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Official form

EX-24 form: residence for the foreign family member of a Spanish national

The EX-24 is how the foreign spouse, partner, children, parents and other relatives of a Spanish national apply for residence. It has been a status of its own since 20 May 2025; the «tarjeta comunitaria» (EU family member card) only remains if that Spanish national has lived in another EU country. There is no fee, it is decided within two months and it gives five years of residence and work.

Updated on 14 October 2026

€0

for the authorisation (RD 1155/2024, art. 97.8)

5 years

of residence and work; less if the Spanish national will live here for a shorter time (art. 95.3)

2 months

to decide; otherwise, refused by silencio administrativo (art. 97.6)

€12

for the TIE (foreigner identity card), with tasa 790-012

EX-19 or EX-24? It depends on the Spanish national

Until May 2025, because of a 2010 Supreme Court judgment, the family member of a Spaniard applied for the EU family member card with the EX-19 (RD 240/2007). The 2024 Reglamento (immigration regulation) gave them a regime of their own (arts. 93 to 99) and Instrucciones SEM 2/2025 (instructions from the Secretary of State for Migration) draw the line:

EX-19 or EX-24?
What to checkEX-19 (RD 240/2007)EX-24 (RD 1155/2024)
Who gives the rightA national of another EU or EEA State or Switzerland, or a Spaniard returning after living in oneAny Spanish national
ChildrenUnder 21, dependent or legally incapacitatedUnder 26, dependent or with a disability
Resources of the person who gives the rightWorking in Spain or proving resources and health insurance (information sheet 62)Only to prove that a family member is dependent (art. 196.3.d)

The family member of a Spaniard who returns after living in another Member State chooses one of the two routes, not both (Instrucciones SEM 2/2025, first instruction, g).

Unlike the old arraigo familiar (residence through family ties), according to the preamble, the EX-24 can be used while the family member is still in their home country, covers the break-up of the relationship and allows family reunification (arts. 97.1, 99 and 95.2). Anyone who on 20 May 2025 held, through a Spaniard, a valid arraigo of that kind or a valid EU family member card keeps it (disposición transitoria 3.ª, transitional provision). Arraigo familiar (EX-10) is now for ties with nationals of other EU or EEA States or Switzerland (art. 127.e).

Eight possible relationships: the «Residencia inicial» (initial residence) boxes

Section 5 of the EX-24 and art. 94.1 of the Reglamento
BoxLetterCondition
Spouse or partner (registered or stable)a, b, cOver 18; for a stable partner, 12 months of living together unless they have children in common
Child under 26 or with a disabilitydTheir own or their spouse's or partner's, single and without a family of their own
Dependent child over 26dReal, stable and prior dependency (art. 196)
First-degree ascendant (parent)eDependent and without family support in the country of origin, or on humanitarian grounds
Father, mother or guardian of a Spanish minorfHas the minor in their care and lives with them or meets their obligations towards them
Family carergOnly one, up to the second degree of kinship, for a Spaniard with officially recognised dependency
Child of a Spaniard by originhDoes not need to accompany the Spaniard (art. 93)
Other dependent family memberiDependency, cohabitation and kinship reliably proven

On 8 July 2026 the Supreme Court struck down the requirement that the relationship in letter f) be established under Spanish law.

Renewal only exists for authorisations of less than five years, from two months before to three months after expiry (art. 95.4). Independent residence (residencia independiente) is applied for within the six months following the Spaniard's death, their departure from Spain, the break-up or the violence suffered; it is not available to the stable partner or to the other dependent family member (art. 99).

A previous criminal conviction is not enough on its own to refuse, except under letters c, g, h and i (art. 98.1), an exception the Supreme Court struck down in cases under art. 20 of the TFEU. Criminal record certificates from the countries where the applicant lived in the previous five years must be provided if they did not spend those years in Spain (information sheet 18). Only the stable partner without children and the other dependent family member have to prove cohabitation (Instrucciones SEM 2/2025, fifth instruction).

The five-page form and the usual mistake in each section

The two official PDFs, dated 26 May 2026

  1. 1 · The applicant

    Identity, address and contact details of the foreign national. If they are a minor, their father, mother or guardian goes in «Representante legal, en su caso» (legal representative, if any) (note 4).

    Where it gets stuckPutting the firm there: it goes in section 3 (who goes in each box).

  2. 2 · The Spanish national who gives the right

    Document, identity, address and «Parentesco» (relationship); a full copy of their DNI (Spanish ID card) or passport is required (art. 96.a).

    Where it gets stuckThinking it is the only route: if that Spaniard has lived in another Member State, the EX-19 is possible (information sheet 62).

  3. 3 · The person filing for someone else

    Only if it is not the applicant (note 5); it can be the Spanish national themself (art. 97.1).

