Years of residence required
- 10 years of legal, continuous residence as the general rule.
- 5 years for people with refugee status.
- 2 years for nationals of Latin American countries, Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Sephardic applicants.
- 1 year for those born in Spain, spouses of a Spanish national married over a year, widows and widowers, and other cases.
CCSE and DELE A2 exams
CCSE tests constitutional and sociocultural knowledge: 25 questions, 15 correct answers to pass, valid for four years.
DELE A2 certifies Spanish language level. It is not required for nationals of Spanish-speaking countries, for minors, or for people with judicially modified capacity.
Documents
- Valid passport and TIE card.
- Birth certificate, apostilled and sworn-translated.
- Criminal record certificate from your home country (apostilled, translated) and from Spain.
- Up-to-date empadronamiento certificate.
- CCSE and DELE A2 certificates.
- Proof of the 026 fee payment and evidence of integration: work, income, studies.
How the process works
The application is filed online on the Ministry of Justice portal, with a digital certificate or through a representative. Progress is tracked in the «Cómo va lo mío» service.
The statutory decision period is one year. Once granted, you have 180 days to take the oath at the Civil Registry, after which the DNI and Spanish passport are issued.
Dual citizenship
Spain allows dual citizenship with certain countries, including Latin American states, Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea. Otherwise the oath includes renouncing the previous nationality for Spanish law purposes; the real effect depends on your home country's legislation.