Already Spanish under the Grandchildren's Law: how to move to Spain with your family

The deadline to apply for nationality under Law 20/2022 ended in October 2025. As of 31 May 2026, consulates had received 1,225,188 applications filed in person, approved 571,761 files and completed 333,696 registrations ¹. In other words, many people have an approved file and are still waiting for the registration.

The nationality you get is Spanish by origin ¹. In practice there are three steps before you travel as a Spaniard:

1. Registration in the consular Civil Registry. The consulate gives you your Spanish birth certificate. The Consulate in Miami, for example, sends it by post ².
2. Enrolment in the consular register (matrícula). With that certificate you enrol in the Registro de Matrícula of the consulate for your area ^{2 3}.
3. First passport. After enrolment you apply for your first Spanish passport ².

If you changed country or consular district while waiting and your file was already resolved, ask for the certificate from the consulate that resolved it: Miami warns that it cannot request it from other consulates ².

As a Spaniard you have the right to enter and leave Spain freely and to choose your residence ⁵. You do not need a visa or a residence authorisation for yourself.

Before you travel, ask for deregistration from the Registro de Matrícula by ticking "Por traslado a España" and giving the destination municipality and province. On the same form you request a deregistration certificate ^{4 3}. Keep it: if your foreign family applies for healthcare as family members of a returned Spaniard by origin, one of the documents is the consular certificate with your enrolment and deregistration in the matrícula ¹⁰.

Padrón. Everyone who lives in Spain must register in the padrón of the municipality where they reside ⁶. Do it at your town hall as soon as you have an address.

DNI. For the first DNI you need the full birth certificate (certificación literal) no more than six months old, the padrón certificate or slip no more than three months old and a recent colour photo. You go in person with an appointment ⁷. Ask for the recent certificate before you travel or at the Civil Registry in Spain.

Healthcare. The law recognises the right to public healthcare for those who have Spanish nationality and habitually reside in Spain ⁸. Once recognised, the health administration of your region issues your individual health card ⁸.

Bank. With your DNI and your padrón you can open an account as a resident. Each bank decides which documents it asks for. Bring statements and a reference letter from your previous bank in case they are requested to assess a loan or a card.

Since 20 May 2025, the Immigration Regulation has its own regime for foreign family members of people with Spanish nationality who live with them ⁹. Those who can apply include:

Family member	Main condition
Spouse	Over 18, with no annulment or divorce 9
Registered partner	Registered in a public register of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland 9
Stable partner	At least 12 months living together, unless you have children in common 9
Your children or your partner's	Under 26, or older and dependent on you or with a disability 9
Ascendants	Dependent on you and without family support in the country of origin, or for humanitarian reasons 9
Children of Spaniards by origin	Its own case under article 94.1.h 9

The authorisation lets them live and work as employees or self-employed throughout Spain. It lasts 5 years, or as long as your planned residence if that is shorter ⁹. The procedure is preferential and free ⁹.

There are three paths depending on where each person is ⁹:

• You already live in Spain and your family is abroad: you file the application at the Oficina de Extranjería of your province; if it is granted, your family member applies for the visa at the consulate.
• Everyone is abroad and will move: your family member applies for the visa directly at the Spanish consulate.
• Everyone is already in Spain: it is filed at the Oficina de Extranjería and, once admitted for processing, your family member is provisionally authorised to live and work.

The Oficina de Extranjería decides within two months; if it does not reply, the application is deemed denied ⁹. On entering Spain, your family member applies for the foreigner identity card at the police station within one month ⁹.

For your part you need a full copy of your passport or DNI and, if you apply for a spouse or partner, a statement that no other spouse or partner lives with you in Spain. For your family member: full passport, proof of the relationship, proof of dependency when required and, for a stable partner, proof of living together ⁹.

Previous convictions do not by themselves lead to denial, except for the stable partner, the carer of a dependent person, the children of Spaniards by origin and other dependent family members, who must show that they have no criminal record ⁹. On 8 July 2026 the Supreme Court annulled the clause that imposed that automatic denial in cases covered by article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU ⁹. Royal Decree 316/2026 of 14 April also amended the procedure for families who are already in Spain (article 97, paragraphs 1.c and 5) ⁹.

Your spouse or partner and your children under 26 who depend on you and settle with you can access public healthcare as family members of a returned Spaniard by origin, if they have no other cover. The Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social recognises it and has three months to decide; if it does not reply, the application is deemed granted ¹⁰. It is bridge cover: it cannot exceed six months in a year and ends earlier if your family member gets healthcare another way, for example with their residence ¹⁰.