Spanish Citizenship: Routes and Requirements
Spanish citizenship is the end point of the immigration journey: a Spanish passport, the right to vote, and the freedom to live and work anywhere in the EU. For most foreigners the route is naturalisation by residence, and the real challenge is not the paperwork but counting your years of legal residence correctly.
Contents
Routes to Spanish citizenship
Spanish nationality is governed by the Civil Code (articles 17-26), and the naturalisation-by-residence procedure by regulation RD 1004/2015. There are three main routes:
- By residence (por residencia) - the main path for foreigners: live in Spain legally and continuously for the required period, pass the exams and file the application. This page is about this route.
- By origin (de origen) - for children of Spaniards and, in certain cases, for people born in Spain: nationality arises automatically, with no naturalisation needed.
- By option (por opción) - the right to choose Spanish nationality for those who are or have been under the parental authority of a Spaniard, and for children of a parent who was originally Spanish and born in Spain. As a rule the right must be exercised before age 20 (two years after reaching majority).
There is no separate “citizenship by marriage”: marrying a Spaniard only shortens the residence period to 1 year, but it is still naturalisation by residence.
A note on the “Grandchildren’s Law” (Ley de Memoria Democrática): this extraordinary window for descendants of Spaniards closed on 22 October 2025. No new applications are accepted under it; only files submitted in time are still being processed. For children and grandchildren of Spaniards by origin the ordinary route remains: move to Spain on any residence permit and apply for citizenship after just 1 year of legal residence.
Residence periods
The period depends on your situation, not your preference (article 22 of the Civil Code):
- 10 years - the general rule.
- 5 years - for people granted refugee status.
- 2 years - for nationals of Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and for people of Sephardic origin.
- 1 year - for those who: have been married to a Spanish citizen for at least a year and live together without separation; were widowed while in such a marriage; were born on Spanish territory; are the child or grandchild of a Spaniard by origin; spent two consecutive years under the guardianship or care of a Spanish citizen or institution; or failed to exercise the right of option in time.
Three mandatory features of the qualifying period: residence must be legal (on a residence permit, not tourist or student status), continuous, and immediately prior to the application. The clock starts when your first residence authorisation takes effect. Any period of irregular status resets the count to zero. The law sets no exact limit on absences, but in practice long trips are dangerous: the working benchmarks are more than three months away in total per year, and especially six months in a row. Spain must remain the centre of your life.
Requirements
- Legal and continuous residence for the required period immediately before filing, with a valid residence card at the time of application.
- Instituto Cervantes exams: the DELE A2 or higher language test (nationals of Spanish-speaking countries are exempt) and the CCSE test on the Constitution and Spanish society (exempt: those who completed compulsory schooling in Spain, minors, and people with a legally recognised incapacity). The CCSE question bank is published in advance, and registration includes a second attempt.
- Good civic conduct (buena conducta cívica): a clean criminal record both in Spain and in your country of origin. Criminal record certificate and apostille. Police databases are also checked, so unresolved administrative or police entries are best cleared before filing.
- Birth certificate, legalised or apostilled, with a sworn translation; for the marriage route, a marriage certificate registered in the Spanish Civil Registry (a marriage celebrated abroad must be registered first).
- Current town-hall registration (empadronamiento) and the state fee (tasa modelo 790, code 026, slightly over 100 euros - confirm the current amount when you file).
- Renunciation of your previous nationality at the oath - for everyone except nationals of Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal. The renunciation is a declaration made before the Spanish authorities; whether your home country recognises it and whether its citizenship is actually lost is determined by that country’s own law.
How the process works
The application is filed online through the Ministry of Justice electronic platform (a digital certificate is needed; a representative can file for you) or in person at the Civil Registry - online is faster and easier to track. The legal deadline for a decision is 1 year; if the year passes in silence, the application counts as refused (silencio negativo), which can be appealed. In practice many files are decided in under a year, but requests for additional documents and delays do happen - you track the status on the “Cómo va lo mío” platform. After a favourable decision you have 180 days to take the oath, and only after the oath and registration at the Civil Registry can you obtain your DNI and passport.
Step-by-step process
- Pass the DELE A2 and CCSE exams (or document your exemption) - the certificates go into the file.
- Gather the documents: birth certificate and criminal record certificate with apostille and sworn translation, passport, residence card, empadronamiento, proof of fee payment.
- File online through the Ministry of Justice electronic platform. The file gets a number and its status is tracked on “Cómo va lo mío”.
- Review: the administration may issue requests for additional documents (requerimientos), and deadlines for answering them matter.
- Resolution. If refused, or if the administration stays silent, you can appeal (administrative appeal or court).
- The oath (jura): within 180 days, book an appointment at the Civil Registry of your place of residence or before a notary - the notary route is usually faster. At the oath you swear loyalty to the King and the Constitution and, where required, declare the renunciation of your previous nationality.
- Registration at the Civil Registry, then the police station: DNI and Spanish passport.
- The concordance certificate (certificado de concordancia), so that banks, the tax agency and social security link your old NIE to your new DNI.
Common mistakes
- Counting the period from the visa or the entry date instead of the start of the first residence authorisation - and filing too early. Applying even one day short leads to refusal.
- Counting student years: student status is a stay, not residence, and does not add to the clock.
- Underestimating absences: long or frequent trips break continuity, and it cannot be repaired, only accrued again from scratch.
- A marriage celebrated abroad that was never registered in the Spanish Civil Registry - for the 1-year marriage route this blocks the file.
- An expired criminal record certificate, or one without an apostille or sworn translation - a classic cause of a requerimiento and months of delay.
- Missing the 180-day deadline for the oath after a favourable resolution.
Frequently asked questions
How many years of residence do you need for citizenship?
The general rule is 10 years of legal, continuous residence immediately before you apply. Reduced periods apply: 5 years for refugees, 2 years for nationals of Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and 1 year for spouses of Spaniards, people born in Spain, and children or grandchildren of Spaniards by origin.
Which exams must you pass?
Two Instituto Cervantes exams: the DELE language test at level A2 or higher, and the CCSE test on the Spanish Constitution and society. Nationals of Spanish-speaking countries are exempt from the DELE; people who completed compulsory schooling in Spain, minors, and those with a legally recognised incapacity are exempt from the CCSE. The CCSE question bank is published in advance.
Do you have to renounce your current citizenship?
Formally yes: at the oath you declare that you renounce your previous nationality. The exception covers nationals of Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, who may keep both. Whether that declaration actually terminates your original citizenship is decided by your home country's law, not by Spain.
Do years on a student permit count?
No. Student status (estancia por estudios) is legally a stay, not residence, so it does not count towards citizenship, and this did not change under the new RD 1155/2024 regulation. The clock starts only with your first residence permit: work, family, arraigo or another route. Students should plan the switch early.