Family reunification in Spain: reagrupación familiar

What reagrupación is

Reagrupación familiar — bringing family members to a legal (non-EU) resident of Spain.

Check which path fits

The reagrupante (sponsor) requests the authorisation at the Oficina de Extranjería; once granted, the relative applies for the visado de reagrupación at the consulate.

The sponsor must usually have already renewed their initial permit (i.e. resided legally for at least a year).

EU/EEA citizens (including Romanians) bring family under the régimen comunitario (tarjeta de familiar de ciudadano de la UE) — a different, more favourable route.

Since RD 316/2026 (in force 16 April 2026), adult children and first-degree ascendants already in Spain can request the residence authorisation from inside the country, like the other family categories; once the application is admitted they are provisionally authorised to work anywhere in Spain, employed or self-employed, until it is resolved.

Who you can bring

• Your spouse or registered partner (not divorced/separated; only one spouse).
• Children under 18 or adult children with a disability (yours or your spouse’s; for children from a previous relationship you need sole parental authority/custody or the other parent/custody holder’s consent for the child to live in Spain).
• Parents (ascendientes) of the sponsor or spouse over 65 and dependent — usually requires larga duración status.
• This is for non-EU residents; family of EU citizens follows the régimen comunitario.

Requirements for the sponsor

• Sufficient economic means (IPREM-based): roughly ~150% IPREM for the first family member and ~50% for each additional one.
• Adequate housing — proven with an informe de adecuación de vivienda (from the comunidad autónoma or ayuntamiento).
• Health insurance for the family members being brought.
• A valid, renewed residence permit for the sponsor.
• The right to appeal a refusal and re-apply once the grounds are fixed.

Order and timing

• Authorisation in Spain first (the reagrupante), then the visa at the consulate — the order matters.
• After approval the visa is usually requested within ~2 months of notification.
• The relative must enter within the visa validity; then they get the TIE.
• The authorisation runs alongside the sponsor’s permit and is renewed with it.

Documents

• The sponsor’s residence permit/TIE and proof of its renewal.
• The informe de vivienda adecuada and the tenancy/ownership deed.
• Proof of income (nóminas, contract, tax return) against IPREM.
• Proof of the family relationship (marriage/birth certificates), legalised and translated; health insurance.

How to apply

• Make sure your permit is renewed and you meet the income requirement.
• Obtain the informe de adecuación de vivienda.
• File the reagrupación application at the Oficina de Extranjería.
• Once approved, the relative applies for the visado de reagrupación at the consulate (~2 months).
• Entry into Spain on the visa and getting the TIE.

Common mistakes

• Applying before renewing your own permit.
• Not proving income against IPREM or the housing report.
• Trying to bring parents without larga duración status.
• Missing the ~2-month window to request the visa after approval.
• EU citizens going the general reagrupación route instead of the more favourable régimen comunitario.

Refusal and appeal

• A refusal can be appealed: recurso de reposición or contencioso-administrativo within the window.
• Common grounds: insufficient income/housing, incomplete documents — these can be fixed and re-filed.
• If the visa doesn’t arrive in time, check the status at the consulate and re-apply if needed.
• Keep your filing, income and housing-report justificantes.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

Official sources