The Consular Section of the Spanish Embassy in Canberra only has jurisdiction in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Queanbeyan. People located in the rest of Australia should check the website of the Consulate General of Spain in Sydney or the Consulate General of Spain in Melbourne. People located in other countries, should check the website of the Embassy or Consulate of Spain responsible for their place of residence.
Visa for family members of Spanish citizens
Visa for family members of Spanish nationals who wish to travel to Spain for residency purposes (i.e.: to stay for a period of more than 90 days).
Family members that may apply for this visa
- The spouse of the applicant, provided they are adults, and that no agreement or declaration of nullity of the marriage or divorce has been reached. Under no circumstances may more than one spouse be granted this authorization, regardless of whether the foreigner's personal law permits this type of marriage. As for Spanish citizens who are married for a second or subsequent marriage, only the new spouse and their family members listed in this website may be granted this visa, provided they prove that the dissolution of their previous marriages took place following a procedure that establishes the status of the previous spouse and their family members with regards to their common home, any pensions for the spouse, or any dependent minor or adult children.
- An unmarried partner who is an adult and maintains a duly proven stable relationship with a Spanish national. In any case, a duly proven stable relationship shall be understood to be one that sufficiently proves a relationship of cohabitation analogous to a conjugal relationship, inside or outside of Spain, of at least twelve continuous months. The period of prior cohabitation will not be required if the couple has children together, as long as they are still in a relationship.
- The children of the Spanish citizen, or those of their spouse, registered partner, or stable partner (provided that the latter also resides or will reside in Spain) who are under the age of 26, or the children over that age who are in their care, or who have a disability for which they require support. In all of the above cases, they may apply for the visa provided that they live or intend to live with them and are not married or have formed their own family unit.
- The parents of the Spanish citizen, and those of their spouse, registered partner, or stable partner( provided that no agreement or declaration of annulment of the marriage , or a divorce has been reached, or the couple's registration has been canceled) in the following cases: 1. when they prove that they are living in their care and lack family support at their home country; 2. when there are humanitarian reasons.
- The father, mother, or guardian of a Spanish minor, provided the applicant is responsible for the minor and lives with them. This relationship must have been established in accordance with Spanish law.
- A family member (including second-degree relatives) of a Spanish citizen who provides or will provide the care required by a Spanish citizen who has been recognized as dependent according to Article 26 of Law 39/2006, of December 14, on the Promotion of Personal Autonomy and Care for Persons in Situations of Dependency.
- Sons and daughters whose father or mother is or was originally Spanish.
- Other members of their family not included in the previous sections, who can reliably prove, at the time of the application, that they are in their care.
Required documents
1. National visa application form
. Each applicant must complete and sign a visa application, filling in each of its sections. If the applicant is a minor, one of their parents or a duly accredited representative must sign the application.
2. Photograph. A recent, passport-size, colour photograph, taken against a light background, facing forward, without dark or reflective glasses, or any garments concealing the oval of the face.
3. Valid, unexpired passport. Original and a photocopy of the page or pages of the passport that contain biometric data. The passport must be valid at least for one year after the intended day of entry, and contain two blank pages. Passports issued more than 10 years ago will not be accepted.
Residents in Australia who are not Australian citizens will also have to provide their residence visa (VEVO).
4. Valid, unexpired passport and/or Documento Nacional de Identidad of the Spanish citizen. If the Spanish citizen is present at the appointment, copies will be taken. If the Spanish citizen is in Spain, the copies presented by the applicant will have to be notarized by a Spanish notary.
5. Responsible declaration made by the Spanish citizen when the applicant is the spouse or partner. The Spanish citizen must declare that no other spouse or partner lives with them in Spain.
6. Authorization to reside in Spain. There are two possibilities:
7. Proof of kinship with the Spanish citizen. Applicants who provide the EX24 form will have to provide documents proving their kinship to their Spanish citizen.
- Spouse: Spanish marriage certificate or foreign marriage certificate. Furthermore, for a second or subsequent marriage, proof must be provided that the dissolution of the previous marriages occurred in full respect of Spanish law.
- Partner in arelationship registered in a public registry: certificate of registration in a public registry of a Member State of the European Union, a State party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, or Switzerland.
- Partner in an unregistered stable partnership: documentation sufficiently proving a relationship similar to a marital relationship, whether within or outside of Spain, of at least twelve consecutive months. The prior cohabitation period will not be required if the couple has children together, as long as they are still in a relationship. In this case, birth certificates for the child(ren) must be submitted, listing both parents, as well as a copy of their passports.
