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How To Get Spanish Nationality In 2021

If you want to become a Spanish citizen and thus obtain a passport in the country, read on. In this article we will solve all your doubts about Spanish nationality. We will review the 4 options you have to get it, the documents and requirements of each of them and the legal application process. Including a very useful tip to get it in half the time! So get ready, we get started.

What is and how is Spanish nationality acquired?Spanish citizenship is a right that you can get and that allows you to live indefinitely in Spain; at the same time that it gives you certain benefits, such as the right to vote or to free movement and work within the EU.

The most common way to obtain Spanish nationality is by birthright. As long as you were born in Spain and your parents are Spanish, you become directly a national of the Spanish territory at birth.

However, the Civil Code accepts other procedures that may allow you, as a foreigner, to obtain a Spanish passport. For example, as a general rule, foreigners who have lived in Spain for 10 years can obtain nationality (nationality by residence).

But there are other ways, new villas in marbella and that is what we will discover in this article. There are 4 ways to get it, which brings the process closer to many.

We will study citizenship by marriage, by descent, and by choice; so be sure to keep reading because it is very likely that you can get it yourself. And maybe much faster than you thought!

Spanish nationality lawSpanish citizenship is regulated through one of the most basic documents in the country, the Civil Code, published in 1889. However, the authorities have implemented several modifications (we will study them below) that affect the way in which you can obtain nationality. They are, for example, those that are specified in Royal Decree 1004/2005.

Benefits and advantagesThere are 5 main benefits that you can enjoy by becoming a Spanish citizen once you have nationality:

1. Easier paperwork and proceduresIf you apply for Spanish citizenship, it will be much easier for you to navigate through the Spanish bureaucracy when carrying out any type of administrative procedure, whatever it may be. Well, for immigrants, extra steps or the provision of additional documents are always required.

2. Obtaining the right to voteExpats living in Spain for the long term can get the option to vote in the country.

3. Free movementAs a Spanish citizen, you will have the right to freely enter 183 countries with your visa in hand upon arrival.

4. EU passportYou will also be given the right to live and work anywhere you want within the European Union, without any problem.

5. No SpainexitThe option of Spain leaving the European Union is not contemplated in the years to come. Therefore, these benefits will not change either and will expire over the next few years: you will be able to enjoy these benefits indefinitely.

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I accept the legal terms exposed on this website.Spanish nationality or permanent residence, which is better?

If you have been living in Spain for several years and would like to stay here for the long term, the question will surely arise as to what is the best option to achieve this goal.

What should I do, apply for permanent residence or become a Spanish citizen (thus obtaining nationality in Spain)?

Well, the reality is that both options will give you the possibility of living in the country indefinitely.

However, there are some differences when it comes to these two possible pathways, and a clear understanding of them will be critical.

About permanent residenceIf you have lived in the country for 5 uninterrupted years, you can apply for permanent residence in Spain.

This type of permit gives non-EU citizens the possibility of staying in Spain for the long term.

The conditions under which you will live in the country are the same as those of Spanish citizenship or nationality; so it may be your preferred option, since it is perhaps the easiest and most direct.

What is then the difference between permanent residence and Spanish nationality?The main difference (and disadvantage) when obtaining Spanish citizenship

After 10 years living in Spain, you can obtain Spanish nationality, thus becoming a Spanish citizen.

The main drawback of using this path to obtain long-term residency is that you will have to renounce your original nationality to obtain Spanish.

So that's what you need to keep in mind. If you want to keep your original nationality, apply for permanent residence and renew it every 5 years. If that's not a problem, nationality will be a better option.

There is, however, an exception to that rule. If you are a citizen from Andorra, Portugal, Equatorial Guinea, the Philippines or from a Latin American country, you can obtain dual citizenship; therefore, there will be no need to give up the original.

