Family Reunification Requirements

In 2025, the immigration regulations continue to establish a series of requirements for family reunification that must be met to obtain the residence permit.

These are:

• Being a family member of a resident in Spain (the person resident in Spain must not be a Spanish or EU citizen). For Spanish or EU citizens, residence is requested through social integration or as a family member of an EU citizen.
  The spouse, children under 21, parents, and minors under 18 and incapacitated who are dependent on the person requesting the reunification can be reunited.
• The resident (also known as the reunifier) must have lived legally in Spain for one year and have permission for another year. If you need to carry out a parent reunification, you will need to have long-term residence permission (at least 5 years).
• Regarding the foreigner, they must not be residing irregularly in Spain nor have the nationality of any European country.

The family reunifier must demonstrate that they have sufficient economic capacity to support their relatives. This means having certain economic income:

• For a resident who wants to reunite with 1 adult person, 150% of the IPREM per month is required (approximately an income of €900 per month). Reuniting with an additional person requires exceeding the IPREM by 50%.
• If the resident wants to reunite with a minor (forming a family of two people), 110% is needed (approximately €600). This amount will increase by 10% for each minor added to the family reunification (up to a maximum of 150%).
• To reunite with persons who require representation, the minimum interprofessional salary or stable income is sufficient.

Furthermore, another of the requirements is to request a certificate proving that the resident's home is suitable for them and their family. It must be issued by the City Council or the Autonomous Community within 30 days following the application. After this period, it may be accredited by means of the rental contract provided that proof of the application for the previous report is submitted.

Likewise, among the requirements for family reunification is the obligation to demonstrate the links between the reunifier and the foreigner to be reunited:

The reunifier must provide:

• NIE
• Residence permit

For couples:

• Marriage certificate or partnership registration
• Proof of cohabitation if not married

With children:

• Birth certificate
• Adoption documents
• Disability certificates if necessary

For parents:

• Birth certificate of the resident in Spain from the country of origin
• Proof of maintenance for the last year (it must be demonstrated that economic support of 51% of the annual per capita GDP of the place of origin has been sent)
• Proof of the situation for the relative to come to Spain

Additionally, it will be necessary:

• The foreigner's passport
• Criminal record certificate from the country of origin
• Private health insurance without copayments or waiting periods
• Medical certificate proving that there are no serious illnesses (based on the International Health Regulations of 2005)

The family reunification certificate plays a crucial role in formalising the process. The Notary is responsible for certifying these elements based on the evidence and documents presented in their presence and it serves to certify that the reunifier meets certain basic requirements that will be subsequently verified by the competent authorities.

In this type of notarial certificates the commitment to reunification is reiterated, it serves to certify family ties when no other evidence is available except photographs or sworn statements from other family members, to declare the economic dependence of relatives and to authorise the transfer of minors for the requested family reunification.