# Get a family residence card

> Spouses, registered partners and some other relatives of EU or Spanish citizens can apply for a residence card that allows work as an autónomo.

- Page: https://autonomo.eus/steps/family-card
- Part: Part A: Right to work
- For: Non-EU family members
- Last checked: 14 October 2026

> This page explains the routes. It is not legal advice. Before you apply, check your case with a lawyer. [Free legal help in Euskadi](https://autonomo.eus/steps/legal-help)

Spouses, registered partners and some other relatives of EU or Spanish citizens can apply for a residence card that allows work as an autónomo. Family usually means a spouse or partner, children, dependent parents and some other dependent relatives. The Ministry of Inclusion sheet for each route, linked below, gives the exact list.

## Family of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen

- **What it is:** the residence card for family of an EU citizen (*tarjeta de residencia de familiar de ciudadano de la Unión*), valid for 5 years.
- **Can you work as an autónomo?** Yes. You can do any work, as an employee or self-employed, on the same terms as Spaniards.
- **Where you apply:** at the [Oficina de Extranjería](https://autonomo.eus/steps/offices#contact-the-immigration-office) of the province where you will live, within 3 months of arriving. The Ministry's sheet also allows the police station.
- **How you apply:**
  1. Fill in and sign form EX-19 (*tarjeta de residencia de familiar de ciudadano de la UE*). Download it from the [Ministry of Inclusion's forms page](https://www.inclusion.gob.es/web/migraciones/modelos-generales).
  2. Book an appointment (*cita previa*) at the Oficina de Extranjería in the [Government's appointment system](https://icp.administracionelectronica.gob.es/icpplus/index.html). Or, if you have a digital certificate, file online through [Mercurio](https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/pagina/index/directorio/mercurio2), the Government's online filing service.
  3. When you apply, you get a receipt (*resguardo*). It proves that you are in Spain legally until you get the card.
  4. The fee is the same amount as a Spanish ID card (DNI). You pay it before the card is issued.
- **Family of a Spanish citizen:** you use this card and form EX-19 only if the EU right of free movement (*derecho a la libre circulación*) has been exercised. Otherwise, use form EX-24 in the next section. [Free legal help](https://autonomo.eus/steps/legal-help) can tell you which one fits your case.

## Family of a Spanish citizen

- **What it is:** since May 2025, a separate residence permit for family of Spanish citizens (*residencia temporal de familiares de personas con nacionalidad española*), valid for 5 years.
- **Can you work as an autónomo?** Yes. It allows employee and self-employed work. If you apply as a spouse, partner or child, the application already lets you work while you wait for the decision.
- **Where you apply:** at the [Oficina de Extranjería](https://autonomo.eus/steps/offices#contact-the-immigration-office). If you live abroad, you apply at the Spanish consulate for where you live. Find it on the [Foreign Ministry's list of embassies and consulates](https://www.exteriores.gob.es/es/EmbajadasConsulados/Paginas/index.aspx).
- **How you apply:**
  1. Fill in and sign form EX-24 (*autorización de residencia temporal de familiares de personas con nacionalidad española*). Download it from the [Ministry of Inclusion's forms page](https://www.inclusion.gob.es/web/migraciones/modelos-generales).
  2. Book an appointment (*cita previa*) at the Oficina de Extranjería in the [Government's appointment system](https://icp.administracionelectronica.gob.es/icpplus/index.html). Or, if you have a digital certificate, file online through [Mercurio](https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/pagina/index/directorio/mercurio2).
  3. The application is free. The card itself costs the same as a Spanish ID card (DNI).
  4. Within 1 month of the grant, apply in person for your foreigner ID card (*TIE*) at the Policía Nacional. See [Get your TIE card](https://autonomo.eus/steps/tie-card).

## Official sources

- [Ministry of Inclusion: card for family of an EU citizen](https://www.inclusion.gob.es/web/migraciones/w/62.-tarjeta-de-residencia-de-familiar-de-ciudadano-de-la-union-europea)
- [Ministry of Inclusion: permit for family of a Spanish citizen](https://www.inclusion.gob.es/web/migraciones/w/18.-autorizacion-de-residencia-temporal-de-familiares-de-personas-con-nacionalidad-espanola)
- [Ministry of Inclusion: application forms, including EX-19 and EX-24](https://www.inclusion.gob.es/web/migraciones/modelos-generales)
- [Government online office: Mercurio online applications](https://sede.administracionespublicas.gob.es/pagina/index/directorio/mercurio2)
- [Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Spanish embassies and consulates](https://www.exteriores.gob.es/es/EmbajadasConsulados/Paginas/index.aspx)

Next step: [Get your TIE card](https://autonomo.eus/steps/tie-card.md)

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Free, independent information. Not an official government website or a gestoría. General information, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Confirm current requirements with the authority before you act. Report a mistake: a@halawa.io. Source: Autónomo.eus (https://autonomo.eus).