EU citizens and their family members: registration and residence in Spain

It is the document proving that a citizen of the EU, of the European Economic Area (EEA) or of Switzerland is entered in the Registro Central de Extranjeros (the central register of foreign nationals) and lives legally in Spain for a period longer than 3 months. It is governed by Real Decreto 240/2007 (the Spanish EU free movement regulation).

It is not a plastic card: it is a paper certificate (hence the nickname green paper) showing your name, nationality, address, your NIE (Número de Identidad de Extranjero, the foreigner identification number) and the date of registration.

It is compulsory for every EU citizen who is going to live in Spain for more than 3 months. For shorter stays (tourism, visits) there is no need to register.

The EU, EEA or Swiss citizen applies for the registration certificate using form EX-18.

A family member who does NOT hold the nationality of an EU, EEA or Swiss country applies for the residence card of a family member of a Union citizen using form EX-19. The following count as family members: the spouse or registered partner; the stable de facto partner where the relationship is duly evidenced; descendants under 21 or older dependent descendants (of the holder or of their spouse or partner); and dependent ascendants. Other members of the family unit provided for in the regulation also count.

If the family member is an EU citizen too, they do not apply for the card: they register with their own EX-18.

The requirements depend on the situation of the EU citizen (article 7 of RD 240/2007). If you work as an employee or are self-employed, evidence of that job or that activity is enough. If you carry out no activity (living on your own income, retired) or you are a student, you must prove sufficient financial means and health insurance.

Financial means: the law requires you to have resources above the threshold that gives entitlement to a non-contributory benefit, assessing your personal and family situation. The IPREM (the Spanish public income benchmark) is used as the reference and no identical fixed amount can be demanded of everyone. You can check the indicative figure and the updated amount on the service page for this procedure.

Health insurance: public or private, taken out in Spain or abroad, providing full cover in Spain with benefits equivalent to those of the Sistema Nacional de Salud (the Spanish national health service), with no co-payments and no waiting periods. Basic travel policies do not meet this requirement.

Registration certificate (EX-18): completed form, valid passport or identity document, proof of payment of the tasa (official fee) 790 código 012 and evidence of your situation (employment contract, registration as an autónomo (self-employed worker), or financial means plus insurance).

Family member card (EX-19): the form, a complete valid passport, a document proving the family link (marriage certificate, registration of the partnership, libro de familia (the Spanish family record book) or birth certificate), evidence of the EU citizen's situation, insurance and means where applicable, a recent colour photograph and proof of payment of the tasa.

Documents issued abroad must be submitted legalised or apostilled and, where applicable, translated into Spanish. Managora reviews and organises all of this documentation before filing it for you.

After 5 years of legal and continuous residence in Spain, the EU citizen obtains the registration certificate on a permanent basis, and the non-EU family member obtains the permanent residence card of a family member of a Union citizen (valid for 10 years and renewed automatically).

Absences of no more than 6 months per year are allowed, or of up to 12 consecutive months for justified reasons (pregnancy and childbirth, serious illness, study or work in another country).

There are exceptions that allow permanent residence to be obtained before the 5 years are up, for example where the worker retires or becomes permanently incapacitated, or where the EU citizen dies in certain circumstances.

The tasa (official fee, modelo 790 código 012) is €12.00, both for the registration certificate and for the issue of the family member card, according to the electronic office of the Policía Nacional (the Spanish national police). It is a public cost, separate from Managora's fees, which are shown on the service page for each procedure.

The EU citizen's registration certificate is handed over on the spot. The family member card is a physical card in TIE format (TIE is the Spanish foreigner identity card; this is the EU regime version, different from the TIE of the general immigration regime) and must be decided within a maximum of 3 months from the application.

In 2026 Real Decreto 240/2007 (consolidated text) remains in force, together with Orden PRE/1490/2012 on evidencing financial means. The IPREM, which is the reference for financial means, is updated every year in the Ley de Presupuestos Generales del Estado (the Spanish State Budget Act).