When to start and in what order to prepare

Key rules

• Exams first: CCSE and DELE A2 results do not expire for a nationality application, so take the exams first.
• Residence period: You must have completed the full legal residence period (normally 10 years) before you file.
• Criminal record certificate: A foreign criminal record certificate must have been issued no more than three months before you file, unless it states a shorter validity.
• Order: Order the short-lived documents last, once your exams are passed and your filing date is certain.

The order that works

Do the things that never expire first, and the things that go out of date last. In short: confirm your residence period, take the exams, order the short-lived documents, then pay and file.

Step 1: Confirm your filing date

You must have completed the full legal residence period (normally 10 years) before you file. Count it from the day your legal residence was granted, not the day you arrived in Spain. An application filed early is rejected.

Shorter periods apply to some people, such as refugees and nationals of certain countries. If you held student status or had gaps in your residence, check how your own period is counted before you set a date.

Step 2: Take the CCSE and DELE A2 first

CCSE and DELE A2 results do not expire for a nationality application, so there is no cost to doing them early. Sittings fill up, especially in big cities, and registration closes a few weeks before the exam. Book one to two months ahead. Some people are exempt, for example some nationalities and people who studied in Spain, so check whether you need both.

Pass both exams before you order any document that goes out of date.

Step 3: Order the short-lived documents last

Your foreign criminal record certificate must have been issued no more than three months before you file, unless it states a shorter validity. Read the issue date and any shorter validity printed on it. The apostille and the sworn translation both take time, and they must be finished inside those three months. Order the certificate only once the exams are passed and your filing date is certain.

If you lived in more than one country, each country's certificate follows the same limit, so order them together.

Your birth certificate has no strict expiry, but it must be a full literal copy from the civil registry, legalised or apostilled. Authorities commonly expect it to be recent, so order it at the same time as the criminal record certificates.

Spanish records and your registration data are checked by the administration when it processes your file. You do not need to order them.

Step 4: Pay and file

When every document is ready and your residence period is complete, pay the tasa and file the application online. The timeline and checklist below carry the same sequence in short form.

Timeline and deadlines

• Book the CCSE and DELE A2 sittings: one to two months before the sitting

• Pass the CCSE and DELE A2, since the results do not expire for a nationality application: first, before ordering any short-lived document

• Complete the full legal residence period (normally 10 years): before the filing date

• Order the foreign criminal record certificates, then get the apostille and sworn translation: last, so the certificates are issued no more than three months before you file

• Pay the tasa (the state fee) and file the application online: once every document is ready and still inside its validity

Documents you need

• Foreign criminal record certificate from the country or countries you lived in, issued no more than three months before you file, unless it states a shorter validity. Apostille and sworn translation add time, so order it last.

• Full literal copy of your birth certificate from the civil registry, legalised or apostilled and normally issued within about the last year.

• CCSE and DELE A2 results from the Instituto Cervantes. They do not expire for a nationality application.

Checklist

• Count your legal residence period from the grant of your residence and confirm it will be complete on the day you file.

• Pass both exams before ordering any short-lived document.

• Order the foreign criminal record certificates last and check the issue date and any shorter validity printed on them.

• Allow time for the apostille and sworn translation before the three months run out.

• Pay the tasa and file the application online once everything is ready.

What to watch out for

• Filing before the residence period is complete: An application filed before you have completed the full legal residence period is rejected or denied, and you lose the fee and the preparation work. Count the period from the grant of your legal residence, not from arrival, and file only once it is complete on the filing date.

Where to check current nationality and long-term residence rules

Where to check current rules

• Ministry of Justice: Check the nationality procedure and file your application through its electronic office.

• Official state gazette (BOE): Look up the Civil Code, the Immigration Regulations and any new law before you rely on a rule.

• Instituto Cervantes: Check the CCSE and DELE exam details and book your sittings.

• Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration: Check long-term residence rules on its immigration (Extranjería) portal.

• Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Inclusion: Check for recent reforms: the Immigration Regulations changed on 20 May 2025, the Democratic Memory Law nationality route closed in October 2025, and the Sephardic route has closed. The 10-year residence rule for ordinary nationality is unchanged. A possible extraordinary regularisation was discussed, so ask the ministry whether anything newer applies to you.

Web addresses can change, so reach each office from its main ministry page, and confirm any recent reform before you act on it.

Frequently asked questions

How far ahead should I book the CCSE and DELE A2?

Book the CCSE and DELE A2 one to two months ahead, because registration normally closes a few weeks before the sitting. Places fill quickly in large cities. The CCSE runs roughly monthly, while DELE A2 sittings are less frequent in some centres.

Does my birth certificate expire before I file?

Your birth certificate has no strict expiry, but it is commonly expected to have been issued within about the last year. It must be a full literal copy from the civil registry, legalised or apostilled. Order it early with the other foreign papers.