“We’ve lived together for years, so we’re a de facto couple” is the most common misunderstanding with the EU family member card (EX-19) — and no, cohabitation alone doesn’t give you the same route as a registered domestic partnership.
“Registered domestic partner” means official registration
“Registered domestic partner” means you’ve officially registered as a couple in a civil registry — municipal or regional. Living together for a long time isn’t enough on its own. If you haven’t formally registered anywhere, your case doesn’t fit here, even if you’ve lived together for years.
If you haven’t registered anywhere
There’s a separate route for couples without that formal registration: unregistered de facto partner. To fit it, you need to prove at least one of these two things:
- At least 1 year of stable cohabitation.
- A child together with the EU citizen.
This is proven with joint municipal registration, shared contracts or bills, or your common child’s birth certificate.
Other relationships that also qualify
- Spouse: with no pending nullity, divorce, or registration-cancellation ruling.
- Child under 21, or 21 or older if financially dependent or with a recognized disability.
- Ascendant (parent or other) who is financially dependent on the EU citizen.
- Another dependent family member, with 24 months of continuous cohabitation with the EU citizen in their home country.
Deadline, validity, and fee
You have 3 months from your entry into Spain to file the application. The card is granted for 5 years, or for the expected residence period of your EU family member if shorter — it isn’t always a fixed 5 years. The fee is €12.
Verified directly against Hoja 62 from the Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones (inclusion.gob.es) and against Royal Decree 240/2007.