Eligibility quiz
Was either of your parents born in Spain as a Spanish citizen?
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 registry
Find the Civil Registry for where you live in Spain. If your representative must apply for you, use the registry for where your representative lives.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which Spain Civil Registry in your city handles Spanish nationality by option?”
Get the application form
Get the birth registration and Spanish nationality by option application form from your Civil Registry, or download the Ministry’s model.
Download the formFill in the form
Fill in and sign the form, including the requested personal and birth details. For a child under 14, the legal representative acts; a child aged 14 to 17 acts with their representative’s help unless they can act independently, and a person with a disability can use any necessary support.
Find form instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I fill in the Spain Civil Registry application for Spanish nationality by option?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the Civil Registry.
See required documentsGet permission to apply
If you are applying for a child under 14, obtain permission from the Civil Registry where the child lives when the registry requires it.
Find permission instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How does a legal representative get permission from the Spain Civil Registry to apply for Spanish nationality by option for a child?”
Hand in your application
Bring the completed form and your documents to your Civil Registry and make the declaration in person. A child or their representative attends as required for the child’s age and circumstances; ask the registry how it takes applications.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I hand in an application for Spanish nationality by option at the Spain Civil Registry in your city?”
Wait for the decision
Wait for the Civil Registry to handle your application. Send any missing records or answers it asks for by the deadline in its notice.
See how to follow upSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I follow up on a Spain Civil Registry application for Spanish nationality by option?”
Complete your registration
Complete any oath or promise and any statement about your other nationality that the Civil Registry asks for. Once your Spanish nationality is registered, you can apply for a Spanish passport.
Find registration instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I complete Civil Registry registration after applying for Spanish nationality by option in Spain?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get a full copy of your birth certificate from the office where your birth was registered. If you apply through a parent who was originally Spanish and born in Spain, also get their full Spanish birth certificate showing their place of birth. If you were adopted as an adult, add the final adoption decision or official adoption certificate showing the date of adoption.
Parental authority record *
Get the official record showing that your Spanish parent had parental authority over you. Your birth certificate can help show your relationship to that parent.
* Only if you apply because your Spanish parent had parental authority over you.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationParent's citizenship records *
Bring evidence of your Spanish parent's citizenship, including a certified copy of their Spanish ID card where the office asks for it. If you apply because your parent was originally Spanish and born in Spain, the evidence must establish that they were originally Spanish.
* Only if you apply through your Spanish parent or the Spanish person who adopted you.
Birth or parentage decision *
Get the official record or court or administrative decision that established your birth in Spain or who your parent is. It must show the date this was established.
* Only if your birth in Spain or parentage was officially established after you turned 18.
May need translationMay need apostille/legalisationConsiderations
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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