Eligibility quiz
Have you been married to a Spanish citizen for at least one year?
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 onlineApplying online
Gather your documents
Prepare and scan the documents required for your online application.
See required documentsDownload the fee form
Download form 790, code 026, for the citizenship application fee. Use your own form with its unique code rather than a photocopy.
Download the fee formPay the fee
Pay the fee before submitting your application, using a payment method listed by the Ministry of Justice. To pay in Spain, you need a NIE or DNI.
See how to paySearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I pay the fee for Spain's nacionalidad española por residencia using form 790 code 026?”
Fill in the application
Open the online nacionalidad española por residencia service, sign in with an accepted electronic ID and create a new application. Complete your details and select “Casado con español”; you or your representative can complete the application.
Start your applicationSubmit your application
Attach your documents, sign electronically and submit within two months of creating the application; save your submission receipt. You can also submit a paper application through an authorised administrative registry in Spain.
Submit your applicationWait for the decision
Check your application status online and answer any requests for information or documents through your chosen notification channel.
Check your applicationMake your promise
If approved, appear before the civil registry official to swear or promise loyalty and obedience, and declare that you give up your previous citizenship if required. Do this within 180 days starting the day after you are notified of approval.
Find promise instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I make the citizenship oath or promise after approval of Spain's nacionalidad española por residencia?”
Register your citizenship
Follow the instructions you receive to have your citizenship recorded in Spain's civil registry within the same 180-day period. You can then get a Spanish passport.
Find registration instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I register my Spanish citizenship after approval of nacionalidad española por residencia?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get your birth certificate from the country where you were born. Get your Spanish spouse’s full birth certificate from a Spanish civil registry.
Marriage certificate
Get a recent marriage certificate from a Spanish civil registry. It should be up to date when you apply.
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
👉 Regularizaciones, Residencia, Reagrupación y Nacionalidad Española.
Facebook group for people interested in Spanish citizenship and visas (Spanish, Arabic, & French)
Join on FacebookCiudadania 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 joinConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
Adavia doesn't provide advice, but we're building a directory of professionals who do. If you'd like, we can notify you when help is available.
Updated