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Family visas for Europe · Spain

Spain family visa from the UK

To join your Spanish husband or wife in Spain, you apply for a free residence visa. If you both live in the UK, you file it with form EX-24 through the consulate for your area, with no step in Spain; London's decision period is 2 months and 15 days. If your Spanish partner already lives in Spain, they get an authorisation there first, then you file within 1 month.

We prepare it with you from a £399 service fee, confirmed before you pay. Any official fee is paid by you to the embassy.

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Your route depends on your partner

Spain has three Consulates General in the UK, in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, and you apply to the one whose district you live in, with proof that you live there. You hand in your application in person at the BLS International centre the consulate uses; in Edinburgh you can also book directly with the consulate. Every line below comes from an official page, linked beside it, read on 2 November 2026.

Joining a Spanish citizen

A free residence visa. If you both live in the UK, everything is filed at the consulate; if your partner already lives in Spain, they get an authorisation there first.

Visa
A residence visa for family members of Spanish citizens. It is valid for 1 year, and you apply for your foreigner identity card within 1 month of entering Spain. Source
Who qualifies
Spouses over 18, partners in a registry of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, and unmarried partners who have lived together for at least 12 continuous months. The 12 months are not needed if you have a child together. Source
If you both live in the UK
You hand in the visa application together with form EX-24 in person at the BLS Spain Visa Application Centre. Your partner does not apply in Spain first. Source
If your Spanish partner already lives in Spain
They apply for your residence authorisation at the Foreigners' Office of their province, free of charge, and it is decided within 2 months. You then apply for the visa within 1 month of the approval being notified. Source
Fee
No visa fee. Source
Processing time, both in the UK
The London consulate's legal decision period is 2 months and 15 days from the day after you apply. It can be extended if an interview or more documents are needed. Source
Processing time, partner in Spain
Once the authorisation is granted, the visa decision period is 15 days from the day after you apply. Source
Criminal record
Certificates for the last 5 years from each country you lived in. For the UK, an ACRO certificate, no older than 6 months. Source
Medical certificate
Issued in the UK or Spain by a registered doctor, no older than 3 months, in the wording the consulate sets. Certificates from other countries are not accepted. Source
Legalisation and translation
Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalised and come with a sworn translation into Spanish. An apostille issued partly in Spanish needs no translation. Source

Joining an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who lives in Spain

A free short-stay visa if your passport needs one, then a residence card you apply for in Spain within 3 months of arriving.

Visa
A free short-stay Schengen visa for travelling with or joining the EU citizen, needed only if your nationality requires a Schengen visa. To stay beyond 90 days you apply for a residence card once in Spain. Source
Who qualifies
Spouses, partners registered in an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, and unregistered partners with at least one year of stable cohabitation, or stable cohabitation and a child together. Source
How to apply from the UK
In person at the BLS International centre or at the consulate. You can book an appointment by email, and BLS also takes applications without one. Source
Fee
No visa fee. Applying at BLS International costs 15.45 euros for its service. Source
Processing time
15 calendar days from the day after you apply, extendable to 45 if an interview or more documents are needed. Source
Your partner's position
The EU citizen must work or be self-employed in Spain, have enough money and health insurance for the family, or be a student with health insurance. Source
After you arrive
Apply for the residence card within 3 months of entering Spain, at the Foreigners' Office or police station of your province. It is issued within 3 months of your application, costs the same as a Spanish identity card and lasts 5 years. Source

Joining a non-EU national who lives in Spain

Family reunification: your partner applies for an authorisation in Spain first, then you apply for the visa within 2 months.

Your partner starts this one in Spain. We tell you exactly what is theirs and prepare your side from the UK.

Your partner's step
Your partner must have lived in Spain for at least 1 year and applied to stay at least 1 more. They apply for your authorisation at the Foreigners' Office of their province, or online. Source
Income, housing and insurance
A monthly income of 150% of IPREM for a household of two, plus 50% of IPREM for each extra person, suitable housing shown by a regional or local report, and health insurance for the family. Source
Decision in Spain
The authorisation is decided within 2 months, and no answer means refusal. Your partner pays the fee (form 790, code 052) within 10 working days of applying. Source
Your visa
You apply in person within 2 months of the approval being notified, at the mission for the district you live in. Then you collect the visa within 1 month, enter Spain within 1 month and apply for your identity card within 1 month of arriving. Source
Visa fee
Paid in pounds when you apply. The London consulate's price list from 1 January 2026 sets £719 for British nationals, a reciprocity rate. Source
Other reciprocity rates
Nationals of Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom pay different rates for reasons of reciprocity. Source

Documents most applicants need

The full list depends on your route. We send you yours, item by item, once you order.

  • Passport valid for at least 1 year, with two blank pages, issued in the last 10 years
  • National visa application form and a recent colour photo
  • Form EX-24, or your residence authorisation if your partner applied in Spain
  • Marriage certificate, your partner's passport or DNI, and their declaration that no other spouse or partner lives with them in Spain
  • Criminal record certificates for the last 5 years (ACRO for the UK), apostilled and translated into Spanish
  • Medical certificate from a UK or Spanish doctor, no older than 3 months

What we do

  • Check your case and tell you which visa applies, and whether we can help, before you pay
  • Build your document list from the embassy's own requirements for your country
  • Check every document, translation and apostille before it goes in
  • Fill in the application form with you, in your own account where the embassy uses an online portal
  • Prepare you for the appointment and stay with you until the decision

What you do

  • Get the certificates, apostilles, translations and any language test your country asks for
  • Sign and submit the application yourself, and attend the appointment in person
  • Pay any official fee directly to the embassy or consulate

We are a private company, not an embassy, consulate or visa centre. We do not give legal advice, and we do not handle visas into the UK.

Questions about the Spain family visa

Can I apply for a Spanish spouse visa from the UK?
Yes, if you live in the UK. You apply to the Spanish Consulate General for the district you live in, London, Manchester or Edinburgh, and hand in your file in person at the BLS International centre it uses. If you both live in the UK, you add form EX-24 and your partner does not apply in Spain first.
How long does a Spain spouse visa take?
If you both live in the UK, the London consulate's legal decision period is 2 months and 15 days and Edinburgh's is 2 months; both can be extended. If your Spanish partner lives in Spain, their authorisation is decided within 2 months, then the visa decision period is 15 days.
How much does the Spanish spouse visa cost?
There is no visa fee for the spouse of a Spanish citizen, and the authorisation your partner applies for in Spain is free. The BLS centre charges its own service fee. Our service fee starts at £399.
Do my documents need an apostille and a translation?
Yes. Foreign documents must be apostilled or legalised and come with a sworn translation into Spanish. The apostille must cover the signature of whoever issued the certificate, such as the doctor or the police, not a notary or solicitor who did not issue it.
My partner is French and lives in Madrid. Which visa do I need?
EU rules apply: a free short-stay visa if your passport needs one, with a 15-day decision period, then a residence card you apply for in Spain within 3 months of arriving. Your partner must work in Spain, have enough money and health insurance, or be a student.
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What you are protected by

WayaNerd Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 16269713. 48 Margery Park Road, London, E7 9JY. Contact us

Official sources

Read on 2 November 2026. Rules change: we check your embassy's page again for your case.

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