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 are included in the same application as dependants (familiares reagrupables), and receive authorization at the same time you do.
Practically: you file one application with one set of forms. Inside that file there is a document set for each person — your documents, your partner's documents, and documents for each child. The UGE reviews the complete family file together and issues authorization for everyone simultaneously. There is no separate partner application, no second filing, no waiting for one approval before starting another.
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.
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: +~€356/month
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.
Documents: what each family member needs
Primary applicant (same as solo application)
- Passport (valid throughout)
- FBI background check with federal apostille and sworn translation
- Employer authorization letter or client contracts
- Income evidence (pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements)
- Qualifying health insurance covering the entire family in Spain
- University degree or proof of 3+ years professional experience
- If W-2: SSA Certificate of Coverage
Partner (adult dependant)
- Passport
- FBI background check with federal apostille and 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: Spain requires 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
The qualifying health insurance policy must cover all family members included in the application. One policy is fine; it just needs to list every person. The coverage 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 school system is free and open to all legal residents from age 6. Enrollment is handled at the regional education authority level after you receive your TIE and complete 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 6 can access subsidized preschool (guardería) but not free public school
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 equivalent evidence of cohabitation. 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 in the same filing. Children who have aged into adulthood during the permit period will need to demonstrate their own qualifying status at renewal — usually through enrollment in a Spanish university or their own employment.
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: July 2026.