New Residence Permit for Parents of Spanish Children

Great news for parents whose young children are Spanish citizens – you can get a new residence for 5 years with the right to work!

If your child is a Spanish citizen, you can request a new type of residence – a card for 5 years with the right to work. This was announced in early November by the General Directorate of Migration.

As a reminder, a child born in Spain is eligible for Spanish citizenship. Previously, parents received a residence permit on the basis of exceptional grounds for Arraigo familiar (family settled), and in addition to a small list of details, a card was issued for only 1 year and, accordingly, required regular renewal.

The new card is called Tarjeta de Familiar. It can be issued to both the parents of a Hispanic child and the parents of an EU citizen child, respectively, it will be Tarjeta de Familiar de menores espanoles or Tarjeta de Familiar de Comunitario.

The difference between the two types is that for Tarjeta de Familiar de Comunitario you need to show economic funds for yourself and the child, as well as health insurance valid in Spain, but for Tarjeta de Familiar de menores espanoles there are no such details.

Also, the instructions of the Main Directorate for Migration draws attention to the fact that a criminal record cannot be a reason for refusing a residence. However, in each individual case, the administrative authorities reserve the right to consider the case individually, roughly speaking, to decide whether the applicant poses a “threat to society”.

Therefore, if at the moment you have a resident card for Arraigo familiar, please contact us and we will help you prepare the necessary package of documents and exchange for a new five-year card with the right to work.