How to get Spanish nationality: the 4 optionsNow that you know the advantages of this process, it is time to see the steps to achieve it. As we have already mentioned, there is no single way to become a Spanish citizen. There are four main ways you can obtain Spanish citizenship:

For having lived enough years in Spanish territory (citizenship by residence) By marrying a Spanish citizen (citizenship by marriage) By being a descendant or grandchild of a Spanish citizen (citizenship by descent) AND through your children (citizenship by choice)

Each of them has different requirements. So make sure we are going to see them in detail so that you can see which path suits you best.

Nationality by residence This is the best known option of all.

If you have legally resided in Spain uninterruptedly for long enough, you can obtain nationality by residence through a process called naturalization.

In other words, basically, all foreigners who have simply stayed in the country for a certain number of years are granted. All you have to do is enter Spain with your residence permit, renew it as many times as necessary, and once the required period for your case is met, you will be granted citizenship.

How many years do you have to reside in Spain to obtain nationality?You have to reside between 1 and 10 years in Spain to get nationality. However, the exact amount of time will depend on your particular situation, your family ties and your country of origin:

10 years, which is the general rule (in case it does not fall within any of the following assumptions). 5 years if you are a refugee. 2 years if you are a foreigner from any Latin American country, Andorra, Equatorial Guinea, the Philippines or Portugal. In these cases, as we have already mentioned, it is not necessary to renounce the previous and original nationality; being able to obtain dual nationality. 1 year for those married to a Spaniard or the children / grandchildren of Spaniards born in Spain. We will explore these two options in the next section.

Requirements for citizenship by residenceBut it is not all that easy. Apart from living in Spanish territory for 1, 2, 5 or 10 years, you must make sure you meet the following requirements for your application to be accepted:

The counting of years starts from the validity of your first residence card. This implies that any intermediate period in which you have become an irregular foreigner will not be taken into account for the calculation. Nor does any time in Spain with a student or tourist visa count for the computation of citizenship (since they are periods of stay and not residence). It is necessary to have lived the required years uninterruptedly. This means that you cannot leave the country for a long period of time (more than 3 months can be a reason for refusal), nor can it be done frequently. Proper civic behavior is crucial. The authorities will review your criminal record and your police records to see if there is any disruptive behavior. Having tickets for speeding or having renewed your green card late can work against you here.

Nationality by marriageWould you like to get nationality without having to live 10 years in Spain? Then citizenship by marriage may be the solution.

This type of nationality is granted to those foreigners who have legally resided in Spain for one year and who are married to a Spanish citizen. Domestic or divorced couples are not valid for this procedure.

Therefore, the process is straightforward. First of all, you need to marry a Spanish citizen. Once you do, you can obtain a residence and work authorization through a visa as a family member of a community member.

After 12 months of living together with your spouse (this is really important), you can start the application process.

The requirements are exactly the same as we saw in the previous section. Keep in mind that the time starts counting from the moment you obtain your residence card.

In addition, as you will have to present your marriage certificate, you must make sure that the marriage is registered in Spain. Therefore, if you married abroad, this is one more step that you will have to take.

Nationality by optionA foreigner who became a Spanish citizen by choice (also called citizenship by origin) is simply a foreigner who obtained nationality due to the fact that his parents obtained it earlier.

Let's say, for example, that you initiate the application for citizenship by residence. If you include the birth certificate of your children in that application, they will be able to become Spanish citizens later.

The important thing is that your children must be under 18 years of age. However, they have the right to claim citizenship for 2 full years, so they can become citizens up to the age of 20. But as long as you, as a father or mother, have applied for Spanish nationality when they were over 18 years of age, the process will not be valid.

Who can then benefit from citizenship by choice?Children of foreign citizens born in Spanish territory People over 18 years of age but who were adopted by Spanish citizens Those who are or have been in the custody of a Spaniard

Nationality by descentChildren of Spanish parents can obtain their Spanish passport immediately and easily. But what about your grandchildren? Do they have the same luck?

Not until a few years ago. The nationality law simply did not include such cases.However, with the approval of the new grandchildren law, the situation has completely changed. As of today, if you are the grandchild of a Spanish citizen and are part of one of the groups covered by the law, you can also apply for nationality in Spain.

