APPLY FOR SPANISH CITIZENSHIP

What is Spanish citizenship?

Citizenship is the legal link that a person has with the Spanish State. citizenship can be acquired in several ways:

• By residence: residing continuously in the country for a certain period of time.
• For Spaniards by origin: born in Spain or being children of nationals of said country.
• By option: for those foreign citizens who are in certain conditions for them to acquire Spanish citizenship.
• In accordance with the Law of Democratic Memory.
• By letter of nature: granted at the discretion of the Government, when assessing exceptional circumstances.
• By possession of State: for those people who have possessed and used Spanish citizenship for 10 years.

In this article we will analyze the acquisition of citizenship by residence and by option.

Applying for Spanish citizenship by residence

It can be acquired by legally and continuously residing in Spanish territory for a period of ten consecutive years prior to the request.

This period can be reduced by:

• - Five years: for people who have obtained refugee status in Spain.
• - Two years: for nationals of Latin American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal or people of Sephardic origin.
• - One year:
  • Those who were born in Spanish territory.
  • Those who did not exercise
  • o Anyone who has been legally subject to the guardianship, custody or care of a Spanish citizen or institution for two consecutive years, even if this situation continues at the time of the application.
  • o Anyone who, at the time of the application, has been married to a Spaniard for one year and is not legally or de facto separated.
  • or The widow or widower of a Spanish man or woman, if at the time of the death of the spouse they were not separated, de facto or judicially.
  • or The person born outside of Spain to a father or mother, grandfather or grandmother, provided that all of them were originally Spanish.

What are the requirements to apply for Spanish citizenship by residence?

• Continuous residence in Spain immediately prior to the application.
• Good civic conduct.
• Sociocultural integration or sufficient degree of integration in Spain
• Not having a criminal record, both in your country of origin and in Spain.
• Your documentation must be in force.

I want to apply for Spanish citizenship by residence, but how do I do it?

To apply for Spanish citizenship by residence, the following steps must be followed:

• Prepare the necessary documentation, including having passed the DELE A2 and CCSE exams.
• Presentation of the application and resolution.
• Take an oath or promise of fidelity to the King of Spain and obedience to the Constitution and Spanish laws.
• Go to the police station to obtain a Spanish ID and passport.
• Request the certificate of concordance by which it is accredited that your NIE corresponds to the number and ownership of the ID granted after the granting of citizenship.

Applying for Spanish citizenship by option

citizenship by option is a benefit that Spanish regulations offer to foreigners who are in any of the following situations:

• People who are or have been subject to the parental authority of a Spaniard.
• People whose father or mother was Spanish and was born in Spain.
• People whose determination of parentage (the determination of parentage means establishing who the parents of a person are) or birth in Spain occurs after the age of eighteen.
• People whose adoption by Spaniards occurs after the age of eighteen.

I want to apply for Spanish citizenship by option, but where do I start?

The application for Spanish citizenship by option is done by: does:

• In person at the Civil Registry of the interested party's domicile.
• At the Central Civil Registry if the promoter is domiciled in Spain.
• At the Spanish Consulate in the applicant's country of origin.

Apply for citizenship in accordance with the Democratic Memory Law

The eighth additional provision of Law 20/2022, of October 19, on Democratic Memory grants the possibility of requesting Spanish citizenship to foreign citizens:

• a. Children or grandchildren of originally Spanish citizens.
• b. Those described in the previous paragraph whose Spanish ancestor had been exiled for political, ideological or belief reasons or for sexual orientation and identity.
• c. Sons and daughters born abroad to Spanish women who lost their citizenship by marrying foreigners before the 1978 Constitution came into force;
• d. Sons and daughters of legal age of those Spaniards who were granted their citizenship of origin by virtue of the right of option in accordance with the provisions of this law or in the seventh additional provision of Law 52/2007.