Becoming a Spanish citizen by residence
A foreign resident of Spain working towards Spanish nationality by residence.
From counting your years to the oath, in the order the nationality process runs, with each step linked to a sourced guide.
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The number of years depends on who you are, and the residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before you apply.
When: Before you pay for anything. Ten years is the general rule. It is five for refugee status, two for nationals of origin of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal and for Sephardic Jews, and one for the groups the guide lists. If you are in none of those groups, assume ten.
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The online figures for days abroad are not in the law, which only says the residence must be continuous, so each file is judged on its facts.
When: Before you apply, if you have spent long periods outside Spain. The guide also says no official page lists which authorisations count, so ask a lawyer about your own years.
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You need the DELE at level A2 or higher unless you are exempt, and an official A2 certificate from a regional education authority can replace it.
When: Before you book the DELE. You are exempt if you already hold a DELE at A2 or higher or are a national of one of the countries the guide lists. That exempts you from the DELE only, and the CCSE is still required.
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The CCSE tests constitutional and sociocultural knowledge of Spain and is required for everyone, including people exempt from the DELE.
When: The exam has 25 multiple-choice questions and lasts 45 minutes, and you need 15 of 25 correct. It is held once a month, with no sessions in August or December in the published calendar, and each session closes registration a few weeks before.
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The file needs a birth certificate and a criminal record certificate from your country of origin, legalised and translated where needed.
When: Before you start the online application. The apostille guide finds no single official validity window for these documents, so ask the office and get them dated close to your application.
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The application is online, and most online paperwork in Spain needs a digital identity, but the quick video routes are for DNI holders, so a NIE holder has to do the in-person check.
When: Before you start the online form. The nationality guide does not say which login that form accepts, so check this on the form itself.
Cost: The FNMT certificate is free.
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The procedure is electronic, and the file needs the form, your birth certificate, passport, DELE and CCSE proof, criminal record certificate, padrón certificate and TIE, and proof of the fee.
When: Once you have the years, the exams and the documents. The Ministry of Justice online form gives you two months to finish once you start it.
Cost: 104.05 EUR with modelo 790, código 026, per the Ministry page, which may be revised, so confirm the amount when you pay. The fee is charged per application whatever the outcome.
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Silence is a refusal, not an approval, and a denial can be challenged by recurso de reposición and then in the administrative courts.
When: The Ministry must decide and notify within one year of the application reaching it. If it does not, the application is treated as rejected.
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You swear or promise loyalty to the King and obedience to the Constitution and the laws, at the Registro Civil or before a notary, and then the nationality is registered.
When: Within 180 days of being notified of the grant, or it lapses. Most applicants must also declare that they renounce their old nationality, but the guide lists groups for whom that does not apply.
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This page is general information, not legal advice.