To get Spanish citizenship, most foreign nationals must live legally in Spain for a set number of years, pass two standardized exams on the Spanish language and on Spanish civic life, gather a specific set of documents, and then swear allegiance to the King and the Constitution at the Civil Registry. The required residency period is ten years for most people, but drops sharply — to five, two, or even one year — for certain nationalities, family situations, and refugee status. What follows walks through each step of the process, along with the shortcuts and dual-nationality rules that decide which path applies to you.
Who Qualifies and How Long You Have to Live in Spain
Article 22 of the Civil Code sets the baseline residency requirement at ten years of legal, continuous residence in Spain immediately before you apply.1Ministry of Justice. Spanish Civil Code Several groups qualify much sooner:
- Five years, if you have been granted refugee status in Spain.
- Two years, if you are a national of an Ibero-American country, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, or Portugal. People of Sephardic Jewish origin also qualify for the two-year track under the Civil Code, separate from the now-expired Law 12/2015 that offered a direct path without residency.
- One year, if you were born on Spanish territory, have been married to a Spanish citizen for at least one year, are the widow or widower of a Spanish spouse, were born abroad to a parent or grandparent who was originally Spanish, have been under the legal guardianship of a Spanish citizen or institution for two consecutive years, or missed the deadline to exercise the option right.2Punto de Acceso General. Acquiring nationality – Residence – Citizens
The one-year track for people born abroad to originally Spanish parents catches many applicants off guard. If your mother or father was Spanish by origin, you may need just twelve months of legal residence in Spain even if you grew up in another country entirely.1Ministry of Justice. Spanish Civil Code
Beyond the time requirement, Article 22 also requires you to show good civic conduct and sufficient integration into Spanish society.1Ministry of Justice. Spanish Civil Code Conduct is assessed through your criminal record, and integration is measured through the exams described below. Applications have been denied on both grounds, so neither is a rubber stamp.
What Counts as Continuous Residence
Your residence has to be legal, continuous, and immediately preceding the application. There is no hard statutory number for how many days you can spend outside Spain during the qualifying period, but immigration practitioners are generally conservative: leaving the country for more than roughly 90 days in a single year risks a finding that your residence was not truly continuous. Some accept up to 180 cumulative days over a two-year period for the shorter tracks, but the safer approach is to keep time abroad to a minimum. Absences for military service, childbirth, or education may be treated more leniently.
The Two Exams You Have to Pass
All naturalization applicants must pass two tests administered by the Cervantes Institute, Spain’s official body for Spanish language and culture.
DELE A2 (Language)
The DELE A2 tests basic Spanish at a level that covers everyday situations: introducing yourself, shopping, asking for directions, describing your family. It certifies that you can understand commonly used phrases and handle simple interactions.3DELE. DELE Spanish Diploma – Level A2 Certificate The bar is not high by language-learning standards, and with modest preparation the A2 should be manageable if you have been living in Spain for a while.
Nationals of Spanish-speaking countries are exempt from the DELE. You can also skip it if you completed secondary or university education within the Spanish school system. DELE A2 fees vary by testing location but typically run between €100 and €150.
CCSE (Constitutional and Sociocultural Knowledge)
The CCSE covers Spain’s government structure, Constitution, rights and duties of citizens, geography, history, and daily cultural life. It has 25 questions split into two sections: 15 on government and law (mix of multiple choice and true/false), and 10 multiple-choice questions on culture, history, and society. You need 15 correct answers to pass, and wrong answers carry no penalty.4DELE. CCSE – Constitutional and Sociocultural Aspects of Spain The Cervantes Institute publishes a study guide and practice tests, and the pass rate is generally high for people who prepare.
The CCSE registration fee is approximately €85 and includes two attempts. People with certain disabilities may qualify for exam accommodations or, where the exam cannot be completed even with accommodations, a full waiver.
Documents to Gather
Assembling the paperwork is where applications most often stall. You will need documents from your country of origin and from Spain, and every foreign document must be properly legalized and translated.
- A full, original birth certificate from your country of origin.
- A complete copy of your passport showing all entry and exit stamps.
