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Become a Spanish National
Get Spanish nationality through residence or through ancestry.
There are several ways to obtain Spanish Citizenship. Our immigration lawyers will guide you through the process step-by-step.
How can a lawyer help with the Spanish nationality?
We can communicate with the Ministry of Justice directly, if necessary, to ask questions that may occur during the process.
Each specific case will require different documents and we will let you know which ones you need.
We help with the digital submission on your behalf and follow-up on the status of the application process.
Knowledge of the practice of the Spanish Administration and the requirements that are usually demanded beyond those provided by law.
We deliver full assistance in English, French or Italian.
¨We will be with you each step of the journey.¨
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What is Spanish citizenship?
Citizenship is the legal bond that unites the person with the state that confers both fundamental rights and individual legal status. This relationship gives individuals certain rights that they are entitled to from the state as well as being obliged to fulfil specific requirements and duties requested by the state.
How to obtain Spanish citizenship in Spain?
Once you have obtained all the necessary documentation, you can apply online through a digital certificate or in person, with legal assistance, at the Civil Registry.Â
Your application can take up to a year and, if you receive a favourable outcome, you have six months to take an oath with the Civil Registry. You must make an appointment for this step.
Afterwards, you’ll be given a document which needs to be taken to a local police station and then you can apply for a Spanish passport and National Identity Card.
Process of getting Citizenship Through Residence
1. Test and exams
As a first step you must study for and pass some mandatory tests. These courses offered by the Cervantes Institute can be taken in Spain or in the Cervantes Institutes abroad
- DELE (language): for non-Iberoamerican nationals
- CCSE (culture)
2. Wait for test results
Your results will be communicated about 20 days after the test is performed.
3. Gathering of documentation
It takes between two weeks to two months to get the necessary paperwork.
4. Submission of the application
It takes just a day to file online. For presential appointments you will need to schedule an appointment.
5. Resolution of the application for citizenship
It can take between a year and two and a half years to your citizenship to be approved.
6. Oath of the nationality before the Civil Registry
This step can take from two to ten months to be finalised.
7. Spanish passport and DNI application
It takes around two weeks to get an appointment with a police station to complete this step.
Requirements for Spanish Citizenship
Spanish Citizenship through Residence
This approach to nationality typically requires a person to reside in Spain for ten years. There are cases where the period can be reduced to one, two or five years.
Spanish citizenship by marriage
The applicant must have been married to a Spaniard for at least a year.
Spanish citizenship by birth
You must have been born to a Spanish father or mother and it can be requested at the Spanish Consulate or Embassy abroad.
Spanish Citizenship by Option
For those whose father or mother was originally a Spanish citizen born in Spain, they can choose this path and it can be requested from the Spanish Consulate or Embassy abroad.
Frequently Asked Questions
To apply for Spanish nationality by residence you must pass the culture exam (CCSE) and the language exam (DELE). Nationals of Latin American countries are exempt from the language exam.
You can apply for Spanish nationality after one year of legal residence in Spain if your grandparents were Spaniards.
If you become a Spanish citizen, you must release your original nationality and passport, unless you qualify for an exemption or are a citizen of one of the following countries: Chile; Peru; Paraguay; Nicaragua; Guatemala; Bolivia; Ecuador; Costa Rica; Honduras; Dominican Republic; Argentina; Colombia; Equatorial Guinea; Philippines; Andorra; Portugal; Brazil; Cuba; Mexico; Panama; Puerto Rico; El Salvador; Uruguay; Venezuela and France.
You must obtain a certificate showing your Sephardic ancestry.
Since 2019, it is no longer possible to apply for Spanish nationality by Sephardic descent. However, you will be able to obtain the nationality after having resided legally in Spain for only two years.
Mexican citizens may apply for Spanish nationality after only two years of legal residence in Spain.
Currently, the Ministry is taking between two and three years to resolve Spanish citizenship applications.
OUR WORK
We are a department formed by qualified legal experts who have been trained in the field of immigration law. We work on these requests every day and it’s our passion. For us, Lexidy is a way of life and what excites us the most is to be able to deliver the happiness and satisfaction of a successful immigration process. We want to help you achieve your goals and dreams.
























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