Spouse and children on a digital nomad visa: how can they join you in Spain?

Yes, they can join you. Article 62.4 of Law 14/2013 allows the spouse and children of the holder of an international telework visa to apply for their own authorisation — and, where applicable, their own visa — together with the main applicant's, or at a later point. This is not the ordinary family reunification regime: it is a mechanism specific to the teleworker, and more direct than the general one.

Which family members can join the main applicant?

You can be joined by your spouse or the person with whom you have an equivalent relationship, your minor children, your adult children who are financially dependent on you and have not formed their own family unit, and your dependent ascendants. This is set out in article 62.4 of Law 14/2013, which defines the circle of family members who may "join or accompany" the holder of any of the international mobility authorisations regulated in article 61.1, whose point f) expressly includes the international teleworker.

Those family members must also meet the general requirements of article 62.3: not being in an irregular situation in Spain, having no criminal record, holding health insurance and having sufficient financial means.

Do you apply together with the visa, or afterwards, as family reunification?

You can choose either option. Article 62.4 allows the family members' authorisation to be requested "jointly and simultaneously, or successively," with the main applicant's. If the applications are filed at the same time as yours, the law also requires them to be decided simultaneously, so your family does not have to wait for your own authorisation to become final before their application starts moving.

The general family reunification regime under Organic Law 4/2000 works differently: as a rule, its article 18.1 requires the sponsor to have already obtained the renewal of their initial residence authorisation — in practice, usually more than a year of residence — before being able to reunify their family, except for the cases the same article sets out for long-term residents, EU Blue Card holders and certain researchers. The international teleworker does not need to wait for that renewal: article 62.4 of Law 14/2013 is a special rule that applies from the very first moment of your own authorisation.

What authorisation does the family receive: residence only, or also the right to work?

They receive a residence authorisation as family members of the main applicant, and Law 14/2013 does not expressly say whether that authorisation also allows them to work. Article 62.4 only governs who may apply and when; the fourth additional provision refers the residence authorisations under this law to the single-permit procedure of Directive 2011/98/EU, which combines residence and work in one administrative act. A systematic reading — not the literal text — suggests that an adult spouse or partner could work in Spain without a separate work authorisation; it is advisable to confirm this in the decision itself or with the Unit for Large Companies and Strategic Groups before accepting a job. Under general family reunification, by contrast, the law does say so: article 19.1 of Organic Law 4/2000 provides that the authorisation of a reunified spouse and children, once they reach working age, allows them to work without any further administrative step.

How much must you prove for each family member?

We have already explained, in detail, in our guide to the digital nomad visa, that the main applicant must add 75% on top of the income threshold for the first family member and 25% more for each additional one, calculated on 200% of the minimum interprofessional wage. We do not repeat that figure here: what matters in this guide is the procedure, not the amount, and the exact amount depends on the minimum wage in force in the year you apply.

If your family joins later, do you have to use general family reunification?

Not necessarily. Article 62.4 of Law 14/2013 itself allows a "successive" application — that is, at a later point than yours — within the same special teleworker regime, without the prior-renewal requirement that ordinary family reunification imposes. Unlike the rule for EU Blue Card family members under article 71 bis.5 — which sets a one-month deadline from the family member's entry into Spain when the application is not simultaneous — the law does not set a specific deadline for the teleworker's successive application.

If, given the circumstances, you choose instead the general family reunification regime under articles 16 to 19 of Organic Law 4/2000 and Royal Decree 1155/2024, article 40.1.a) of the latter sets a two-month deadline from notification of the sponsor's authorisation to apply for the family reunification residence visa, and the prior-renewal requirement of article 18.1 of Organic Law 4/2000 then applies.

Frequently asked questions

Can my unmarried partner join me?

Yes. Article 62.4 of Law 14/2013 expressly includes "the person with an equivalent relationship" to a spouse, without requiring marriage, provided the other general requirements of article 62.3 are met.

Can an adult child who still depends on me join me?

Yes, if they are financially dependent on you and have not formed their own family unit. Article 62.4 does not limit family reunification to minor children: it also covers adult children in that situation of dependency.

How we help with your family's authorisation at RCM Legal

Some family applications are rejected or delayed because they are filed as ordinary family reunification, with its prior-renewal requirement, when the special and faster route of article 62.4 of Law 14/2013 actually applied; others fail because the financial dependency of an adult child, or the equivalent relationship of an unmarried partner, is not properly documented. Choosing the right route, not just gathering the financial means, is what determines whether your family enters with you or days or months later.

At RCM Legal, our employment and immigration lawyers in Murcia prepare your spouse's, partner's or children's application together with your international telework application, document the financial dependency and family relationship required, and handle both before the consular office or the Unit for Large Companies and Strategic Groups. Tell us who will be joining you and we will prepare your joint file.