Your family in the regularisation.
Each with their own card and calendar.
Children with five-year cards, spouses with their own decisions, relatives who stayed behind: what you need to know so no renewal in the family falls through. The individual path is in your first-year guide.
Children, spouse, and lineal ascendants
Minor children: five years old
Residency permits for your minor children requested under Articles 159 or 160 as part of this regularization process are granted for a period of five years, in the best interests of the child. They have their own TIE and their own renewal schedule: do not confuse it with yours.
Spouse and ascendants
If they were part of your household, they may have applied for authorization at the same time, and their applications were processed simultaneously. Each person has their own decision, their own deadline for the TIE, and their own exit strategy for the year. Review them all: the dates don’t always match.
Bring back those who were left out
To bring family members who are outside Spain, you will generally need one year of residence and authorization to remain in the country for at least one more year, in addition to proving that you have adequate housing and financial resources. This is a goal for after your first renewal, not for now.
Head of the Household and Family Member: In What Ways Are You Alike?
- Each person has their own authorization and their own TIE.
- The length of residence is taken into account separately for long-term residency and citizenship.
- The rationale for leaving at the end of the year is the same: not to interrupt the residency.
What to Look For
- Check each resolution to see what it authorizes and its effective dates: they don’t always match.
- The process of renewing a family member’s registration can be based on the relationship and the holder’s circumstances: plan it together.
- If your family situation changes (separation, a child reaching the age of majority), request a review: it affects the renewal.
What we get asked the most
Do my children have to renew when I renew?
Not necessarily. Minors’ authorisations granted in this process are valid for five years, while yours lasts one. Each family member has their own calendar. Write them all down separately.
We applied together. Do we renew together?
Each of you has your own decision, your own dates and your own route — and they don’t always match. The right strategy is designed jointly: who contributes, who provides the means, which date suits each file. A single family calendar keeps one well-planned renewal from living alongside one that falls through.
My child was born in Spain. Is their case different?
Yes, and for the better: anyone born on Spanish soil can access citizenship by residence with just one year of legal residence. Their file deserves separate study, and the sooner the better.
Who signs this guide
José Antonio Rodes López
Lawyer · Admitted to the Alicante Bar Association (ICALI), no. 5,502
More than twenty years supporting people and families who move to Spain and build their lives here. Founder of Overys Migrant Mobility, a firm specialising in immigration and international mobility.
Shall we prepare it together?
Every file has its dates and its nuances. Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll tell you where you stand and what to prepare now; or book a consultation and we’ll go through it in depth.