The EU Family Member card is a permit that can be requested by the relatives of a citizen of a EU Member State or of any of the States that are part of the European Economic Area or Switzerland, as long as the relatives do not have the nationality of any of the aforementioned States and the objective is to meet with the EU citizen, they can reside in Spain together for a period of more than three months.
Lately, there is a lot of confusion regarding how to renew the EU Family Member Card or, rather, how to manage the application for permanent cards. So, how to acquire it? Which are the requirements? In this article, we tell you some tips so you can do it successfully. Keep reading!
And if you have any questions, you can contact Entre Trámites and we will solve them for you. You can also manage your Spanish citizenship with us, schedule a free consultation!
When to renew the EU Family Member Card?
The first thing to take into account when renewing the Residence Card of a EU Family Member is the term to do so, which is before the expiration of the card. The deadline is within 30 days prior to its expiration, the most ideal time to do it.
Also, additionally, you can renew the EU Family Member Card within 90 days after the expiration of the card.
Renewing the EU Family Member Card too early
If you have submitted the renewal of your EU Family Member Card 30 days prior to its expiration, the application will be inadmissible for processing.
It is important that you respect this deadline because if you apply earlier, the Immigration Office will not process your application. But do not worry though, you can reapply for your renewal once you are within the correct deadline.
Valid passport
Another aspect that you should not forget when renewing your EU Family Member Card is your passport. It is crucial that at the time of submitting the application for the renewal of your card, you present a valid passport.
It is NOT possible to renew or apply for the Permanent Residence Card of a EU Family Member if you do not have a valid passport. Therefore, if you have to renew your card but your passport has expired, you should contact your consulate to start all the procedures to renew it as soon as possible.
Documentation required to renew the EU Family Member Card
Without any exceptions, one of the fundamental things to be able to process a EU Family Member Card is to have a link with a EU or Spanish citizen.
At the time of the renewal, it is necessary to prove that this link with the EU citizen continues to exist, and for this reason, relevant updated documentation must be provided that demonstrates the union of marriage, common-law partnership, or others that apply.
In these cases, it will be very important that you present your updated Marriage Certificate or the updated Domestic Partnership Registration Certificate, to certify that as of today you have not been divorced or have deregistered as a domestic partnership.
Joint Empadronamiento
You must provide the Joint Empadronamiento Certificate, in order to prove that you continue to live with the citizen of the European Union.
If you do not provide this certificate the first time, the Immigration Office may require you to do it and the process may take some time.
There are cases in which there is no longer a link with the EU citizen, and you have the right to keep your EU Family Member card, so you do not need to provide this certificate.
The general tip is that if you do not want your residence card to take longer, hand out at once your joint empadronamiento.
Where to renew the EU Family Member Card?
The renewal or application for the Permanent Residence Card of a EU Family Member must be processed by the Immigration Office of your city in Spain. It is the responsible body for this card’s renewal or issuance.
On the other hand, there are several ways to do the procedures regarding the EU Family Member Card, one of them is to do it on the Internet through the Mercurio platform using the digital certificate.
But in case you do not have this document, in Entre Trámites we help you to obtain it, you can write to us. Also, you can read how to request the digital certificate yourself.
The renewal of the card can be processed on the Mercurio platform under the following sections:
- Permanent Residence Card of a EU Family Member – General assumption: resident in Spain, registered couple with continuous residence in Spain for 5 years (art. 10.1).
- Permanent Residence Card of a EU Family Member – General assumption: resident in Spain, a spouse with continuous residence in Spain for 5 years (art. 10.1).
- Permanent Residence Card of a EU Family Member – General assumption: resident in Spain, descendant over 21 years of age in charge with continuous residence in Spain for 5 years (art. 10.1).
- Permanent Residence Card of a EU Family Member – General assumption: resident in Spain, descendant under 21 years of age or disabled with continuous residence in Spain for 5 years (art. 10.1).
- Permanent Residence Card of a EU Family Member – General assumption: resident in Spain, dependent ascendant with continuous residence in Spain for 5 years (art. 10.1).
Until now, the processing of authorizations in the cases of non-registered stable couples and extended families is excluded by this electronic means.
EU Family Member Card Form
The form that you must complete is Form EX-19. Once you have the complete form, you must submit it with the rest of the relevant documentation to renew your Permanent Residence Card of a EU Family Member.
Once you have the resolution of approval of the card and you want to request the physical card, in this case, the form that you must now complete would be Form EX 17 (to apply for your Foreigner Identity Card or TIE).
How to renew the EU Family Member Card?
- Access the MERCURIO Platform (have a printer at hand to print the receipt of completion at the end of the process). It is essential to have a Foreigner Identity Number (NIE) assigned to access the system and a digital certificate. In the case of administrative managers, the digital certificate must be registered in the certificate directory of the College of Administrative Managers.
- Once you have selected the Electronic Renewal of Immigration Authorizations procedure, you must fill in the information on the form, as well as attach the necessary documentation.
- To finish filling out the form, prior to registering your application, you will be asked to sign the form and the attached documentation using your digital certificate. Once the application is registered, you will be able to obtain an electronic receipt in PDF format that the applicant must keep as proof of completion.
EU Family Member Card fee
Here is some great news! You do not need to make any type of payment.
One of the characteristics of this procedure is that it does not have any type of administrative fee. Therefore, the procedure as such is free. When the Immigration Office has managed and processed your application, and issued a favorable resolution, you must request your physical card (TIE), so is at this moment when we will have to pay the Fee 790/012.
Any doubts about it?
We hope this information has been useful to you! At Entre Trámites we offer various advisory and support services in bureaucratic processes for foreigners, self-employed workers and SMEs, including the management of immigration processes such as the NIE, TIE, CUE, Spanish citizenship, the EU Family Member Card, and much more.
You can know more about our immigration services here. Fill in our contact form and we will call you to help you as soon as possible, schedule your online consultation, or just text our WhatsApp.