How to obtain Spanish citizenship if my grandfather was Spanish?Once the well-known grandson law is approved, you can start your application as long as you are within one of the following groups:

If you are the child of those who obtained nationality through the historical memory law but who could not obtain nationality by option when the law came into force, since they were over 18 years of age. Grandchildren of Spanish women born in Spain and married to non-Spanish citizens before the creation of the 1978 Constitution. Grandchildren of Spaniards who obtained the nationality of another country after leaving Spain before their children were born (so their children could not obtain Spanish citizenship). Grandchildren of Spanish citizens who, even having the possibility of obtaining citizenship by option, lost the opportunity when they became older than 18 years.

However, keep in mind that this law is still a project and has not entered into force, so it is not possible to start the process if you are in any of these cases (yet). We will inform you on our blog once it is approved.

Application process and general requirementsThe application process to obtain Spanish citizenship is really simple. This can be divided into the following stages:

Preparation of all the necessary documents, including the completion of the required exams (A2 and CCSE). Presentation of your request and resolution. After receiving an answer, you must take the oath to the King of Spain and the Constitution. With the document that will be given to you in step number 3, you can go to your local police station and finally obtain your passport and ID there. Let's review each of them carefully.

Documents necessary to present your nationality fileThe first step is to prepare all the documentation. Keep in mind that depending on the type you request, the documents may vary, but in general, you must include in your file:

Identification documents: complete passport and NIE Current residence permit. This implies that you cannot be in an irregular situation at the time of the request. Criminal record. As we already mentioned, it is important that you do not have any registered antecedents; although you can achieve a positive resolution even with some minor and isolated record. Birth certificate Marriage certificate (in case you apply for nationality by marriage)Current and historical register of the same. Once you have passed the 2 required exams, DELE A2 and CCSE, you will obtain a certificate that must be included in the application file. If you want to grant your children the possibility of obtaining citizenship by option, include their birth certificate. Document that proves that you have paid the corresponding fee, which is about € 100. Demonstration of possession of sufficient financial means.

Nationality exams: DELE A2 and CCSETo obtain a Spanish passport and become a citizen of the country, you must pass two different citizenship exams:

The DELE A2, the language test, which basically shows that you have a sufficiently high level of Spanish. If you come from any country in Latin America, you do not need to take this exam. The CCSE, a cultural test. If you have completed ESO or high school in Spain, it is not necessary to take this exam. It is a 45-minute test, multiple choice, in which you basically ask about the Spanish government, art, television, culture and geography of the country.

Both exams are organized by the Instituto Cervantes.It is this second test that scares applicants the most. But it shouldn't be like that. Why? Why the Instituto Cervantes publishes all the questions online (normally there are a total of 300). So you can easily practice doing them all beforehand, so you know what to expect on test day.

Also, if you suspend, you can do it again. You have 3 different opportunities until you have to pay again for the registration (€ 85).

Sending the requestOnce you meet all the requirements and finish all the paperwork, you must send your file to the competent authorities.

In this sense, you have two different options:You can present your file in person, at the Civil Registry.

Or you can do it online, by telematic means, from here. Our recommendation? Do it electronically. It will save you a lot of time (you do not have to make an appointment), and you will receive the resolution much faster.

Generally, the process takes around 2 to 3 years in total. However, here is a very useful tip that you can use to speed up the process radically.

Once you submit your application, the government has a full 1 year period to legally issue your resolution (status of which you can check here). It will be after that period when you can begin to streamline the process.

Why? Because if after 12 months you have not received a response, it simply means that your request has been rejected due to administrative silence. But since there is no reason for such a denial, you can initiate an appeal to demand a review.

After the appeal is issued, you will have a response in 3-4 months. And, if you also request an appointment for the jury at the same time you file the appeal, it is possible to obtain Spanish citizenship in just 1 year and a half.
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