- Two criminal record certificates: one from your home country and one from Spain’s Central Registry of Criminal Records. Foreign criminal record certificates are generally valid for six months from the date of issue, so timing matters.
- Proof of continuous legal residence in Spain for the applicable qualifying period.
- DELE A2 and CCSE certificates, or proof of exemption.
Every foreign document must be legalized. If your country is part of the Hague Convention, you get an apostille stamp. If not, the documents go through diplomatic channels for legalization. All non-Spanish documents then need translation by a sworn translator certified by Spain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Informal or uncertified translations will not be accepted.
The application itself requires payment of the Model 790 (code 026) administrative fee through the Ministry of Justice website. This fee has been approximately €104 in recent years, though the exact amount is updated periodically. Apostille costs are usually modest in your home country, but certified translations of several documents add up.
Filing the Application and the Oath
You submit the complete application electronically through the Ministry of Justice’s online portal. You will need a digital certificate to upload scanned copies of your documents and fill in the required fields on your personal history and residency. The system generates a tracking number once your submission is registered.
Processing times have improved with electronic filing, but they still vary widely. Some applications resolve in under a year; others take closer to two. The timeline depends on how complete your file is, whether the Ministry requests additional documentation, and simple administrative backlog.
Once your application is approved, you have 180 calendar days to appear before the Civil Registry to complete the final step. Miss that window and the granted nationality can become void. At the ceremony, you swear or affirm allegiance to the King and promise to obey the Spanish Constitution and the country’s laws.1Ministry of Justice. Spanish Civil Code You must also formally declare that you renounce your previous nationality, unless you fall within one of the dual nationality exceptions described next.
Do You Have to Give Up Your Old Passport?
Spain’s default rule is that new citizens renounce their previous nationality during the ceremony at the Civil Registry. Article 23 of the Civil Code makes this renunciation a condition for the validity of nationality acquired through option, naturalization, or residency.1Ministry of Justice. Spanish Civil Code
The major exception: nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, and Portugal do not have to renounce, and people of Sephardic Jewish origin are also exempt.1Ministry of Justice. Spanish Civil Code The exception flows from Article 11 of the Spanish Constitution, which authorizes dual nationality treaties with countries that share historical ties to Spain. In practice, Spain has signed bilateral treaties with countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Peru.
For everyone else, including U.S., Canadian, British, and most EU citizens, renunciation is a required step. Some countries do not recognize foreign renunciations made as a condition of obtaining another nationality, so whether your home country actually cancels your old citizenship depends on that country’s own laws, not Spain’s. In practice, many new Spanish citizens keep their original passport in effect.
Other Ways to Become Spanish Without Naturalizing
Not everyone has to naturalize. Article 17 of the Civil Code makes you Spanish from birth if at least one of your parents is Spanish, wherever in the world you were born.5Global Citizenship Observatory. Spanish Civil Code No application or approval is needed for the child, though the birth must be registered with Spanish authorities. Children born in Spain to foreign parents also qualify if at least one foreign parent was also born in Spain, or if the child would otherwise be stateless because neither parent’s country grants nationality. Children found on Spanish territory whose parents are unknown qualify too. Children of foreign diplomats and consular officials posted in Spain are the one carve-out; they do not gain citizenship by being born on Spanish soil.
Article 20 creates a separate right of option for people with close family ties who were not born Spanish, including adopted children and those whose Spanish parent’s nationality was recognized after the child’s birth.5Global Citizenship Observatory. Spanish Civil Code The option right typically must be exercised before turning twenty. If you missed that window, the one-year residency track described above is available.
One boundary worth noting: the Democratic Memory Law (Law 20/2022), which opened a special path for descendants of Spaniards exiled during the Civil War and Franco dictatorship, closed to new applications on October 22, 2025.6Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. The Government Extends the Deadline for Spanish Nationality Applications Set Out in the Democratic Memory Law by One Year The Spanish government confirmed there will be no further extension. Only people who booked an appointment and received an electronic receipt with a Secure Verification Code before the deadline can still complete that process. Everyone else pursuing citizenship through ancestral ties now has to use one of the standard paths above, most commonly the one-year residency track for people born abroad to originally Spanish parents.