- Children of the Spanish citizen, or those of their spouse, registered partner, or stable partner: birth certificates for the children. If the children are under 18 years of age and are related to only one of the spouses or partners, a notarized authorization from the other parent authorizing the minor's residence in Spain must also be submitted, unless it can be clearly demonstrated that the Spanish national, their spouse, registered partner, or stable partner exercises sole parental authority. If the children are over 26 years of age, documentation must also be submitted proving that they are not married or have formed their own family unit, and that they are dependent on them or have a disability for which they require support.
- Parents of the Spanish citizen, or those of their spouse, registered partner, or stable partner: birth certificate of the Spanish citizen, their spouse, registered partner, or stable partner (depending on who they are ascendants of), and documentation proving that the parent is living in their care or for humanitarian reasons.
- Father, mother, or guardian of a minor with Spanish nationality: birth certificate of the minor with Spanish nationality.
- Family member who will care for a dependent Spanish national: documents proving that the applicant is a second-degree relative by blood or marriage, and a resolution recognizing the dependency status of the Spanish national, issued by the competent authority in Spain.
- Sons and daughters whose father or mother was originally Spanish: birth certificate of the applicant and of their father or mother who was originally Spanish.
- Other family members who are in the care of the Spanish national: documentation proving the family relationship with the Spanish national and that they are living in their care.
Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish. For Australian documents, you may follow the information at the Smart Traveller website.
8. Criminal record certificate. Applicants of legal age (18 year-old and older) must submit the original and a copy of the criminal record certificate(s) issued by their country or countries of residence for the past 5 years. The certificate must include both name and fingerprint checks. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish. For Australian documents, you may follow the information at the Smart Traveller website.
- The background check must be issued within the 6 months preceding the submission of the visa application.
- Criminal background checks must be authenticated with the Hague Apostille. We do not accept background checks without the Hague Apostille.
- The apostille must certify the signature on the Criminal Background check, not other signatures. We don’t accept apostilles that certify the signature of a notary that stamps a seal on the criminal background check.
9. Medical certificate. Applicants must submit the original and a copy of a medical certificate accrediting that they do not suffer from any disease that could cause serious repercussions for public health pursuant to the 2005 International Health Regulations. You may use this template![]()
Medical certificate template.pdf. Foreign documents must be legalized or apostilled and, where applicable, must be submitted together with an official translation into Spanish. To apostille a private document, you will need to notarize it first. For Australian documents, you may follow the information at the Smart Traveller website.
10. Proof of residence in the consular district. The applicant must provide proof of their legal residence in the consular district or that they are attending classes, in person, in the consular district.
11. Payment of the visa fee. This visa is free of charge.
Other required documents
When necessary to assess the application, the Consular Office may request additional documents or data and may also ask the applicant to come in for a personal interview.
Procedure
- Who can apply for a visa: Visa applications must be submitted in person by the applicant or by one of their parents if the applicant is a minor. They may also be submitted through a duly accredited representative.
- Visa application period: If the Spanish national is in Spain and has applied for an authorization for their family member to reside in Spain, the visa must be requested within one month from the day following the date on which the favorable resolution of the residence permit is notified.
- Place of submission: Applications must be submitted in person at the Consular Office. An appointment is necessary. To obtain an appointment, please write an email to emb.canberra.sc@maec.es.
- Proof of receipt: The Consular Office will provide the applicant with proof of receipt of the application with a code that enables them to check the status of the dossier through the following link: https://sutramiteconsular.maec.es/Home.aspx
- 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 legal period for reaching a decision is of 15 days if the applicant provides an authorization to reside in Spain. If the applicant applies for the visa and the authorization to reside in Spain, a decision will be reached during the 15 days following the issuance of the authorization to reside in Spain by the competent authorities in Spain.
- Collecting the visa: The visa must be collected in person by the applicant or by their representative (if the applicant is a minor) within a maximum period of 2 months, counted as of the day after the date on which the favourable decision is notified. The Consular Office will inform the applicant regarding the procedure for the return of the passport and any other original documentation.
- Refusal of the visa or study stay permit: Refusals of the visa will always be notified in writing, setting forth the grounds on which the decision adopted was based.
- Appeals: If the 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-month period beginning the day after the date on which the applicant receives notification of the visa refusal or of the dismissal of the reconsideration appeal.
- Validity period of the visa: The visa will be valid for 365 days. Once in Spain, the visa holder must apply for a Foreigner Identity Card within a period of 1 month from their entry into Spain, at the Foreign Nationals' Office or the Police Station of the province in which the authorization to reside was processed.