Can you move to Spain to live with your adult children?

Perhaps your adult son or daughter is planning on moving to Spain and you want to be able to move with them, or maybe they already live here and you want to be closer to the grandkids? It may be that you're dependent on your children due to health or financial reasons.

So is it possible to move to Spain to be with your adult child?

Here we look at all the options, depending on your individual circumstances. 

You and your child are both EU citizens

If you and your children are both EU citizens, then it’s very easy for you to move from one EU country to another via the Freedom of Movement Act, allowing you to live, work or retire in another EU country. You will need to officially register and apply for a green residency card within three months of living in Spain.

Most likely you will have to prove why you want a residency card, whether that’s to buy a house or a car, to retire or get a job. You may also have to show savings to be able to support yourself, as well as private health insurance or a firm job offer.

Your child is an EU citizen but you are not   

If your child is a Spanish or EU citizen, perhaps through marriage or because they were eligible to change their nationality, but you are from a non-EU country, then what are your options if you want to move to Spain to be with them?

In this case, you can apply for a residence card of a family member of a European Union citizen or tarjeta de residencia de familiar comunitario.

However, to be eligible, you must be dependent on your child either because of financial or health reasons and you must be able to prove this.

Your offspring must also prove that sufficient means to be able to look after you.

The card must be applied for during the first three months of arriving in Spain to be able to continue living here.

The initial residency card will be valid for five years.

You can then renew this for a permanent 10-year residency card. After this, your card will need to be renewed every 10 years. This will also allow you to work in Spain, if you are able to. 

READ ALSO - Q&A: Can EU nationals bring non-EU family members over to Spain?

Non-EU citizens

If both you and your child are third-country nationals, it may be trickier to gain Spanish residency, but it is still possible under specific circumstances.

If your child is a non-EU citizen living in Spain and has a residency permit, such as a TIE card, then they are able to bring you to live with them via the Family Reunification Visa.

However, to be eligible you must be over the age of 65 (or younger in exceptional cases). Your child must also have a long-term residence document, meaning that they must have lived in Spain for over five years.

Your offspring must also be able to demonstrate that they have an amount equivalent to or greater than 150 percent of the IPREM (Public Multiple Effects Income Indicator) for one relative or more if both parents intend to come. For 2023 the yearly IPREM is €7,200.

This means that they will have to prove they have €10,800 for the year to be able to support you.

READ ALSO: How can non-EU nationals bring family members to live in Spain?

Be aware that if you want to move to Spain to be with your child who is a minor and under the age of 18, then you can do so via the arriago familiar.

This is available for parents of children who are EU citizens and allows you to live and work in Spain for up to one year and then exchange your residency for another type of residency document such as one where you are employed by a company or self-employed.