General Information
Visa for family members (regardless of nationality) of Spanish Nationals, who wish to travel to Spain for the purpose of residence, that is, to stay for a period longer than 90 days.
EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals are exempt from applying for this visa.
They must first obtain a residence authorization for family members of Spanish nationals, issued by the Immigration Office of the province where they will reside.
Spanish Nationals must be previously registered in the Consular Registration (Registro de Matrícula Consular) in order to apply for this visa.
Family members who may apply for this visa:
- Spouse or unmarried foreign partner or stable partner over 18 years of age.
- Your children or your spouse's registered or stable partner's children under 26 years of age or older with disabilities.
- First-degree direct ascendants in direct line and those or their spouse or registered or stable partners.
- The father, mother, legal guardian, or custodian of a minor of Spanish nationality, provided that the applicant is responsible for the minor and lives with them or is up to date with their obligations towards the minor. This relationship must have been established in accordance with Spanish law.
- A single family member, up to the second degree of kinship, who provides or is going to provide the necessary care for a person of Spanish nationality who has been officially recognized as having one of the levels of dependency established in Article 26 of Law 39/2006, of December 14, on the Promotion of Personal Autonomy and Care for People in a Situation of Dependency.
- Children whose father or mother is or was originally Spanish.
- Other family members not included in the previous categories, who can reliably prove, at the time of the application, that they are financially dependent on the Spanish national.
Required documents:
Present original and copy of each requirement
All foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled, and if they are written in a language other than Spanish, they must be accompanied by the corresponding translation.
1. National visa application form: Each applicant must complete all sections and sign the application. If the applicant is a minor, one of their parents must sign the application.
2. Photo : It has to be glued to the application form. A recent, color photograph with a light background, taken head.on, without dark or reflective glasses, or any garments concealing the oval of the face. Photographs of toddlers and babies must not show any part of the adult holding them.
3. Valid, unexpired passport. Original and copy of the page or pages of the passport that contain biometric data. The passport must have a minimum validity of 1 year and contain at least two blank pages. Passports issued more than 10 years ago will not be accepted.
4. Proof of residence in the consular jurisdiction: Notarized photocopy of: State ID, Driver´s Licence or Student ID from one of the following States: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
5. Proof of legal residence in the United States (Non-US passport holders): Must present one of the following documents:
a. Notarized copy of Permanent Residence Card (Green Card)
b. Notarized copy of Valid US visa plus a copy of the I-20 document duly signed in the endorsement
c. Holders of B-1/B-2 visas cannot apply in the United States; they must apply in their country of permanent residence.
Documentation to be submitted by the Spanish national:
6. A complete copy of your valid passport and/or national identity document.
7. If the application is made on behalf of your spouse or partner, a sworn statement declaración responsable confirming that no other spouse or partner resides with them in Spain.
Documentation to be submitted by the foreign family member:
8. Initial Residence authorization for foreign Family member:
- If the Spanish national is in Spain and has applied for a residence permit for their family member, they must present the original and a copy of the initial residence authorization for the foreign family member, issued by the competent authority.
- If both the Spanish national and their family member are abroad, they must submit the FORM EX 24 properly filled out and signed, indicating in all sections the address in Spain, to request the initial residence authorization Form EX24
9. Documents proving the relationship with the Spanish national:
- Spouse: Spanish marriage certificate or foreign marriage certificate. Additionally, if the Spanish national is married for the second time or beyond, proof must be provided that the dissolution of the previous marriages took place through a legal process that determined the situation of the former spouse and their family members with respect to the shared residence, any spousal support, and support for dependent minor or adult children.
- Registered partnership analogous to marriage: certificate of registration in a public registry established for this purpose in a Member State of the European Union, a State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, or in Switzerland.
- Stable unregistered partnership: documentation that sufficiently proves a cohabiting relationship analogous to marriage, within or outside Spain, for at least twelve continuous months. The period of prior cohabitation is not required if the couple has children in common and the relationship is ongoing; in this case, birth certificates of the child(ren) listing both parents must be submitted, along with copies of their identification documents.
