Spanish Citizenship Based on Legal Residence

This is one of the most common ways to obtain citizenship. A foreign national who has resided legally and continuously in the Kingdom of Spain for a certain period of time may apply for and obtain Spanish citizenship.

The general rule for third-country nationals is 10 years of continuous, legal residence in Spain, but there are exceptions:

● 5 years for persons who have been granted refugee status

● 2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, or persons of Sephardic origin

● 1 year:

⁃ for those born in Spain;

⁃ for those who, at the time of application, have been married to a Spanish citizen for 1 year;

⁃ for those who, at the time of application, were living with a Spanish citizen who has since passed away, and were not divorced;

⁃ for those who did not exercise their right to acquire Spanish citizenship by option;

⁃ for those who are under guardianship (supervised by a guardian), tutorship, or foster care.

⁃ For those born outside Spain to a father or mother (also born outside Spain), grandfather or grandmother, provided that all of them were originally Spanish.

Main requirements:
● continuous legal residence
● good civic conduct
● integration
● no criminal record, either in the country of origin or in Spain
● all documents must be valid at the time of application

Frequently Asked Questions:

What exams are required before applying for citizenship?

Two exams: the first is a Spanish language exam at a minimum level of A2 (the DELE exam), and the second is the CCSE exam on Spanish social, cultural, and constitutional knowledge. Both are administered by the Instituto Cervantes.

01
How can the citizenship application be submitted?

The application can be submitted through the Ministry of Justice website or through specialized professional-association platforms — I am accredited to carry out all procedures related to filing citizenship applications.

02
In which cases is the applicant exempt from the language exam?

If secondary education was completed at an educational institution in Spain, if the applicant is a minor or has been declared legally incapacitated by a court, or in cases where the applicant has difficulties with reading, writing, or learning.

03

You can always turn to me for legal assistance. This will help you avoid mistakes when gathering documents and filing your application.