Spanish citizenship by residence: requirements
The 10, 5, 2 and 1-year rules, and what else you need: good conduct, CCSE and DELE.
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Spanish citizenship by residence is granted by the Ministry of Justice to people who have lived legally in Spain for a certain time and show that they are integrated. The requirements are set out in articles 21 to 23 of the Civil Code.
How many years of residence you need
| Your case | Legal residence |
|---|---|
| General rule | 10 years |
| Refugees (with recognised status) | 5 years |
| Nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal, and Sephardic Jews | 2 years |
| The special cases listed below | 1 year |
One year of legal residence is enough if:
- you were born in Spanish territory;
- you did not exercise in time your right to opt for Spanish nationality;
- you have been legally under the guardianship, custody or foster care of a Spanish citizen or institution for two consecutive years;
- you have been married to a Spanish citizen for one year and you are not legally or de facto separated;
- you are the widow or widower of a Spanish citizen and you were not separated when they died;
- you were born outside Spain and your father, mother, grandfather or grandmother was Spanish by origin.
What that residence must be like
The Civil Code requires residence to be:
- Legal: with a valid residence permit (or registered as an EU citizen). Time spent without legal status does not count.
- Continuous: without long interruptions. Short trips abroad do not break continuity, but long absences can.
- Immediately before the application: the years must be the most recent ones, right before you apply.
Other requirements
Besides the residence period, you must prove:
- Good civic conduct: among other things, that you have no criminal record in Spain or in your country of origin.
- A sufficient degree of integration into Spanish society, shown with two Instituto Cervantes tests:
- the CCSE, on the Constitution and Spanish society;
- the DELE A2 or higher, in Spanish, unless you are a national of a country where Spanish is an official language.
Minors and people whose legal capacity has been modified by a court are exempt from both tests, and people who completed ESO in Spain can ask to be exempted from them.
At the end of the process
If citizenship is granted, within 180 days of the notification you must:
- Swear or promise allegiance to the King and obedience to the Constitution and the laws.
- Renounce your previous nationality, unless you are from an Ibero-American country, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal, or from a country with a dual nationality agreement (such as France since 2022).
- Register in the Spanish Civil Registry.
With the app you can prepare for the CCSE with explanations and translation, and keep track of your application with the date of each step.