- Children, or those of the spouse, registered partner, or stable partner: birth certificate of the children. If the children are under 18 years old and from only one of the spouses or partners, a notarized authorization from the other parent must also be submitted, authorizing the child's residence in Spain, unless it can be reliably proven that the Spanish national, spouse, registered partner, or stable partner has sole custody. If the children are over 26 years old, additional documentation must be submitted proving that they are not married or have not formed their own family unit, and that they are dependent or have a disability requiring support to exercise legal capacity.
- Direct ascendants (first degree): birth certificate of the Spanish national, or of their spouse, registered partner, or stable partner (depending on whose ascendant it is), and documentation proving that the ascendant is dependent or there are humanitarian reasons.
- Father, mother, or legal guardian of a Spanish minor: birth certificate of the Spanish minor.
- Family member who will provide care for a dependent Spanish national: documents proving that the applicant is a second-degree relative by blood or marriage, and an official resolution recognizing the dependency status of the Spanish national, issued by the corresponding authority.
- Children whose father or mother were originally Spanish: birth certificate of the applicant and of their parent who was originally Spanish.
- Other family members who are dependent on the Spanish national: documentation proving the family relationship with the Spanish national and that they are financially dependent on them.
10. Criminal record check certificate (valid for 6 months): stating that the applicant has no criminal records in the place/s where he has resided the last five years.
d. Applicants over 18 must present original and copy of the criminal record check certificate issued by FBI
and legalized with the Federal Apostille of the Hague Convention requested to the Department of State in Washington DC.
e. The certificates must be translated into Spanish by a certified translator: American Translators Association https://www.atanet.org/
f. Local State background checks and Apostilles are not valid.
g. The applicant must present criminal record certificates from the countries of residence of the last 5 years.
11. Bilingual Medical certificate, accrediting applicant´s good health pursuant to the 2005 International Health Regulations. It must have the Doctor's Stamp, or can be printed on medical center´s letterhead; it must not be older than 3 months. It is recommended to use our Template.
Procedure:
This Consular Office is competent to accept visa applications from individuals residing in the consular district: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas
Who can apply for a permit: Visa applications must be submitted in person by the applicant, or by one of their parents if they are a minor. They may also be submitted through a duly accredited representative.
Visa application deadline: If the Spanish national is in Spain and has applied for a residence authorization for their family member, the visa must be requested within one month from the day following the date on which the favorable residence authorization decision is notified.
Place of submission:
Applications must be submitted in person at the Consular office with prior appointment.
For appointments email CHECK LIST FORM to cog.houston.vis@maec.es.
Please do not request your appointment if you have not yet verified that you have all the necessary documents listed on the form above. Include this form with your visa application documents.
Rectifying the application: The Consular Office may ask the applicant to submit any missing documents or to provide additional documents or data that are necessary for a decision regarding the application. The applicant may also be called in for a personal interview.
Decision period: The period for resolution is 15 days from the day following the date of submission of the visa application, when a favorable residence authorization decision is provided, or from the date the Consular Office receives the residence authorization decision, when the visa application includes the request for residence authorization.
Collecting the visa: The visa must be collected in person by the applicant or by their representative within a maximum period of 1 month after the approval. Or, it will be sent in the prepaid envelope provided by the applicant.
Visa refusal: Visa refusals will always be notified in writing, setting forth the grounds on which the decision adopted was based.
Appeals: If a visa is refused, the applicant may submit an appeal for reconsideration to this Consular Office within 1 month of the day following the date on which notification of the refusal is received. An application for judicial review may also be filed with the High Court of Justice of Madrid within the 2 months period beginning the day after the date on which the applicant receives the notification of the visa refusal or of the dismissal of the reconsideration appeal.
The validity period of the visa: The visa will be valid for 365 days. Once in Spain, the Foreigner Identity Card (TIE) must be requested within one month from the date of entry into Spain, at the Police Station in the province where the residence authorization was processed.