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Family reunification in Spain

This is the procedure for someone who has already built something here and wants to bring their family over. It is also the one most often attempted too early: the one year of prior legal residence comes before the money and before the housing.

  • This page was last reviewed on: 7 August 2026
  • 2 min read
1 yearof prior legal residence, with authorisation for another
€900/motwo people — 150% of the IPREM
+€300/moper additional member — 50% of the IPREM

Basis: 2026 IPREM at €600/month. Three people, €1,200/month; four people, €1,500/month.

Who can be reunified

  • a spouse in a subsisting marriage, or a partner registered publicly or with documented cohabitation;
  • children under 18, your own or your spouse's or partner's;
  • adult children with a disability who cannot provide for their own needs;
  • parents over 65 — and this is where the surprise sits.

Bringing parents is the hardest case, not the most natural one. It requires that you hold long-term or EU long-term residence (art. 68(1)(a)), that they are over 65, and that you evidence their financial dependence. Plenty of people plan the move assuming the opposite.

The housing report and its expiry

Art. 67(2) requires evidence of adequate housing through a report issued by the social services of the competent bodies of the autonomous community where the sponsor lives — or by the local corporation, where the autonomous community has so decided. It is not always the town hall: it depends on how each community has organised the competence. The body must issue and notify the report within one month; if it does not, the requirement may be met by any means of proof admitted in law. The report, or the documentation replacing it, must be no more than six months old on the filing date, so the moment you request it has to be coordinated with the date you intend to file.

Where this fits in your route

Reunification presupposes that you already hold legal status. If you do not yet, the starting point is the comparison of Spanish residence visas or, if you are already living in Spain without authorisation, arraigo. And if your horizon is staying, the legal residence of the whole family also counts towards residency and citizenship.

Frequently asked questions

How long must I have been resident before I can reunify?

Under art. 68(1) of RD 1155/2024 the application may be filed once the sponsor has resided in Spain for at least one year and has applied for the authorisation to reside for at least one further year. The relative’s authorisation cannot be granted, however, until the sponsor’s renewal has actually been granted.

How much income must I evidence?

150% of the monthly IPREM for a two-person household — €900 a month at the 2026 IPREM — plus 50% of the IPREM (€300) for each additional member. Three people: €1,200. Four: €1,500.

Who can I bring?

A spouse, or a registered partner or one with evidenced cohabitation; children under 18, your own or your spouse's or partner's; adult children with a disability who cannot provide for themselves; and first-degree ascendants who are in your care, are over 65 and for whom there are reasons justifying residence in Spain. Art. 68(1)(a) also requires the sponsor to hold long-term or EU long-term residence in order to reunite ascendants.

What is the suitable-housing report?

The document evidencing that the housing is adequate, required by art. 67(2). It is issued by the social services of the competent bodies of the autonomous community where the sponsor lives — or by the local corporation, where the autonomous community has so decided. It is not always the town hall. It must be issued and notified within one month of the request; if it is not, and the applicant evidences that, the requirement may be met by any means of proof admitted in law. The report, or the documentation replacing it, must be no more than six months old on the date the application is filed.

Can I bring my parents?

It is possible, with additional requirements. Art. 68(1)(a) requires the sponsor to hold long-term or EU long-term residence granted in Spain — the application may be filed once that authorisation has been applied for. Art. 66(1)(e) requires them to be first-degree ascendants, of the sponsor or of the spouse or partner, to be in the sponsor’s care, to be over 65, and for reasons justifying the need to authorise residence in Spain to exist. Below 65, only exceptionally, on humanitarian grounds defined in art. 196(6). The “second renewal” route no longer exists under the regulation in force.

Sources for this page

This page was last reviewed on: 7 August 2026.

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