Family reunification in Spain (reagrupacion familiar): conditions and documents

Who can reunify whom

Family reunification is governed by the current immigration regulation (RD 1155/2024, the articles on reagrupacion familiar). The applicant is a foreigner living legally in Spain. The basic conditions for the sponsor:

• to have lived in Spain legally for roughly 1 year;
• to hold a renewed residence permit or one valid for at least another year (larga duracion holders and several special statuses do not need to wait the year out);
• to prove income and suitable housing.

Who you can bring over:

• A spouse or partner - registered, or with a proven stable relationship (pareja de hecho and equivalents);
• Children under 18 (yours and your spouse's), as well as adult children with a disability who objectively cannot support themselves;
• Parents - benchmark: over 65 and dependent on the applicant; in humanitarian cases exceptions are possible for younger parents.

Important: if your loved one is an EU or Spanish citizen, a different regime applies (tarjeta de familiar de ciudadano de la UE) with different conditions. This article covers the general regime for foreign residents.

Income requirements: counting from IPREM

The sponsor's income must be stable, regular and sufficient to support the family without turning to social assistance. The bar is tied to the IPREM index, which remains frozen in 2026: 600 € per month.

The base formula: 150% IPREM per month for a family unit of two (the applicant + 1 person being reunified) plus 50% IPREM for each additional member.

Nuances people often forget:

• for families where only minors are being reunified, a preferential calculation based on the IMV (the minimum living income) applies - the thresholds are lower;
• salary, autónomo income, pensions and stable assets count; housing benefits and social assistance do not;
• the administration looks not only at the figure but also at stability: contract duration, the history of Seguridad Social contributions, tax returns.

Check the exact IPREM value and the calculation method on official resources before filing - the index is revised with the national budget.

Housing and the informe de vivienda

The second key condition is suitable housing. It is confirmed by a housing report (informe de vivienda adecuada), issued by the autonomous community or the municipality after an inspector's visit or on the basis of documents.

• The report records the number of rooms, the purpose of each space, the condition, the number of occupants and the right of use (ownership or rental).
• The report is valid for a limited period (benchmark - up to 6 months), so it is ordered shortly before filing.
• The law sets no formal square-metres-per-person standard, but the housing must be comparable to the conditions of an average family in your municipality.

If you rent, the contract must be official and current; subletting a room is almost always a problem. Changing address after the report is issued is a reason to order a new one.

Documents

An approximate package for the sponsor's filing:

• the standard application form and copies of passports - yours and your family members';
• a copy of your current residence permit (TIE) and proof of renewal;
• income documents: contract, nominas, autónomo accounts, the IRPF return, a Seguridad Social statement;
• the informe de vivienda adecuada and the rental contract or nota simple for the property;
• the marriage certificate and the children's birth certificates - with an apostille and a sworn translation;
• for parents - proof of dependency: regular money transfers and confirmation that they have no support in their country of origin;
• health insurance, if your situation requires it, and the receipt for the tasa.

Civil documents are the biggest bottleneck: they have to be obtained back home, apostilled and translated by a sworn translator. Allow anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months for this.

The step-by-step process and timelines

1. Diagnosis. We check the residence record, income and housing - before the family starts collecting documents back home.
2. The housing report. We order the informe de vivienda from your municipality or autonomous community.
3. The application is filed by the resident at the Oficina de Extranjería (online through a representative or by appointment). The formal decision period is roughly 1-3 months.
4. The family's visa. After approval, family members apply for the visa at the Spanish consulate where they live - benchmark within 2 months.
5. Entry and the TIE. After entry - empadronamiento, the fingerprint appointment and collection of the resident card.

The whole journey usually takes 4-8 months. The family's permit is tied to the sponsor's authorisation and is renewed together with it, and after 5 years of legal residence every family member can apply for larga duracion.

Common mistakes

• Filing before your first permit is renewed. A year of residence and a renewed authorisation are the baseline filters; filing early means a refusal.
• Income that barely scrapes the bar, with no stability. A 3-month contract or a fresh autónomo registration with no history makes a weak file, even if the figure passes.
• An expired informe de vivienda or moving house after it was issued.
• Documents without an apostille or with an ordinary rather than a sworn translation.
• Missing the two-month window for the visa application at the consulate after approval.
• Overlooked special cases: divorce and child custody, an unregistered pareja de hecho, parents under 65 - all of these need a strategy of their own.

How Krepko handles reunification for you

In reagrupacion familiar two tracks run in parallel: yours in Spain, and the family's in the country where they live. We keep both in sync:

• we calculate your income against the current IPREM benchmarks and tell you honestly whether you already qualify;
• we order the informe de vivienda and assemble the sponsor's file;
• we prepare the civil documents: apostilles, sworn translations, legalisation;
• we file the application, track its status and walk the family through the consulate steps all the way to entry and the TIE card.

Legally significant steps are performed by licensed specialists - lawyers, gestores, sworn translators. See the Residency in Spain service page for details; the best way to start is a free conversation.

Sources

• Portal de Inmigracion - information sheets on reagrupacion familiar
• BOE: Real Decreto 1155/2024 - the immigration law regulation
• IPREM - the current value of the index