Eligibility quiz
Was one of your parents or grandparents originally 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 onlineApplying online
Take the required tests
Take the CCSE and DELE tests unless you are exempt from them. You may be exempt from one test but still need to take the other.
Find the testsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I register for the CCSE and DELE tests for Spain nacionalidad por residencia?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for your online application.
See required documentsPay the fee
Complete and print a new fee form 790-026 for your application, then pay at a participating bank. Keep the validated receipt and scan it for your application.
Get the fee formFill in the application online
Sign in with your digital certificate or Cl@ve, start a new nacionalidad por residencia application and fill in your details. You or your representative can complete it.
Start your applicationSubmit your application
Attach your scanned documents, then sign and submit your application online. Save the receipt and case number; you can also submit a paper application at an office that accepts it.
Submit your applicationWait for the decision
Follow your case online and read your official notifications. Send any additional documents requested within the deadline in the notification.
Follow your applicationRegister your citizenship
Within 180 days of being notified of approval, attend the civil registry to complete the required declarations and register your citizenship; if you are over 14 and able to do so, swear or promise loyalty and give up your previous nationality if required. You can then apply for a Spanish passport.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I register my Spain nacionalidad por residencia at the civil registry in your city after approval?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get your full birth certificate and the birth certificates of your parent and your Spanish grandparent, showing how you are related. Ask the office that holds each birth record for a copy.
Grandparent's citizenship record
Get a Spanish certificate or another official record showing that your Spanish grandparent was Spanish originally. Ask the office that holds the record for a copy.
Marriage certificates *
Get the relevant marriage certificate from the office that holds the record. If a name change needs explaining, include the name change record too.
* Only if a marriage record is needed to show how you are related to your Spanish grandparent.
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
Ley de memoria democrática, nacionalidad española y residencia 🇪🇦
Spanish Facebook group for people living in Spain interested in Spanish citizenship
Join on FacebookLey de Memoria democrática en Miami
Spanish Facebook group for people interested in Spanish citizenship
Join on FacebookLey de nietos y ciudadanía española en Miami
Spanish Facebook group for people interested in Spanish citizenship
Join on FacebookConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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