Spanish residence permit for families in 2026: moving with your spouse, children and parents

A family residence permit in Spain follows whoever moves first; their income sets the route. Remote work, highly skilled employment or a startup qualify under Law 14/2013: the family applies together or later. Passive income leads to non-lucrative residence, with everyone in one application. Working in Spain, employed or self-employed, means the family follows later through reunification.

Families where someone is already a Spanish or EU citizen, and children born in Spain, follow separate rules. Below: how to choose the route, how much money to show for everyone, which documents to gather and what changes in the family’s taxes.

Which route fits your family

The right starting question is not “which permit is easiest” but two others: who in the family applies first, and what the family will live on in Spain. The answer decides whether everyone moves together, who can work and how soon you can bring your parents.

A family can no longer get residence by buying property: the investor programme of Law 14/2013 closed on 3 April 2025, and articles 63–67 were emptied of content (Organic Law 1/2025, final provision 21). Details, and what to do if you already hold such a permit, are in the article on residence through property.

The whole family at once: digital nomad, highly skilled, startup, researcher

The Law 14/2013 routes are the most convenient for families. The law expressly allows the spouse or partner, minor children, dependent adult children without a family of their own, and dependent parents to apply together with the main applicant or later (article 62.4). There is no year of waiting, as with reunification.

Applications go online to the UGE (Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos), one per family member, each with its own 790-038 fee. The legal deadline for a decision is 20 days, and if there is no answer, the permit is deemed granted (article 76.1). A family living abroad can instead get family member visas at the consulate, decided within 10 working days.

In practice, in 2026 the UGE takes longer than 20 days. In our case of a family of three, all three decisions arrived together after 47 working days; the full story is in the case “How a family got digital nomad residence two years after a refusal“. Allow two to three months when planning school and a lease.

Family members on these routes may work in Spain without restrictions, as employees or self-employed. The “no more than 20% of income from Spanish clients” limit applies only to the digital nomad. The step-by-step process is in the articles on the digital nomad residence permit, the researcher residence permit and on the page for digital nomad visa applications.

Money is counted for everyone together, but the income must belong to the main applicant. For a digital nomad the threshold is 200% of the minimum wage for the applicant, plus 75% for the second family member and 25% for each additional one. If income falls short, savings in the applicant’s name cover the gap for the whole term of the permit.

The whole family, without the right to work: non-lucrative residence

If the family lives on dividends, rent, interest or capital and does not plan to work in Spain, the non-lucrative residence permit fits. The applicant applies for a visa at the Spanish consulate in their country of residence, and the spouse and children apply together with them.

For this route, family members are only the spouse or partner, minor children and adult children with a disability (article 61.3 of Royal Decree 1155/2024). Parents are not on the list: a parent can obtain their own non-lucrative permit as a main applicant, with their own funds.

The threshold is 400% of IPREM for the applicant, currently €2,400 a month, plus 100% of IPREM for each family member. The funds must cover the whole term of the permit: the first one is issued for a year, so a couple with a child must show €43,200 for the year. No one in the family may work on this permit, remote work included.

Renewal requires the same amount, insurance, proof of school enrolment for school-age children and more than 183 days in Spain during the year. The same 183 days make the family tax residents, so it is worth calculating taxes on capital before applying.

Employment or self-employment: the family arrives later

A work visa as an employee, cuenta propia (self-employment) and other general-regime routes do not let you bring the family straight away. The person who works moves to Spain first. The right to bring the spouse and children arises once the first permit has been renewed: you can apply after living in Spain for at least a year and filing for renewal (article 18.1 of Organic Law 4/2000, article 68.1 of Royal Decree 1155/2024).

You need income of at least 150% of IPREM for a family of two, a housing report and health insurance for everyone. The application is filed by the family member living in Spain, and after approval the relative gets a visa at the consulate. The fee is 790-052, the decision takes up to two months, and silence means refusal. Once they arrive, the spouse and children can work without a separate permit.

The step-by-step process, with income per family member and the housing report, is in the article “Family reunification in Spain“. If a year apart is not acceptable for your family, compare it in advance with the Law 14/2013 routes: remote work often lets everyone move at once.

If a student moves first

University students have their own family rule. The spouse or partner, minor children and adult children with a disability receive a permit for the same period the student has left, provided at least 90 days remain (article 56 of Royal Decree 1155/2024). The family must have funds and insurance.

Family members of a student may not work (article 56.6). A university student may work if the job is compatible with their studies. This rule does not apply to language courses. More in the article on the student visa.

Parents: which routes actually work

Many people want to bring their parents, and here the routes differ sharply. A parent’s age matters in only one of them.

