The Caregiver Visa — Residency for the Sole Caregiver of a Spanish Citizen

The Caregiver Visa (Autorización de Residencia y Trabajo del Cuidador No Profesional) is one of the most important pathways introduced by Real Decreto 1155/2024 (the 2025 Immigration Reform, in force from May 20, 2025). It recognises a longstanding gap in Spain’s immigration framework: the family member or close associate who travels to Spain specifically to care for a Spanish citizen with a recognised dependency situation.

Before this reform, caregivers had no dedicated route — they typically had to enter as a tourist and rely on Arraigo Familiar (if related to a Spanish citizen) or informal arrangements. The Caregiver Visa formalises the pathway with a 5-year residence and work permit granted in a single step.

Who Qualifies

You can apply for the Caregiver Visa if all of the following are true:

1. You are a non-EU/EEA national.
2. You are the sole caregiver of a Spanish citizen who has a recognised degree of disability or dependency under Ley 39/2006 (Law for the Promotion of Personal Autonomy and Care for People in a Situation of Dependency).
3. The Spanish citizen’s dependency situation is officially certified by their autonomous community’s social services (Grado I, II, or III on the Baremo de Valoración de la Dependencia).
4. No other caregiver is currently registered or applying for the same dependent — the 2026 guidelines strictly enforce a one-caregiver-per-dependent rule to prevent “chain” applications by entire families.
5. You can demonstrate a genuine caring relationship — typically a documented family tie or, for non-relatives, a sustained history of caregiving.

Eligible Dependents: The Law 39/2006 Framework

Spain’s dependency law recognises three grades of dependency, each linked to a level of care required:

Grado	Description	Care need
Grado I — Moderate dependency	Help required at least once a day	Daily assistance with one or more activities of daily living
Grado II — Severe dependency	Help required two or three times a day	Substantial daily care; cannot remain alone for extended periods
Grado III — Great dependency	Help required continuously throughout the day	Total dependence on a caregiver, often 24-hour care

The Caregiver Visa is available for caregivers of any of the three grades, though Grado II and III dependents have the strongest cases and the most straightforward applications. For Grado I, consulates may scrutinise whether full-time caregiving is genuinely required.

The dependency assessment (valoración) is issued by the autonomous community where the Spanish citizen resides — Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia, etc. each have their own social services. The Spanish citizen (or their legal representative) must request the assessment if they do not already hold a recognition.

Required Documents

For the caregiver (applicant):

• Valid passport with at least one year of remaining validity
• Application form — the EX-10 form, marked under the cuidador no profesional category
• Proof of family relationship or sustained caregiving history — birth/marriage certificates, notarised affidavits from neighbours/community, prior medical receipts or care logs
• Criminal record certificate from every country you’ve lived in for 6+ months over the past 5 years, apostilled and sworn-translated
• Medical fitness certificate confirming no quarantine-required illnesses
• Empadronamiento at the address where you will care for the dependent
• Three passport-sized photographs
• Application fee (Modelo 790, Code 052 — approximately €80)

For the Spanish citizen dependent:

• DNI (Spanish national ID)
• Dependency recognition from the autonomous community (the official resolución under Law 39/2006)
• Empadronamiento at the shared residence address
• Declaration of sole caregiver — a formal statement, often signed before a notary, that no other registered caregiver exists
• Where the dependent has a legal guardian or family representative, that person’s authorisation if the dependent cannot sign

For the caregiving relationship:

• Care plan summary signed by the dependent’s treating physician
• Evidence that the caregiver will reside with the dependent
• Optional but strongly recommended: an informe from the autonomous community’s social services confirming the caregiving arrangement is necessary and credible

Application Process

Caregiver Visa applications are filed inside Spain at the provincial Oficina de Extranjería of the dependent’s residence. Like Arraigo Familiar, this is a regularisation pathway — you can apply even if you entered Spain on a tourist stay.

Key Benefits

• 5-year residence and work permit in a single grant — no annual renewal grind
• Immediate, unrestricted work rights — you can take additional employment beyond caregiving, provided it does not interfere with the care arrangement
• No income or financial requirement for the caregiver — the means test rests on the dependent’s recognised dependency, not on the caregiver’s resources
• Access to public healthcare through Social Security, either via your own employment contributions or as a dependent of the Spanish citizen
• Counts toward long-term residency and citizenship — your 5 years of legal residence under this permit fully count toward the 10-year citizenship clock (or 2 years for Latin American, Filipino, Andorran, Equatorial Guinean, Portuguese nationals)

Renewal Process

Because the initial Caregiver Visa lasts 5 years, the next step is long-term residency (residencia de larga duración) at the 5-year mark — provided the caregiving relationship is still active and the dependency has not resolved (e.g., the dependent has not regained autonomy or passed away).

What if the dependent passes away or recovers?

Under the 2026 reform, the caregiver does not lose residency automatically:

• If you have held the Caregiver Visa for less than 1 year when the dependent passes or regains autonomy, you must apply for a modificación to another permit type (typically a regular work permit if you have employment, or DNV/Entrepreneur if eligible) within 60 days — see our Independent Residency guide.
• If you have held the Caregiver Visa for more than 1 year, you can apply for an independent work and residence permit (a modificación under more favourable terms) — the 2025 reform recognises that you have built ties to Spain and provides a smoother transition.
• At the 5-year mark, you remain eligible for long-term residency regardless of whether the caregiving relationship still exists, provided you met physical-presence requirements during the 5 years.

Caregiver Visa vs. Arraigo Familiar

These two pathways can both apply to family members of Spanish citizens. The key differences:

Feature	Caregiver Visa	Arraigo Familiar
Primary qualifier	Sole caregiver of dependent Spanish citizen (Law 39/2006)	Direct family relationship (parent, child, spouse)
Spanish citizen’s status	Must have recognised dependency or disability	Any Spanish citizen
Minimum time in Spain	None	None
Permit duration	5 years	5 years
Work rights	Yes, immediate	Yes, immediate
Income requirement	None	None
One per dependent	Yes — strictly enforced	No limit
Available if irregular	Yes	Yes

If you are a relative of a Spanish citizen and that Spanish citizen has a Law 39/2006 dependency, you can in principle apply under either pathway. In practice, Arraigo Familiar is simpler if you qualify, because it does not require dependency certification or the sole-caregiver rule. The Caregiver Visa is the right route when:

• You are not in a direct family line that qualifies for Arraigo Familiar (cousin, family friend, in-law from a non-traditional household)
• You are a more distant relative whose primary role is caregiving rather than family ties
• The Spanish citizen specifically benefits from having a registered caregiver for social-services coordination

Frequently Asked Questions