01What it is and who it is for
Until May 2025, the foreign spouse of a Spanish citizen applied for the EU family member card (under Royal Decree 240/2007), and other relatives often used residence through family ties (arraigo familiar). Since 20 May 2025, the new Immigration Regulations (Royal Decree 1155/2024) have created a dedicated permit: temporary residence for family members of Spanish nationals (residencia de familiares de personas con nacionalidad española), set out in articles 93 to 99.
It is for people who are not EU, EEA or Swiss citizens and who have a family tie with a Spanish citizen, wherever and whenever it was formed, provided it continues and they live together in Spain. It allows you to live and work anywhere in Spain and can last five years. In April 2026, Royal Decree 316/2026 widened the cases in which you can apply from inside Spain.
The EU system now only applies to relatives of Spaniards who have exercised free movement, for example if you lived together in another EU country and are moving back to Spain. If that is your situation, see our page on the EU family member residence card.
02Requirements
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03Documents
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04How we handle it online
- Case assessment
We identify which letter of article 94 fits your family, whether this system or the EU system applies, and where it is best to apply: in Spain or at the consulate.
- Preparing the file
We list the exact documents, check apostilles and translations, and gather evidence of cohabitation or dependency where needed.
- Online filing
If you are both in Spain, we file form EX-24 with the immigration office for your province through the Mercurio platform. If your relative is abroad and the Spanish citizen is in Spain, we file on the Spanish citizen's behalf.
- Follow-up
We track the two-month deadline, answer requests and, if the application is refused or goes unanswered, assess an appeal.
- Visa or card
If your relative is abroad, we guide them through the consulate visa. If they are in Spain, through the fingerprint appointment and TIE within a month of approval.
- Renewal and next steps
We remind you about renewal and changes you must report, and plan long-term residence or Spanish nationality with you.
05Timescales and validity
There are three ways to apply. If the Spanish citizen is in Spain and the relative abroad, the Spanish citizen files at the immigration office; once approved, the relative applies for the visa at the consulate within one month and the consulate decides within fifteen days. If both are abroad, the relative applies for the visa at the consulate, which also starts the permit application. If both are in Spain, either of them files here, even if the relative has no legal status.
The immigration office decides within two months; no reply means refusal. When filed in Spain, once the application is accepted for processing the relative may provisionally live and work until a decision is made. Once approved, they must apply for the TIE (foreigner's identity card) within one month.
The permit lasts five years, or the period the Spanish citizen plans to live in Spain if shorter. If granted for less than five years, it is renewed in the two months before expiry or the three months after. Changes of address, marital status or nationality must be reported within two months. On the death of the Spanish citizen, divorce after at least three years together with one in Spain, custody of the children or gender-based violence, independent residence can be requested within six months. The regulations exclude unregistered partners and other dependent relatives from this option.
06Do I need to attend anything in person?
If you and your Spanish relative are both in Spain, we file the application online. Fingerprinting at the police station for the TIE must be done in person. If your relative is outside Spain, they will need to attend the Spanish consulate for the visa and, on arrival, the police station for the card.
07Common mistakes and reasons for refusal
- Applying for the EU card (EX-19) when this permit (EX-24) applies, or the other way round.
- Failing to prove that you live with your Spanish relative.
- An unregistered partner without enough evidence of twelve months of cohabitation.
- Children aged 26 or over, or parents, without proof of dependency on the Spanish citizen.
- Documents from abroad without an apostille or sworn translation.
- Not reporting a change of address or marital status within two months.
08Frequently asked questions
I am married to a Spaniard and living in Spain without papers. Can I apply?
Yes. When you and your Spanish spouse are both in Spain, you can apply here even without legal status. Once the application is accepted for processing, you may provisionally live and work until a decision is made. You do not need to go back to your country for a visa.
How is this different from the EU family member card?
The EU card (RD 240/2007) is for relatives of citizens of other EU countries and of Spaniards who have exercised free movement. The permit for family members of Spanish citizens (RD 1155/2024) has been the standard route for relatives of Spaniards since May 2025: form EX-24, a free application and children included up to age 26.
Can my adult children come?
Yes, up to age 26, if they are not married, have not formed their own family and live or will live with you. Over 26, only if they depend on you or have a disability needing support. Your spouse's or partner's children are included too.
I already have an EU card through my marriage to a Spaniard. Do I need to do anything?
Not straight away. People who held a valid EU family member card or a family ties permit through a Spanish relative keep their residence while they meet the conditions of the new system, without a new application. Check well in advance how your next renewal should be handled.
Do I need to show income?
Generally, no. The regulations set no income requirement for a spouse, partner or children under 26. It does apply where the relative applies as a dependant, for example parents: the Spanish citizen must then show they can support them.
Does it count towards Spanish nationality?
The spouse of a Spanish citizen can apply for nationality after one year of legal residence in Spain, if they have been married for a year and are not separated (Civil Code, article 22). Residence as a family member of a Spaniard counts as legal residence. We can help you plan this from the start.
What happens if we divorce?
The change of marital status must be reported within two months. If you are a spouse or registered partner, you may keep residence independently if the relationship lasted at least three years, one of them in Spain, if you have custody of the Spanish citizen's children or access to a minor child living in Spain, or if you were a victim of gender-based or sexual violence or trafficking. If none applies, you can ask to switch to another permit within three months.
I am a naturalised Spaniard. How do I bring my parents?
In the same way as any other Spanish citizen: acquiring nationality by residence does not change your rights. Your parents, or your spouse's or partner's parents, can apply for the family member of a Spanish citizen permit if they depend on you and lack family support in their home country, or on humanitarian grounds. You must prove that dependency, for example with money transfers over at least the past year, and show that you can afford to support them. If your parents are abroad, you file the application at the immigration office and, once approved, they apply for the visa at the consulate within one month; if they are already in Spain with you, the regulations allow the application to be made here.
We are registered partners and my partner is undocumented. Does this work?
Yes, if you are both in Spain: the application can be filed here even though your partner has no legal status and, once it is accepted for processing, your partner may provisionally live and work. If your partnership is registered in a public register of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, that registration is enough. If it is registered elsewhere or not at all, you must prove at least twelve months of continuous cohabitation, in Spain or abroad, unless you have children together. In that case your partner must also show a clean criminal record.
How long does it take?
The immigration office has two months to decide; if it does not reply, the application is treated as refused and can be appealed. If your relative is abroad, the consulate then has a maximum of fifteen days to decide on the visa. In practice timings vary between offices and grow longer if further documents are requested, so it pays to file a complete application. When the application is filed in Spain, your relative may provisionally live and work from the moment it is accepted for processing.
09Legal basis
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, articles 93 to 99 (family members of Spanish nationals)
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, article 41 (visa for family members of Spaniards)
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, article 196 (dependants and humanitarian grounds)
- Royal Decree 1155/2024, third transitional provision
- Royal Decree 316/2026, sole article (amends article 97)
- Supreme Court judgment of 8 July 2026 (Official Gazette of 22 September 2026)
- Civil Code, article 22 (nationality by residence)
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.