Author Irina Firsova Immigration lawyer in Spain, member of the Barcelona Bar Association no. 46.385 18 September 2026 7 min read Message the author

Informe de vivienda: the housing report for family reunification in Spain

The informe de vivienda is a report confirming that your home is adequate for the family you are bringing to Spain. Article 67.2 of the immigration regulation requires it for a first family reunification application: without it the application for your spouse, children or parents is incomplete. It is issued by the social services of the autonomous community or by the town hall where you live, by law within one month, and on the filing date it must be no older than six months.

Below: when the report is needed and when it is not, what is checked, who issues it in Madrid, Catalonia, Valencia, Alicante, Andalusia and the Balearic and Canary Islands, which documents and fees apply, and what to do if the report is late. The reunification procedure itself — income, insurance and how to apply — is covered in family reunification in Spain.

Five steps to the reunification application. The issuing body, the fee and any visit depend on the region; the issue period and the validity are the same everywhere.

When the housing report is needed and when it is not

Needed:

for a first family reunification — article 67.2 of Regulation RD 1155/2024; the report is filed with the application (article 68.3);
for minors born outside Spain who live here with a resident parent (article 160): Madrid, Catalonia and Valencia issue the same report for this;
for the family of a student moving from a study stay to residence (article 190.5).

Not needed:

to renew a reunification permit: article 71 of the regulation and the ministry’s renewal fact sheet contain no such requirement. The 2011 regulation required the report after a change of address, and some regions — Madrid, the Canary Islands, Alicante — still say so on their websites. Under the current rule it is not needed, but the foreigners’ office may ask you to show your housing, so keep the lease and the padrón to hand;
for families under Law 14/2013 — digital nomad, start-up, highly qualified. The spouse, children and parents apply with the main applicant or later, and their housing is not checked (article 62.4 of the law). How this works is covered in the digital nomad visa;
for the family under a non-lucrative residence permit: funds per family member are required, but no housing report;
for arraigo: a different document applies — an integration report, not a housing one; see residence through settlement.

What is checked

The regulation sets the minimum content of the report: the right to occupy the home, the number of rooms and the use of each, how many people live there, habitability and equipment. “Adequate housing” is defined by article 3 of the Right to Housing Law 12/2023: size, location, habitability, accessibility, energy efficiency and connection to utilities. Neither the law nor the regulation sets square metres — the regions do.

The housing document may be in the name not only of the person bringing the family but also of a family member listed in article 66, for example the spouse. If you bought the home, the report usually requires a nota simple extract or the escritura; if you rent, the lease.

Catalonia is the only region with figures. The Generalitat’s criteria 1/2025, citing Decree 141/2012, set maximum occupancy by bedroom:

Bedroom	People
from 5 m²	1
from 8 m²	2
from 12 m²	3
flat with no bedrooms, only a common area	2

Exceeding the limit gives a negative report — unless all residents are relatives up to the fourth degree and there are no obvious sanitary problems. People outside the family may also live in the flat, but suitability is assessed with the family’s make-up in mind, especially children.

Who issues it: regions and cities

Where	Issued by	Fee	Visit to the flat
Madrid	Comunidad de Madrid social services; filing through the town hall is recommended	€30.60	interview and photos of each room
Catalonia, Barcelona	the Generalitat; the town hall checks the documents and prepares a proposal	free	only if the documents are insufficient
Valencia	the Ajuntament’s health service	€14.43 under the 2018 bylaw	required
Alicante	the Ayuntamiento’s immigration department	not stated on the website	required
Andalusia	town halls: in Seville the urban planning office, in Mijas and Marbella the ayuntamiento	a stamp duty in Seville	required in Seville
Palma	Patronat Municipal de l’Habitatge	€83.56 per applicant under the 2024 instructions	required; after two failed attempts the application lapses
Canary Islands	Gobierno de Canarias immigration section	free	not stated; the report cannot be appealed

The Valencia and Palma fees come from 2018 and 2024 documents — check them on the procedure page before paying. The report’s name also varies: in Valencia it is the “informe sanitario de reagrupación familiar”, in Marbella the “certificado de vivienda suficiente”, in Catalonia the “informe d’adequació de l’habitatge”. Almost everywhere you can apply online through the e-government portal of the region or town hall.

Documents

The one document common to all is proof of your right to occupy the home. The rest is set by the region, but the set is similar:

the application and proof of payment of the fee, if any;
the NIE or residence permit of the person bringing the family, and the relatives’ passports;
the escritura or nota simple if you own the home; the lease if you rent. In Palma a lease needs form F1 on the deposit or the last three rent payments by bank transfer;
a collective padrón registration certificate for everyone living at the address; in Catalonia the town hall requests it itself;
in Catalonia, the cédula de habitabilidad, or if there is none, the nota simple and the latest water and electricity bills;
in Madrid, at the interview, proof of the family relationship, electricity, water and gas bills and photos of the flat.

In Valencia the report is based only on the padrón data on the application date, and it is not issued without a phone number, because the visit is arranged by phone.

Issue period and validity

Issue — one month from the request under the regulation. Madrid gives the same period, Alicante and Palma 30 days, Catalonia up to 30 working days, which is in fact longer than a month. Valencia advises applying at least a month before your appointment at the Delegación del Gobierno.
Validity — six months on the date you file for reunification. Barcelona counts them from the Generalitat’s signature. Alicante mentions three months — the regulation prevails when you file, but if local practice is stricter, it is safer to bring a fresh report.
In Catalonia a new proposal for the same flat is not prepared within six months of a report being issued.

If the report is late

The regulation provides for this directly: if the report is not issued within a month, you prove the delay — with a copy of the request showing its registration date — and show that the housing is adequate with any admissible documents. Palma, for example, mentions a notarial deed together with a copy of the report request. The report does not bind the foreigners’ office, but it can depart from it only with reasons — so a negative report almost certainly means refusal, and a positive one makes the case much easier.

How the housing report differs from similar documents

The cédula de habitabilidad concerns the flat itself: minimum conditions, usable area, maximum occupancy. It does not depend on the family and does not replace the report; in Catalonia it is one of the documents needed to obtain it.
The integration report (informe de integración) confirms a person’s integration, not the housing, and is needed for some types of arraigo.
The integration effort report is an optional document for renewals and is not about housing either.

Unfamiliar Spanish terms such as escritura, padrón or resguardo are briefly explained in the Spanish residence glossary.

Frequently asked questions

What is the informe de vivienda?

A report confirming that your home is adequate for the family you are bringing to Spain. Article 67.2 of the immigration regulation requires it for a first family reunification.

Who issues the housing report for family reunification?

The social services of the autonomous community, or the town hall where the region has decided so. In Madrid and the Canary Islands it is the regional government, in Catalonia the Generalitat on the town hall’s proposal, and in Valencia, Alicante, Palma and Andalusia the town halls.

How long does the housing report take?

Under the regulation, one month from the request. Catalonia states up to 30 working days. If the report is late, the housing is proved with other documents.

How long is the housing report valid?

On the date you file for reunification it must be no older than six months. Alicante mentions three months, so it is safer to bring a fresh report.

Is the housing report needed to renew a reunification permit?

Not under the current regulation: article 71 does not require it. Some regions still say it is needed after a change of address, so keep the lease and the padrón to hand.