Family reunification of a spouse (wife or husband): requirements and documents

If you legally reside in Spain and want to bring your partner, this guide sums up the requirements to reunite with your spouse (wife or husband) through family reunification under the general regime, as they stand after the new Immigration Regulation approved by RD 1155/2024 (in force since 20 May 2025). The idea is that, before you start, you know whether you meet the conditions and what documents you will need to prepare.

Watch out for the starting difference: this route is for someone who reunites as a holder of a Spanish authorisation (general regime). If you or your partner have a link to an EU citizen, the path changes completely and you should review the residence card for family members of an EU citizen. To see at a glance which route fits your case, you can use the Arraigate route finder.

Requirements to reunite with a spouse (wife or husband)

To be able to reunite with your wife or husband, the person doing the reuniting (the sponsor, or reagrupante) must meet several conditions. These are the basic requirements of family reunification under the general regime:

• Prior legal residence. As a general rule, you must have legally resided in Spain for at least one year and have authorisation to reside for another year (or have applied for its renewal). Certain situations, such as holding long-term residence, make the process easier.
• Proven bond. A registered marriage or registered partnership / marriage-like union duly proven. The bond cannot have been formed fraudulently or for exclusively migratory purposes.
• Sufficient economic means. You must prove stable income to meet the family's needs once reunited, according to the reference amounts (calculated on the IPREM and the number of members).
• Adequate housing. This is usually proven with a housing report issued by the competent authority.
• Health insurance or coverage and the absence of circumstances preventing reunification (for example, not being in an irregular situation).

The economic amounts and the details of the housing report change according to your family unit. If you want to go deeper into those two points, there is the full page on family reunification under the general regime.

Difference between reuniting with a spouse and with an unmarried partner

Reunification allows both the spouse (marriage) and the partner who is registered or bound by a relationship of affection analogous to marriage. The key is how the bond is proven:

• Marriage: proven with the marriage certificate. If it took place outside Spain, it must be legalised or apostilled and translated.
• Unmarried partner: registration in a public partnership registry or sufficient proof of a stable and well-established relationship prior to the application is required.

It is not possible to reunite with a spouse and a different partner at the same time: only one person as a marital or analogous bond.

Documents to reunite with a spouse or partner

The specific list may vary depending on the office, but as a guideline the following are usually requested:

• Official application form and payment of the corresponding fee.
• Copy of the full passport of the sponsor and of the family member to be reunited.
• Document proving the bond (marriage certificate or partnership registration), legalised/apostilled and translated where applicable.
• Proof of economic means (contract, payslips, income tax return, etc.).
• Housing adequacy report.
• Documents proving your legal residence status in Spain.

Many of these foreign documents require an apostille and a sworn translation. If you have doubts about that step, review our guide on criminal records, apostille and sworn translation within the procedures section of the blog.

How to apply and how long it takes

The application is submitted by the sponsor in Spain. After a favourable decision, your spouse or partner has a period to apply for the reunification visa at the consulate in their country and, once in Spain, to process their Foreigner's Identity Card (TIE). Administrative timeframes vary depending on the immigration office, but expect to allow several months between the initial application and the family member's arrival.

Frequently asked questions about reuniting with a spouse

Can I reunite with my wife or husband if I have been in Spain less than a year?

As a general rule, no: one year of prior legal residence is required before starting the reunification, except in specific cases. Check your case in the route finder.

Does a civil marriage in another country count?

Yes, provided the marriage is valid and correctly legalised or apostilled and translated. The bond must be genuine and not formed in fraud of the law.

Can I reunite with my unmarried partner without being married?

It is possible if you prove a stable, registered relationship or a marriage-like cohabitation duly proven before the application.

Will my spouse be able to work on arriving in Spain?

The reunited family member can obtain authorisation to work under the terms provided by the rules; the detail depends on your situation and the date of the reunification.

Notice: this guide is purely for orientation and does not replace individualised legal advice or the official information of the Administration. The applicable rules (RD 1155/2024) and the criteria of each immigration office may be updated; always verify your specific case with official sources or with an immigration professional before starting any procedure.