Eligibility quiz
Did a Spanish citizen adopt you?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Spanish passport and ID
Spanish citizens can have a passport and identity card.
The identity card normally lasts 2 years under age 5, 5 years from age 5 to under 30, 10 years from 30 to under 70, and indefinitely after 70.
The passport normally lasts 2 years under age 5, 5 years under 30 and 10 years from age 30.
Live in Spain for life
Spanish citizens can enter, live and remain in Spain without a time limit, even after living abroad, and do not need to renew the right to live there.
Study in Spain
Spanish citizens can study in Spain.
Work in Spain
Spanish citizens can work in Spain for an employer or for themselves without an immigration or work permit.
Get help abroad
Spanish citizens can seek help from Spain when abroad.
Outside the EU, if Spain has no embassy or consulate, another EU country’s embassy or consulate can help with problems such as arrest, serious illness, a lost passport or emergency travel home.
Vote and run for office
Spanish citizens can vote and run for office, including in national elections, when they meet the rules.
Those living abroad can register with a consulate to help them vote in Spanish elections.
Those living in another EU country can vote and stand in local and European Parliament elections there on the same terms as its citizens.
Use public healthcare
Spanish citizens who usually live in Spain can generally use publicly funded healthcare, though citizenship alone does not make every treatment free.
Receive benefits and pensions
Spanish citizens may receive social security benefits and pensions if they meet the relevant conditions, which can include contributions, residence or financial need.
How to apply
Applying at a local officeApplying at a local office
Find your civil registry
Find the civil registry responsible for the place where you live in Spain.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Spanish civil registry serves your city for Spanish nationality by option?”
Download the application form
Download the application for birth registration and Spanish nationality by option, including its accompanying data sheet.
Download the formFill in the form
Fill in and sign the application and data sheet yourself. You can use any support or adjustments you need.
Find form instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the application for birth registration and Spanish nationality by option in Spain?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the documents your civil registry asks for.
See required documentsArrange your application
Ask your civil registry how to hand in your application and book an appointment if it asks you to.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I book an appointment for Spanish nationality by option at the civil registry in your city Spain?”
Hand in your application
Give your completed forms and the requested original documents and copies to your civil registry, following its instructions. Make your declaration for Spanish nationality within two years of your adoption.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit an application for Spanish nationality by option at the civil registry in your city Spain?”
Wait for citizenship confirmation
Follow your case online while the registry decides and records your Spanish nationality, and answer any requests for more documents. Once your nationality is recorded, you can apply for a Spanish passport.
Follow your caseDocuments needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get your original full birth certificate from the civil registry where your birth was recorded. You can also get your Spanish parent's full Spanish birth certificate from the Spanish Civil Registry to show their citizenship.
Adoption decision
Get the decision or certificate that records your adoption by your Spanish parent. It must show the date your adoption was finalised.
Parent's citizenship records
Provide proof that your adoptive parent is Spanish. This can be their full Spanish birth certificate listed above or another Spanish nationality document your registry asks for.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Citizenship can be lost
Abroad, emancipated citizens risk loss three years after gaining or solely using another citizenship without declaring they want to keep it; exceptions apply.
Those born and living abroad to a Spanish parent also born abroad risk loss without that declaration within three years of adulthood or emancipation.
Citizens not Spanish by origin risk loss for fraud, prohibited foreign service or office, or solely using a citizenship they gave up.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Ciudadania española, cordoba (argentina)
Spanish Facebook group for people interested in Spanish citizenship
Request to joinCiudadanía española desde Mendoza
Spanish Facebook group for people interested in Spanish citizenship
Request to joinCiudadania española en Rosario (Argentina)
Spanish Facebook group for people interested in Spanish citizenship
Join on FacebookConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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