Kingdom of Spain · Processing time
Family reunification (Spain): how long does it take?
By Sam Parks · Last checked:
The Spanish Ministry publishes separate legal decision stages rather than one reliable end-to-end processing time: up to 2 months for the sponsor’s family-reunification authorisation, followed by up to 1 month for the consular visa decision after approval.
Decision support for this route
Spain family reunification: two legal decision stages, not one travel clock
For the general non-EU resident regime, the sponsor first applies in Spain for the family-reunification residence authorisation. After approval, the family member applies for a visa at the responsible Spanish mission. The official Spanish ministry page gives separate legal periods for those stages; appointment, document and travel delays are additional.
Published legal stages
2 months + up to 1 month
Scope of the clock
General regime: sponsor authorisation in Spain, then the family member’s consular visa
The ministry page states a 2-month resolution period for the sponsor’s authorisation. If granted, the family member has 2 months to apply for the visa, and the consular office states a maximum 1-month period to notify the visa decision. These are legal decision stages, not a guaranteed end-to-end move date.
Plan the stages
Confirm the legal regime and sponsor status
Before filing
This page concerns the general regime for a non-EU resident in Spain. EU-citizen family routes and some Spanish-national routes follow different rules; do not add their timelines to this route.
Prepare sponsor evidence
Before the Spanish authorisation clock
The sponsor must meet the residence-stage conditions, including the required residence history, adequate resources, housing and health insurance. The ministry expresses resources through IPREM-linked percentages, so check the current official page rather than copying a stale currency amount.
Sponsor files with the provincial immigration office
Legal decision period: 2 months
The sponsor or authorised representative files in the province of residence, in person or through Mercurio. The ministry says the authorisation decision period is 2 months and describes the effect of no notification within that period.
Family member applies for the visa after approval
Apply within 2 months of approval; visa decision up to 1 month
After the authorisation is granted, the family member must apply personally at the Spanish mission responsible for their residence. The ministry page gives a maximum 1-month consular notification period; appointment access and document corrections are separate practical delays.
Legalise, translate and collect the decision
Separate preparation and hand-off time
Foreign public documents may need legalisation or apostille and sworn translation. Relationship, passport, criminal-record and medical documents must match the applicant and route. Do not add a generic “3–6 month” promise to the two legal clocks.
Next actions
- Identify the sponsor’s permit, province and residence history before using the general-regime checklist.
- Build an IPREM-linked resources plan from the current Spanish ministry guidance instead of relying on an old euro threshold.
- Request the adequate-housing report early where the competent autonomous community or local authority requires it.
- Start apostille/legalisation and sworn-translation work before the sponsor decision so the visa stage is not delayed by document preparation.
- After approval, confirm the consulate responsible for the family member’s place of residence and its appointment instructions.
Important distinctions
General regime versus EU-family route
The Spanish ministry page covers family members of non-EU residents. The EU Immigration Portal separately describes the EU-family route and its rights; do not merge eligibility or timing rules between them.
Legal decision periods versus practical elapsed time
The 2-month authorisation period and up-to-1-month visa period describe authority decisions. Housing reports, appointments, legalisation, translation, requests for more information and travel are outside those figures.
How long does the Family reunification (Spain) take to process in Spain?
Portal de Inmigración — Family reunification does not publish a central processing time for this route. Use the responsible provincial immigration office and Spanish consulate guidance for the applicant’s residence. Do not add a generic 3–6 month estimate to these separate legal clocks.
Source checked against Portal de Inmigración — Family reunification on 10 September 2026.
Typical wait
Not centrally published
from complete application
Government fees
Variable.
Last checked
10 September 2026
Reality vs official timing
- Official clock
- No central processing clock
- Delay trigger
- No fixed delay point - use route guidance
- Source checked
- 10 September 2026
Portal de Inmigración — Family reunification does not publish a central processing time. Use the responsible provincial immigration office and Spanish consulate guidance for the applicant’s residence. Do not add a generic 3–6 month estimate to these separate legal clocks.
What is the Family reunification (Spain)?
Residence authorisation for eligible family members of certain non-EU residents in Spain; EU-family routes follow a separate regime.
Spain operates family reunification (reagrupación familiar) for eligible family members of legally resident non-EU nationals. EU-family routes and routes for family members of Spanish nationals can follow different rules and should not be merged into this general-regime record.
- Sponsorship: No job offer or employer sponsor is required.
- Settlement: This route can lead to permanent residence.
- Typical permit length: Aligned with the sponsor’s permit; long-term residence is a separate eligibility route.
- Indicative government fees: Variable.
Application conditions
The 2-month authorisation period and 1-month visa period are legal decision stages, not a typical travel timeline. The family member has 2 months after authorisation approval to apply for the visa. Appointment availability, housing reports, document legalisation, sworn translation and requests for more information are separate.
Official source
Portal de Inmigración — Family reunification
https://www.inclusion.gob.es/web/migraciones/w/autorizacion-de-residencia-temporal-por-reagrupacion-familiar
Cite or reuse this dataset
This figure is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the Visa Atlas page for the compiled, dated dataset, and cite the official source for the underlying government rule.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Family reunification (Spain) processing time dataset", https://visaatlas.org/processing-times/spain/family-reunification-es. Last checked 10 September 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/processing-times
Primary source (1)
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Family reunification (Spain) take to process?+
Portal de Inmigración — Family reunification does not publish a central processing time for this route. Use the responsible provincial immigration office and Spanish consulate guidance for the applicant’s residence. Do not add a generic 3–6 month estimate to these separate legal clocks.
When does the Not centrally published clock start?+
Because no central processing time is published, there is no fixed start point. Contact the relevant authority once your application is submitted.
Is there a way to speed up the decision?+
The 2-month authorisation period and 1-month visa period are legal decision stages, not a typical travel timeline. The family member has 2 months after authorisation approval to apply for the visa. Appointment availability, housing reports, document legalisation, sworn translation and requests for more information are separate.
What makes an application take longer than expected?+
The most common reasons for delays beyond the published window are: missing or incorrect documents, a request for more information (which pauses the clock until you reply), background or medical checks, and consular appointment backlogs in your country. Submitting a complete, well-organised application on day one is the single biggest thing you can do to stay inside the published window.
When should I treat my Family reunification (Spain) application as delayed?+
Because no central processing time is published for this route, there is no fixed point at which it counts as late. If your wait runs well beyond comparable cases, a single polite status enquiry through the official channel is reasonable. Duplicate chasing tends to slow a case rather than speed it up.
Next steps
Reviewed by Sam Parks, Editor and lead researcher.