• Together with a Law 14/2013 permit. Dependent parents of the applicant and of the applicant’s spouse apply together with them or later, with no age threshold. Dependency is shown by transfers over at least a year and by evidence that the parent has no income from work or state benefits. The UGE treats parents over 80 as dependent in all cases.
• Through family reunification. Only once you hold long-term residence, the parent is over 65, depends on you and has reasons to live in Spain. Under 65, only exceptionally, on humanitarian grounds.
• Their own non-lucrative permit. The parent applies as the main applicant and shows their own funds of at least 400% of IPREM. It does not depend on your status, but this permit does not allow work.
• If you are a Spanish citizen. Dependent parents who have no family support in their home country receive a 5-year permit (article 94.1.e of Royal Decree 1155/2024).

A pension from abroad does not formally rule out dependency, but it makes dependency harder to prove if it is enough to live on. In practice, parents of digital nomads are approved, but often after a request for more evidence of dependency. So it is better to start transfers to your parents a year before applying, regularly and from your own account.

If someone in the family is a Spanish or EU citizen

This is not reunification but a separate set of rules, and a softer one. The spouse, partner, children under 26 and dependent parents of a Spanish citizen receive a 5-year permit with the right to work immediately; the procedure is free, and the regulation sets no income threshold (articles 94–97 of Royal Decree 1155/2024).

The family of a citizen of another EU country applies for an EU family member residence card: children under 21 or dependent, dependent parents, with a 5-year card. Both procedures are covered in the article on the EU family member card. If the EU citizen is your minor child, read about residence for the parent of an EU citizen child.

A child born in Spain

If the parents hold general-regime residence, the child gets their own 5-year permit without a visa. The father or mother must apply in person within six months of the birth, and the decision takes up to a month (article 159 of Royal Decree 1155/2024). Since July 2026, following a Supreme Court ruling, short justified trips abroad no longer cost the child this right.

If the parent’s permit was issued under Law 14/2013, the child is registered as a family member with the UGE. A child born in Spain does not get Spanish citizenship automatically, but can apply after just one year of legal residence. That is why it pays to obtain the child’s permit straight away; more in the article “Spanish citizenship for a child“.

Who in the family should apply first

If both spouses have income, the main applicant should be the one whose income is higher and easier to prove. The UGE assesses the applicant’s income and savings, not the family’s. For example, the husband earns €9,000 a month from a US company under an employment contract, and the wife €2,500 as a freelancer with several clients. The husband applies, the wife joins as a family member and, once approved, works in Spain without restrictions.

The second question is tax. The spouse and children move onto the Beckham regime after the main taxpayer, and the sum of their tax bases must be lower than the applicant’s base. So decide who will earn in Spain and how much before applying, not after the first tax return.

How much money a family needs

The thresholds of different routes are calculated from different benchmarks: for digital nomads from the minimum wage (SMI), for non-lucrative residence and reunification from IPREM. The amounts below are monthly and update whenever the benchmarks are revised.

For digital nomads the income must come from work; for non-lucrative residence it must be passive income or savings; for reunification the income of both the applicant and the spouse counts if both live in Spain. Highly skilled professionals and startups have their own thresholds, covered on the highly qualified professional permit and startup visa pages.

Besides income, each person needs health insurance with no co-payments per visit (copago) and no waiting periods, unless the family member is covered through the applicant’s Spanish social security. Which policies qualify is explained in the article on health insurance in Spain.

Fees are paid separately for each family member. In a digital nomad family it is €73.26 per person for the permit.

For non-lucrative residence, the permit fee is €10.94 per person, plus the consular visa fee.

After entry, everyone, children included, gets a TIE card: €16.08 per card.

Documents for the family

The set depends on the route, but a family almost always needs the same papers:

• a passport for every family member, children included, with a copy of all pages;
• a marriage certificate, or for unmarried partners a registered partnership or proof of a year of living together;
• the children’s birth certificates;
• notarised consent of the other parent if a child moves with only one parent;
• criminal record certificates for everyone aged 18 or over; more in the article on the criminal record certificate;
• for adult children and parents, proof of dependency: transfers, a shared registered address, certificates of no income.

Foreign marriage and birth certificates need an apostille, or legalisation if the issuing country is not part of the Hague Convention, and then a sworn translation (traductor jurado) that covers the apostille too. All other foreign documents are also translated by a sworn translator. How to choose one is explained in the article on sworn translation.

Children: school and language

Children with residence permits attend state schools for free; education is compulsory up to age 16. Enrolment is based on your registered address, so choose the neighbourhood together with the school.

