How the family application works

The Digital Nomad Visa is filed by the primary applicant: the person who earns the qualifying income and meets the work requirements.  Your partner and children apply as dependants (familiares reagrupables).  Their right to live in Spain comes from your permit, and filed with yours they are decided together.

Practically: each family member files their own MI-T form and pays their own €73.26 fee, with their own document set.  Filed on the same day as yours, your income proof covers everyone and the UGE reviews the household together.  Family members can also apply later, but then your whole income proof has to be rebuilt for each of them.  The together-or-later guide sets out the difference.

The primary applicant must be the income earner who qualifies.  If both partners work remotely for companies outside Spain, both could theoretically be the primary applicant, but only one needs to be.  We pick the stronger case (higher income, cleaner documentation) and include the other as a dependant.

Quick answer — can your partner work in Spain? Yes.  Their residence authorization as a dependant includes full permission to work (employed, self-employed, or running a business) with no separate work permit needed.  This surprises people, since “dependant” sounds restrictive; it isn’t.  The full mechanics, including how it interacts with Beckham Law, are in my guide on applying with a spouse and children.

Income thresholds for families in 2026

Spain bases the income requirement on the national minimum wage (SMI).  The primary applicant must demonstrate 200% of the SMI, plus 75% for the first family member and 25% for each additional one:

  • Solo applicant: ~€2,849/month gross (~$3,100 USD)
  • Couple: ~€3,917/month gross (~$4,300 USD)
  • Family of 3: ~€4,273/month gross (~$4,700 USD)
  • Family of 4: ~€4,629/month gross (~$5,100 USD)
  • Each additional dependant: about €356/month more

These figures update annually with the Spanish minimum wage.  The income shown must come from outside Spain.  All income evidence must be from the primary applicant.  A partner who also works does not have to contribute income to the visa application, but their income can support the file if the primary applicant’s income alone is borderline.

Quick check

Do you clear Spain’s income bar?

Family members joining you 0

Required income: €2,849/month for a single applicant. Open the full checker →

Documents: what each family member needs

Primary applicant (same as solo application)

Partner (adult dependant)

  • Passport
  • Criminal record certificates for the last two years (the FBI check with federal apostille if they lived in the U.S.), with sworn translation
  • Marriage certificate with state apostille and sworn translation (must be issued within 3 months of filing)
  • Proof of family relationship (included in marriage certificate)

If your partner also lived in a country other than the U.S. in the past 2 years, they also need a police certificate from that country (e.g., ACRO certificate for UK residence).

Children (minor dependants)

  • Passport
  • Birth certificate with state apostille and sworn translation (must be issued within 3 months of filing)
  • No criminal record certificate required for minors

For children born outside the U.S., the birth certificate apostille comes from the country of birth, not the U.S. Department of State.  This is worth confirming early.  Some countries have slower apostille processes than others.

The apostille and translation workload

Family applications involve significantly more document processing than solo applications.  A family of four typically requires:

  • 2 FBI background checks (primary + adult partner) → 2 federal apostilles → 2 sworn translations
  • 1 marriage certificate → 1 state apostille → 1 sworn translation
  • 2 birth certificates (for two children) → 2 state apostilles → 2 sworn translations
  • Plus all the income and work documents for the primary applicant

The birth and marriage certificates are the time-sensitive ones: this isn’t a fixed statutory deadline in the law itself, but in practice the UGE and Spanish consulates expect them to be issued (not apostilled, issued) within 3 months of filing.  That means you cannot order them months in advance and sit on them.  I coordinate the sequencing so these “fresh” documents are ordered at the right moment in the process.

Health insurance for the family

Who needs a policy depends on your route.  If you file as an employee with a Certificate of Coverage, each family member files their own application and needs qualifying cover in their own name, on the same conditions as yours: a separate policy, or a family policy that names them and gives them their own certificate.  If you are self-employed and will register in RETA, your partner and children become your beneficiaries in Spanish public healthcare, and the Ministry does not ask them for private insurance.  The exception is an unregistered partner, who cannot be a beneficiary and needs their own policy.  Where a policy is needed, the requirements are the same for each person:

  • No copays or deductibles
  • No waiting periods
  • Full coverage in Spain (not just emergency or travel coverage)
  • No annual coverage cap below reasonable amounts

Travel insurance policies almost universally fail these criteria.  I maintain a list of insurers whose policies I know the UGE accepts for family applications.  Ask me for it during your consultation.

School for children in Spain

This is often the most practically important question for families, and the answer is good: Spain’s public schools are free from age 3, and school is compulsory from 6.  Enrollment is handled at the regional education authority level and usually asks for your empadronamiento. Private and international schools are available in major cities for families who prefer an English-language curriculum.

A few practical notes:

  • Classes are in Spanish (and regional co-official language where applicable: Basque in the Basque Country, Catalan in Catalonia, etc.)
  • Most schools are flexible with late enrollment; arriving mid-year is manageable
  • International schools have long waiting lists in popular expat areas.  If this matters, research and register early
  • Children under 3 can go to a nursery (escuela infantil), often subsidized; from 3, public school is free

Timeline: family vs. solo

The government review timeline is the same, about 20 business days with the UGE. What takes longer for families is the document preparation phase:

  • Multiple FBI background checks: each takes the same time, but they need to be ordered and tracked separately
  • Fresh birth and marriage certificates: ordering these at exactly the right moment requires planning
  • More sworn translations: each translated document adds a week to the workload

For a well-organized family application, budget 3–⁠5 months from first call to approval.  The SSA Certificate of Coverage (for W‑2 employees) remains the longest-lead item regardless of family size.  It goes first in every case.

Unmarried partners

Spain recognizes unmarried partnerships (parejas de hecho) for visa dependant purposes, but the documentation is more complex.  You need proof of the stable partnership that Spanish authorities recognize, typically a pareja de hecho registration or, without one, a year of cohabitation shown with at least two of the Ministry’s proofs.  An unregistered partner also needs a private health policy of their own, whatever your route.  This is doable but requires individual assessment.  Married couples have the simpler path: the marriage certificate handles it.

What happens at renewal

Family permits renew alongside the primary applicant’s permit.  When your 3-year residence authorization expires, your partner’s and children’s authorizations renew alongside yours, each with its own renewal application filed at the same time.  Children who have turned 18 during the permit period can stay on as dependants up to 26 if they are studying or looking for work and earn no income from work; otherwise they need a permit of their own.

Where to start

The free eligibility assessment includes family-specific income thresholds: select “partner” or “partner + kids” in the quiz and you’ll see your exact figure.  If you want a written assessment with a preliminary document checklist for your complete family, leave your email at the end and I’ll send it within 24 hours.

Sources: Ley 28/2022 (BOE) · UGE. Last updated: 3 October 2026.