A foreigner wishing to reunify with member(s) of their family must demonstrate having legally resided in Spain for a year and possess an already renewed initial residence permit. The procedure commences in Spain upon the resident's initiative to obtain temporary authorization for family reunification before proceeding with the corresponding visa application.
The visa applicant must personally appear when submitting the application at the BLS Spain visa application center. The visa collection must also be done in person, within a 2-month period from the date of notification.
This procedure is applicable to:
- The spouse of the foreigner legally residing in Spain (the couple must not be legally separated or separated in body, and the marriage must not be contracted unlawfully).
- Children of the resident or the spouse, including adopted children, under 18 years or disabled and unmarried. If they are children of one of the two spouses, it is essential that the latter solely exercises parental custody and that their children are genuinely under their care. In the case of adopted children, the adoption resolution must fulfill the necessary requirements for recognition.
- Minors under 18 years or disabled individuals, in cases where the foreign resident is the legal representative.
- Ascendants of the foreign resident, when they are dependent on them, while having reasons that justify the necessity of authorizing residence in Spain.
Applicants must submit your Application form with the new photo format, as explained below:
General
The photo must fulfill the norm specified by the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization).
Use plain light-coloured background.
The photo must be no more than 6-months old.
Not tilted picture (portrait style) showing both edges of face clearly.
Close up of the head and top of the shoulders so that the face takes up 70–80% of the photograph.
Photo in sharp focus and clear.
Photo Size
The photo for each visa applicant submitted must measure:
- The picture dimensions must be 240 pixels wide by 320 pixels high at least. A smaller picture will be rejected. For instance, a photo being 235 pixels by 320 pixels is not valid.
- On the other hand, the photo should keep a proportion of 3 x 4 (width x height) within limits. However, 250 x 340 pixels picture would be valid, but not a 290 x 340 pixels one.
- Finally, the image weight (size in Kbytes) can never be bigger than 120 Kbytes.
Resolution
- An image resolution is measured in DPI (dots per inch) and it's mainly used to control printing quality. Therefore, higher resolution means better printing quality.
- Photos resolution should be 300 dpi, so, when you scan the image, check this parameter carefully. However, bear in mind that the higher the resolution, the bigger the picture.
- The only image format accepted is JPEG (Join Photograph Expert Grup Format). The other image formats such as BMP, TIFF, GIF, PNG, etc. will be rejected (a warning will be shown).
Attaching the Photo to the Application form
- Glue one photograph to the application form in the designated space.
Note : If children are traveling with their parents and are included inside the passport of the mother and/or the father, one photograph for each children MUST be glued to the application form of the father or the mother, depending on whom are they traveling with.
Please follow these instructions carefully. If the photograph presented do not meet these requirements your application will be considered incomplete.
RESIDENCE VISA FOR FAMILY REUNIFICATION (GENERAL REGULATION) RFK- Minimum of 2 month is required for processing your visa application.
Some applications may take longer to get processed.
Visas can only be processed once all supporting documents have been received!
Please note:
- Visa applications will be rejected if application forms are not fully completed and signed and are not accompanied by the required documents.
- The possession of a visa is only one of the prerequisites for entry into the territory of the Schengen State. Should the Schengen State’s border authority refuse entry, no claim to refund of the visa can be submitted.
- The Schengen State’s Consular Offices reserve the right to request further documentation should it be deemed necessary.
- For organized groups arrangements should be made well in advance with relevant issuing authority.
- There is no guarantee that a visa will be issued and no rights can be derived from the information obtained in the general Schengen visa requirements
- Visa processing fees are non-refundable if a visa is rejected.
- The border police at your arrival in the Schengen area may request the presentation of sufficient funds, a letter of invitation, hotel reservation and proof of medical insurance. Failure to present said funds/documents may result in entry being refused.
- Delays and procedure: It is the responsibility of the applicant to be aware of delays and requirements for the issuance of visas, before making travel arrangements and applying for a visa.
Please note that all applications are processed individually. The Visa Officer may invite you for an interview or request further documentation or information, which can prolong the processing time.
