Relocation Stories · updated 12.07.2026

Moving to Spain as a family: how it usually works — a typical scenario

Updated: 12 July 2026 · Verified by the EuroGarant team against official sources

In short: a family with children usually moves to Spain on one shared permit route — most often the digital nomad visa (DNV) or the non-lucrative residence permit (NLV), with the spouse and children included in the same application. The defining feature of a family move is timing: documents are prepared over winter and spring, filed in late spring, and the move itself is planned for August–September so the children can start the school year in a Spanish school together with their class. Below is a typical step-by-step scenario of such a move.

A typical family's starting point

Take a common profile: parents aged 33–45, two children — one in primary school and one teenager. One or both parents work remotely for a foreign company or have a stable passive income. The family wants to move legally and all together at once — without schemes like “we'll somehow get there first and figure it out later”. That is the right mindset: a well-chosen residence permit route from day one gives the children a school, the whole family health insurance, and a smooth status renewal down the road.

Step 1. One permit route for the whole family

The family does not need four different visas — the spouse and minor children are included in the main applicant's application. The two most common scenarios:

• DNV (digital nomad) — if there is remote work for a foreign company or foreign clients. The main applicant's income must be at least 200% of the SMI minimum wage (≈ €2,760–2,850/month), plus 75% of SMI for the first family member and 25% for each additional one. For details, see our breakdown of the digital nomad residence permit.
• NLV (non-lucrative) — if the family lives on savings, rental income, dividends or other passive income. The threshold is 400% of IPREM (Spain's public income index) ≈ €2,400/month for the main applicant plus 100% of IPREM ≈ €600/month for each family member; in 2026 IPREM is frozen at €600/month. More details: NLV.

For a family of four, the benchmarks look like this: for the NLV — roughly €4,200/month of documented passive income (€2,400 + 3 × €600); for the DNV — the base ≈ €2,760–2,850/month plus the family supplements based on SMI. The exact calculation depends on the SMI and IPREM values in force at the time of filing, so the thresholds are always recalculated for the application date. If neither option fits, there are the entrepreneur visa, the residence permit for highly qualified specialists and study-based routes — we mapped out the full range of options in the guide “How to Get a Spanish Residence Permit”.

Step 2. Timing: why families aim for September

The school year in Spain starts in September and ends in June. That is why the classic family schedule is built “around school” — so the children join their new class from day one rather than mid-term. A typical month-by-month breakdown:

Processing times depend on the route, the consulate and the workload of the authorities, so the plan always includes a buffer: it is better to get approval in June and pack calmly than to file in July and worry.

Step 3. Documents: what children add to the list

The basics are the same as for any applicant: passports, criminal record certificates with an apostille for the adults, proof of income, and full-coverage health insurance for every family member. The family-specific part is the documents proving kinship:

• The children's birth certificates — with an apostille and a sworn translation into Spanish
• A marriage certificate (or documents confirming a partnership) — also with an apostille and translation
• The other parent's consent to the child leaving and living abroad — if that parent is not part of the move
• Insurance policies for the children — as a separate line in the joint contract or as individual policies

It is the “family” documents that most often cost people time: an apostille on a birth certificate is issued where the document was originally issued, and the sworn translation (traducción jurada) must be done by a translator accredited in Spain. Allow at least a month for this block. If you would rather take this routine off your plate, the apostille process can be handled with our support — see apostille for family documents.

Step 4. Housing: temporary first, then long-term

A typical mistake is trying to rent the “dream apartment” remotely before the move. In practice, families act in two stages. First they book temporary housing for 4–8 weeks: an aparthotel or an apartment on a monthly rental in the chosen area. Then, once on the ground and having looked around, the family searches for a long-term contract: that way you see the neighbourhood by day and by night, the route to school, the noise, the parking and the neighbours.

It is worth preparing for a long-term rental in advance: landlords usually ask for proof of income, a deposit (fianza) and often additional guarantees from foreigners without a Spanish credit history. The rental contract then works in your favour — you will need it for the empadronamiento, school enrolment and the subsequent residence permit renewal.

Step 5. School: how families usually settle their children in

Schooling in Spain is compulsory for children aged 6 to 16, and children of legal residents are entitled to a place in a state school. There are three options:

• State (pública) — free, taught in Spanish (in some regions also in the regional language). Enrolment requires empadronamiento: places are allocated based on your neighbourhood of residence.
• Semi-private (concertada) — partly state-funded, with moderate monthly fees, often with a religious or pedagogical focus.
• Private (privada) — including international schools with programmes in English; the gentlest language transition for a teenager, but also the most expensive option.

To compare specific schools in your chosen area — from nursery to upper secondary — and make the enrolment window in time, you can get support: see nursery and school selection.

A typical pattern: the younger child goes to a regular state school — in the early grades the language is “picked up” within a few months, and schools provide extra language support for newcomers. For a teenager aged 12–16, families often choose a concertada or an international school to soften the transition at secondary level. When the child finishes school and enters a Spanish university, they continue living in the country on their own route — for example, via a student residence permit. The “school diploma — programme choice — enrolment” stage can also be handled with support — see university admission in Spain.

Step 6. The first weeks after the move

1. Move into the temporary housing and complete the empadronamiento at the town hall — this address registration unlocks school enrolment and other procedures.
2. Apply for TIE cards for all family members (booking a cita previa appointment, giving fingerprints) — this is done within the first month after entry.
3. Enrol the children in school through the municipal education office — outside the general admission round, this is done via the procedure for newly arrived families.
4. Open a bank account, set up utilities and subscriptions and, if needed, switch the insurance to a local provider.
5. Find a long-term rental and re-register the empadronamiento at the permanent address.

If not everyone moves at once: family reunification

There is another scenario: one spouse already lives in Spain with a residence permit, and the family joins later. For this there is the family reunification procedure (reagrupación familiar) — the resident proves income and housing, after which the spouse and children receive their own cards. This route takes longer than filing together, so when possible, families try to apply all together from the start. More in the answer “Can You Bring Your Family Over on a Spanish Residence Permit” and in the questions and answers section.

What comes next: renewal and taxes

The initial residence permit is issued for a limited period, followed by a renewal with fresh proof of income for the whole family: keep track of the deadlines with the guide “Renewing a Spanish Residence Permit”. And don't forget the tax side: after spending more than 183 days a year in Spain you generally become a tax resident — we covered what that means for the family budget in the article “Taxes in Spain”.

More typical scenarios are in the section “Relocation Stories”: how remote workers, couples without children and families with school-age children of different ages usually move.

If one spouse has already obtained a residence permit and wants to bring the family over officially, a detailed breakdown of the income thresholds and the list of eligible relatives is in the article Family Reunification in Spain: Who You Can Bring and How Much You Need to Earn.

Read also

• Your First Year in Spain: an Adaptation Checklist
• Remote Work and Life in Spain on the DNV
• Schools and Children's Education in Spain

If a new addition to the family is expected after the move, plan a separate document track for it: a child born in Spain does not get a passport automatically, but it opens the door to a citizenship application after one year of legal residence.

Official sources: BOE — Spanish legislation · Ministry of Inclusion and Migration · Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (consulates)