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Yes. A spouse and unmarried children under twenty-one may accompany you in F-2 status, either traveling with you or joining you later. No one else qualifies — not parents, not siblings, and not children who have married or turned twenty-one. A marriage that is legally valid where it took place is recognized for this purpose regardless of the sex of the spouses.
Your school issues a separate Form I-20 for each dependent, which means showing the school that you have enough money to support them as well as yourself. Each dependent then applies for an F-2 visa at a U.S. consulate, usually presenting evidence of the family relationship along with your own documents. Dependents do not pay a separate SEVIS fee. A family already in the United States in another status may instead be able to apply to change status without leaving, though that route carries its own timing considerations.
Work is not permitted. An F-2 spouse or child may not accept employment in the United States under any circumstances. There is no application, no waiting period and no exception. This is one of the sharpest differences between F-2 and the dependent categories attached to some work visas, and it is worth planning around before the family arrives.
Study is permitted, within limits. Children in F-2 status may attend elementary and secondary school full time. A spouse, and a child beyond secondary level, may take courses on a less than full-time basis — the rules changed in 2015 to allow this, so older guidance saying that F-2 spouses cannot study at all is out of date. What F-2 does not permit is full-time enrollment in a degree program. A dependent who wants to study full time needs to obtain F-1 status in their own right, which is a common and entirely ordinary step.
F-2 is derivative, meaning it exists only for as long as your F-1 status does. If your status ends, theirs ends with it. If you move to a different category, they need to move to the matching dependent category rather than simply carrying on. And if your student record is terminated, the effect reaches the whole family at once. This is the main reason that problems with a student's enrollment, course load or employment are never only the student's problem.
An F-2 child's eligibility ends at twenty-one, and it also ends on marriage. A child approaching that point needs a plan — commonly a change to F-1 to continue studying, or another status in their own right. Because the change has to be applied for and approved before eligibility lapses, this is something to start well in advance rather than in the final months.
Dependents need their own valid visa and I-20 to re-enter the United States after travel, and their travel endorsements should be checked alongside yours. Because F-2 carries no work authorization, dependents cannot obtain a Social Security number, though one can generally obtain a taxpayer identification number where it is needed for tax filing or similar purposes.
Related pages: work authorization and traveling outside the United States.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Rules affecting dependents change, so confirm the current position before relying on it and discuss your family's circumstances with an attorney.