The main question is language: in Catalonia, Valencia, the Basque Country, Galicia and the Balearic Islands, a regional language is taught alongside Spanish. For a family with a teenager this often matters more than the climate. School types, private school fees and how to enrol mid-year are covered in the article on schools in Spain.

Family taxes

You become a Spanish tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in the country in a calendar year or your main activity is based here. There is also a family rule: if your spouse and minor children live in Spain, you are presumed to be a tax resident too, unless you prove otherwise (article 9.1 of the IRPF Law). As residents, the family declares worldwide income and, with significant capital, also wealth tax and Form 720 on foreign assets.

Since 2023 the spouse and children under 25 can join the Beckham regime if they move together with the applicant or before the end of the applicant’s first year under the regime. Each files their own Form 149 by their own deadline, and the sum of the family’s tax bases must be lower than the applicant’s. Details and family calculations are in the article “The Beckham Law in Spain“.

Large transactions, such as selling a flat, exercising options or taking dividends, are better completed before the family becomes resident. What else to plan before the move is covered in the article on taxes for wealthy individuals in Spain.

Common mistakes

• Counting on combining both spouses’ income for the digital nomad route. The UGE looks at the income and savings of the main applicant; we have found no precedent of a spouse’s income being counted.
• Expecting to bring parents on a non-lucrative permit. They are not on the family list for this route: they need their own application or the Law 14/2013 route.
• Applying through reunification when the family could have moved at once. If the first family member works remotely, the Law 14/2013 routes usually save a year apart.
• Starting transfers to parents a month before applying. Dependency has to be established in advance; a year of transfers is usually reviewed.
• Forgetting the other parent’s consent. If the child is from a previous marriage or the other parent is not moving, the child’s application is returned without their notarised consent.
• Delaying the permit for a child born in Spain. Under the general regime the deadline is six months from birth, and every month of delay pushes back the citizenship application.

If you are not sure which route suits your family, book a consultation: we will look at who in the family should apply first, what income and capital you can show and how to plan your taxes before the move.

Frequently asked questions

Can the whole family get Spanish residence at once?

Yes, if the main applicant applies under Law 14/2013, as a digital nomad, highly qualified professional, startup founder or researcher, or for non-lucrative residence. On other general-regime routes the family arrives later, through reunification after the first permit is renewed.

Who in the family should apply first?

The person whose income is higher and easier to prove: income and savings are assessed for the main applicant. Taxes matter too: the family joins the Beckham regime after the main taxpayer, and the family’s tax bases must be lower than theirs.

Can a husband and wife combine their income for the digital nomad visa?

Officially no: the UGE rules refer to the income and savings of the main applicant, and we have found no precedent of a spouse’s income being counted. If income falls short, savings in the applicant’s name cover the gap for the whole term of the permit.

Will my spouse be able to work in Spain?

Under Law 14/2013 and through family reunification, yes, as an employee or self-employed. On non-lucrative residence and in a student’s family, no. Family members of a Spanish or EU citizen can work immediately.

Can I bring my parents to Spain together with the family?

Yes, under Law 14/2013, if your parents depend on you financially: there is no age threshold. Through reunification, only once you hold long-term residence and usually from age 65. Parents are not included in non-lucrative residence and need their own application.

Do I need the other parent’s consent to move a child to Spain?

Yes, if the child moves with only one parent: the application needs the notarised consent of the other parent. This matters most when the child is from a previous marriage or the other parent stays behind, because without the consent the child’s application is returned.

Can a family get residence by buying property in Spain?

No. The investor residence programme closed on 3 April 2025, and buying a home no longer grants status. Wealthy families most often move on non-lucrative residence or under the Law 14/2013 routes.

Key points about Spanish residence for families

• The family’s route is set by the residence basis of the person who applies first.
• Law 14/2013 (digital nomad, highly skilled, startup, researcher) lets the family apply together or later, and everyone can work.
• Non-lucrative residence puts the whole family in one application, but no one can work and parents are not included.
• Employment or self-employment means the family arrives later, through reunification after the first permit is renewed.
• Money is counted for everyone together, but each route has its own formula.
• Decide who applies first, who earns where and how the family joins the Beckham regime before you apply.

Sources

• Ley 14/2013 on support for entrepreneurs, articles 61, 62, 63–67, 75, 76
• Real Decreto 1155/2024, regulation of the Aliens Act, articles 56, 61–71, 94–97, 159
• Ley Orgánica 4/2000 on the rights of foreigners, articles 17–18
• Ley Orgánica 1/2025, final provision 21
• Real Decreto 240/2007 on EU citizens and their family members
• Ley 35/2006 on IRPF (personal income tax), articles 9 and 93
• UGE: documents for family members of remote workers