    Where it gets stuckA professional who does not prove their authority to represent: notarial power of attorney, apud acta, agreement (convenio) or registro de colaboradores (art. 197.4).

  4. 4 · «Domicilio a efectos de notificaciones» (address for notifications)

    Sets who receives the decisions (who receives them and the 10-day deadline).

    Where it gets stuckForgetting that, if the Spanish national applied while their family member was abroad, the approval is notified to the Spanish national, and that starts the one-month period for the visa (art. 41.2).

  5. 5 · Type of authorisation

    Initial, renewal or independent, and the specific case underneath.

    Where it gets stuck«Otro familiar a cargo» (other dependent family member) with both people in Spain: from within Spain only letters a) to h) apply (art. 97.1.c).

  6. Page 2 · Signature

    The foreign national, or whoever represents the minor; at the bottom, addressee, DIR3 code and province. Original and a copy.

    Where it gets stuckTicking spouse or partner without Anexo I.

  7. Page 4 · Anexo I

    The declaration that no other spouse or partner lives in Spain; the form words it in the first person («no reside conmigo», does not live with me) and art. 96.a.2.º counts it among the Spanish national's documents.

    Where it gets stuckHanding it in blank or without that declaration: it is one more document in the file.

Note (8) on page 3, about a «matrícula» (registration), does not refer to any box in the EX-24.

Where to file it, depending on where you both are

  • Both in Spain: either of them, at the Oficina de Extranjería (immigration office) in their province (art. 97.4).
  • The Spaniard here and the family member abroad: the Spaniard files and, once it is approved, the family member applies for the visa at the consulate (art. 97.2).
  • Both abroad: the family member applies at the consulate for a visa that includes the authorisation (art. 41.3).
  • Online: Mercurio, according to information sheet 18, although its page on the Sede Electrónica does not yet list the EX-24 (Mercurio step by step).

A requerimiento (request for documents) gives you up to 15 days to put things right (art. 97.6). If the two months pass with no decision: what to do about silencio administrativo.

Fees: nothing for the authorisation, €12 for the card

The procedure «tendrá carácter gratuito» (will be free of charge) (art. 97.8); Orden PJC/617/2025 assigns it no fee and sets the TIE at €12 (item 4.1). After approval in Spain, you apply for that card in person within the following month, with the EX-17 and tasa 790-012 (art. 97.7).

For law firms: the EX-24 in Aproba

  • It comes in the catalogue: «Familiar de ciudadano español», active by default in the Familia folder, suggests the EX-24 for initial applications and renewals, and no fee; the 790-012 for the TIE is added later with the selector. If your firm had already created a service with that name, Aproba recognises it and suggests the same form.
  • Section 1 comes from the client record, whose details Aproba can take from a photo or scan of the passport or TIE. The Spanish national, the fifteen boxes in section 5 and Anexo I stay as empty fields in the editable PDF.
  • The firm only appears in section 3 if you tick «Presento yo la solicitud como representante» (I am filing the application as representative). Neither «Representante legal, en su caso» nor the domicilio a efectos de notificaciones is filled in automatically: you decide them case by case.
  • When it reads an EX-24 that is already filled in, when adding a client or in their record, Aproba only takes the applicant's details, never those of the Spanish national.

Other forms

Frequently asked questions

Can my parents apply if they are already in Spain?

Yes: Instrucciones SEM 2/2025 allowed it and, since 16 April 2026, so does the Reglamento itself (RD 316/2026). They must be dependent on you with no family support in their country, or put forward humanitarian grounds (art. 94.1.e); over the age of 80 they are presumed to be dependent (art. 196.5).

Can I work while the application is being decided?

If you applied with both of you in Spain, yes, from the moment it is admitted for processing (admitida a trámite), and this is stated in the notice that the procedure has started. If it is granted, its effects go back to the application date; if it is refused, that provisional permission lapses (art. 97.5).

If I divorce my Spanish spouse, do I have to leave?

Not always: you keep your residence if the marriage lasted three years, at least one of them in Spain, if you have custody of or visiting rights to a child, or if you are a victim of violence. You apply with the EX-24 for independent residence (residencia independiente), within six months (art. 99; information sheet 19).

What happens after five years?

Art. 95.4 only provides for renewing an authorisation granted for a shorter period. After that, Instrucciones SEM 2/2025 refer you to long-term residence (larga duración), regulated in title X of the Reglamento, which you apply for with the EX-11.

Official sources

Checked on 14 October 2026, unless another date is given.

Keep reading

EX-19 form: the residence card for family members of EU citizens

EX-17 form: applying for the TIE, section by section

Tasa 790-012 (police fee): 2026 amounts, form and payment