01What it is and who it is for
Spanish citizenship by residence (nacionalidad española por residencia) is the route for foreign nationals who have lived lawfully in Spain for the period set by Article 22 of the Spanish Civil Code. It is granted by the Ministry of Justice, which can refuse it on reasoned grounds of public order or national interest. You must also show good civic conduct and a sufficient degree of integration into Spanish society.
The standard period is ten years. It drops to five years for recognised refugees and to two years for nationals by origin of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal, and for Sephardic Jews. One year is enough in cases with a special link to Spain: being born in Spain, having been married to a Spanish national for a year without legal or de facto separation, being the widow or widower of a Spanish national, being born abroad to a parent or grandparent who was originally Spanish, not having exercised the right to opt for Spanish nationality in time, or having been under the guardianship or foster care of a Spanish citizen or institution for two consecutive years.
In every case your residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before the application. Getting the date right comes first: a miscalculated period is one of the most common reasons for refusal. Note that Spanish nationality law has nothing to do with tax residence; what counts here is holding a valid residence permit.
02Requirements
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03Documents
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04How we handle it online
- Case review
We go through your residence permits, dates and trips abroad to confirm which period applies to you and when you can apply. If you are not there yet, we give you the exact date.
- Exams and paperwork
We tell you whether you need the DELE A2 and the CCSE or are exempt, and which certificates to request from your home country, with the right legalisation or apostille and translation.
- File check
We check every document before it goes in: consistent names and dates, complete translations and certificates still within their validity period.
- Electronic filing
We submit the application on the Ministry of Justice's online platform using the lawyer's electronic signature. You do not need an appointment or to travel to file it.
- Follow-up
Notifications come to us as your representatives. We answer any request for further documents and keep track of the one-year legal deadline.
- Approval and oath
Once you are granted citizenship, we explain how to book the oath and registration within the 180-day window.
05Timescales and validity
The Ministry of Justice has a maximum of one year to decide and notify you, counted from the date the application reaches the department handling it. If the year passes with no answer, the application is treated as refused by administrative silence. A decision can still arrive later, but you can go to the administrative courts to force a response.
Once you are notified of the approval, you have 180 days to swear or promise loyalty to the King and obedience to the Constitution and the law, renounce your previous nationality where required, and ask for registration in the Spanish Civil Registry. Miss that deadline and the grant lapses. You must keep a clean record until registration.
You must remain a legal resident throughout the process. Do not let your residence permit expire: renew it on time even while your citizenship application is pending.
06Do I need to attend anything in person?
The application is filed electronically and you do not need to attend any office for it. You will need to be there in person at three points: the DELE and CCSE exams, taken at an exam centre approved by the Instituto Cervantes; the oath or promise, made before the Civil Registry officer for your home address or before a notary in the area where you live in Spain; and, if the Registry asks, to show original documents before registration. Afterwards you will apply in person for your Spanish ID card (DNI) and passport.
07Common mistakes and reasons for refusal
- Miscalculating the period: counting time without a permit, gaps between permits or the wrong start date.
- Long absences from Spain during the qualifying period, which can break the continuity of residence.
- Criminal or police records, even old ones or from your home country, which are weighed as part of good civic conduct.
- Birth or criminal record certificates that are not legalised or apostilled, not translated, or out of date.
- Details that do not match between passport, birth certificate and TIE, such as names spelt differently.
- Applying on the one-year route as the spouse of a Spanish national without proof of living together, or while separated in fact.
- Letting your residence permit lapse while the citizenship application is pending.
08Frequently asked questions
How many years do I need to live in Spain to get citizenship?
Ten years as a rule. Five if you are a refugee; two if you are a national by origin of an Ibero-American country, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal, or Sephardic; and one if, for example, you were born in Spain or have been married to a Spanish national for a year. Your residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before you apply.
Do I have to sit the DELE and CCSE exams?
Almost every adult applicant takes the CCSE. You do not need the DELE A2 if you are a national of a country where Spanish is an official language or already hold a DELE A2 or higher. Under-18s and people with disabilities who have court-ordered support measures are exempt from both. According to the Ministry of Justice, holders of the Spanish secondary school certificate (ESO) do not need to apply for an exemption beforehand.
Will I have to give up my current nationality?
As a rule, yes: you declare the renunciation at the oath. Nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and Sephardic Jews of Spanish origin, do not have to. The Spain-France nationality convention also allows French nationals to keep their nationality. Whether renunciation has any effect in your home country depends on that country's law, so British and other applicants should check their own rules.
How long does Spanish citizenship by residence take?
The legal deadline is one year from when the application reaches the Ministry. If there is no answer by then, it counts as a refusal and you can go to court. In practice the deadline is often exceeded, which is why a complete file matters.
Can I apply if I live outside Spain?
No. Your residence in Spain must be immediately before the application and must continue while it is processed. What you can do is leave the whole filing to us, without visiting any office.
Where is the citizenship oath taken?
Before the Civil Registry officer for your home address, or before a notary in the area where you live in Spain, who records the oath and any renunciation in a public deed. You have 180 days from notification of the grant; if you miss it, the grant lapses.
What can I do if my application is refused?
You can file an optional appeal for reconsideration (recurso de reposición) within one month, or go to the administrative courts within two months of notification. We look at the reason for refusal and tell you whether an appeal or a fresh application makes more sense.
Is the Democratic Memory Law route for grandchildren still open?
No. That option under Law 20/2022 had a deadline that ended on 22 October 2025. However, anyone born abroad to a parent or grandparent who was originally Spanish can apply for citizenship by residence after just one year of legal residence in Spain.
What do the application status labels mean?
The labels are shown by the file status service on the Ministry of Justice's online portal, and the Ministry does not publish an official definition of each one. What the rules do say is that, while the file is being processed, the Ministry requests reports from other authorities, always including a mandatory report from the Ministry of the Interior on your conduct and your compliance with entry and residence rules, as well as a report from the National Intelligence Centre. A label such as pendiente recepción de informes preceptivos therefore means the Ministry is waiting for one of those reports. En calificación has no published definition, and no label on its own tells you whether the decision will be favourable.
How much does it cost in total?
The government fee (form 790, code 026) is €104.05 according to the Ministry of Justice; check the current amount before paying. Registration for the CCSE costs €85, a price set by the Instituto Cervantes since 2023, and covers up to two sittings if you fail or miss the first one. If you need the DELE A2, the Instituto Cervantes sets the price by country and exam centre, and you see it when you register. On top of that, allow for the cost of certificates, apostilles and translations from your home country.
How long can I be out of Spain during the qualifying years?
The Civil Code sets no maximum number of days abroad: it requires residence to be legal, continuous and immediately before the application, and the Ministry assesses each case. Long or repeated absences can lead to continuity being considered broken, so you should be able to explain the reasons and show that your life remains in Spain. Your residence permit also has its own rules: for example, long-term residence is lost after twelve consecutive months outside the EU, and any period without a valid permit breaks the count. If you have spent time abroad, we review your entries and exits with you before filing.
09Legal basis
- Spanish Civil Code, Articles 21, 22 and 23
- Law 19/2015 of 13 July, seventh final provision (electronic procedure, exams and fee)
- Royal Decree 1004/2015 of 6 November, Regulation on the procedure for nationality by residence
- Law 20/2011 of 21 July on the Civil Registry, Article 68 (oath before a notary)
- Spain-France Nationality Convention, signed in Montauban on 15 March 2021
Information reviewed on 03.10.2026 against the law in force. This page is for general information and is not a substitute for advice on your own case.