applies to you, we prepare the full file for that appointment. If you are coming from abroad and your nationality needs a visa, the family member entry visa is applied for at the consulate; it is free and processed with priority.
07Common mistakes and reasons for refusal
- Applying for the community card as the family member of a Spaniard who has not exercised free movement: since May 2025 the route is the family member of a Spanish citizen permit.
- Failing to prove that the EU citizen works or has resources and comprehensive health cover in Spain.
- The EU citizen not having a registration certificate, or having one with outdated details.
- An unregistered partner without enough evidence of at least one year of cohabitation.
- Children aged 21 or over and parents without proof of financial dependency on the EU citizen.
- Missing renewal deadlines or spending more than six months a year outside Spain without a valid reason.
08Frequently asked questions
I am married to a Spanish citizen. Do I still apply for the EU card?
As a rule, no. Since 20 May 2025 relatives of Spaniards have their own permit under the Immigration Regulations, using form EX-24. The EU card only applies if the Spanish citizen has exercised free movement, for example if you lived together in another EU country. If you already held an EU card before that date, you keep it while the conditions are met.
Does it work if we are an unregistered couple?
Yes, if you can prove a stable, durable relationship. The rules accept at least one year of continuous cohabitation, or children in common with a stable relationship. Evidence includes joint registration at the same address (empadronamiento), tenancy agreements, joint accounts, photos and similar documents.
Can I work with the EU family member card?
Yes. The card allows you to work as an employee or self-employed and to study on the same terms as Spanish nationals. No separate work permit is needed.
How much money does the EU citizen need if not working?
There is no fixed amount: the personal and family situation is assessed. Under the rules, resources above the threshold for a Spanish non-contributory benefit are considered sufficient, together with health insurance giving full cover in Spain. Pensioners meet the insurance requirement with a certificate of healthcare from the country paying their pension.
What happens if we divorce?
You may keep your residence in your own right if the marriage or registered partnership lasted at least three years before proceedings began, one of them in Spain; if you have custody of the EU citizen's children; if you have access rights to a minor child living in Spain; or if you were a victim of gender-based violence or human trafficking. You must notify the authorities of the change.
When can I get permanent residence?
After five years of continuous legal residence in Spain as a family member. You then apply for the permanent residence card for family members of EU citizens, which no longer depends on the EU citizen working or having resources and is renewed every ten years. It is lost after more than two consecutive years away from Spain.
My child is Spanish or an EU citizen. Can I get the card as a parent?
If your child is Spanish, as a rule no. Since 20 May 2025, the parent of a Spanish minor who looks after the child and lives with them, or meets their obligations towards them, applies for the family member of a Spanish citizen permit under the Immigration Regulations; if your Spanish child is an adult, the same permit is available to parents who depend on them and lack family support at home, or on humanitarian grounds. The EU card only comes into play if your Spanish child has exercised free movement. If your child is a citizen of another EU country and an adult, you can apply for the EU card as a dependent parent; if the child is a minor, the Immigration Regulations provide residence through family ties (arraigo familiar) instead.
How long can I be outside Spain?
With the family member card, absences of up to six months a year do not affect its validity. Nor do longer absences for military service, or a single absence of up to twelve consecutive months for pregnancy, childbirth, serious illness, studies, vocational training or a work posting to another country. Outside those cases, spending more than six months a year outside Spain makes the card lapse and can break the continuity required for permanent residence. With the permanent card, the right is only lost after more than two consecutive years away.
How long does it take?
Royal Decree 240/2007 sets a deadline of three months from the application for the card to be issued, and approval takes effect from your date of entry into Spain as a family member. In practice, the actual time depends on the office, the fingerprint appointment and whether further documents are requested. Meanwhile, the application receipt proves your lawful stay and you can carry on with your activities. That is why we recommend filing a complete application from the start.
09Legal basis
- Royal Decree 240/2007, articles 2, 2 bis and 3 (family members and rights)
- Royal Decree 240/2007, articles 7 and 8 (residence and family member card)
- Royal Decree 240/2007, articles 9, 10 and 11 (retention and permanent residence)
- Order PRE/1490/2012 (conditions under article 7)
- Directive 2004/38/EC
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, Title IV, Chapter VII (separate system for relatives of Spanish citizens)
Information reviewed on 03.10.2026 against the law in force. This page is for general information and is not a substitute for advice on your own case.