How many years you need for Spanish citizenship by residence

Key rules

• Default period: Most people need ten years of legal residence before applying.
• Shorter tiers: Refugees need five years, Ibero-American, Andorran, Filipino, Equatorial Guinean and Portuguese nationals and Sephardic Jews need two, and special cases such as marriage to a Spaniard need one.
• Quality of residence: Your residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before you apply.
• Renunciation: Most applicants must renounce their previous nationality, except those from Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal.

The short answer

The general rule is ten years of legal residence. Some people need less, depending on nationality or personal situation. Find your tier below, then check that your years qualify.

Which period applies to you

• Five years: people granted refugee status. Stateless people are treated the same way.
• Two years: nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and Sephardic Jews.
• One year: special cases. These include being born in Spain, being under guardianship or fostering, being married to a Spaniard, being widowed of a Spaniard, and being a child or grandchild of Spanish-born people in certain cases.
• Ten years: everyone else.

If you fit more than one tier, use the shortest one that clearly applies to you.

What counts as qualifying residence

Your residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before you apply. In practice:

• Counts: time with a valid residence card, a long-term permit or an EU registration certificate.
• Student years: these count if the permit was valid. Authorities have treated them differently over time, and recent practice tends to accept them. If student years make up a large part of your total, check your case with a lawyer.
• Permits without work rights: time on a non-lucrative permit still counts as legal residence.
• Does not count: irregular periods and short-stay visas.
• Gaps: short gaps between permits are generally tolerated if you filed the renewal in time. Long absences from Spain or lapses in your permit break continuity.
• Right up to your application: your years must run to the date you apply. Count back from that date, not from an earlier point.

If your TIE has expired

An expired TIE does not by itself bar you, as long as you were legally resident throughout and filed the renewal in time. The renewal receipt proves you stayed legal. If the permit lapsed and you did not renew in time, that gap can break your continuity. Practice varies between registries, so confirm with the office that will process your file.

Giving up your nationality

You must swear loyalty to the King and obedience to the Constitution and laws. You must also renounce your previous nationality, unless you are from an Ibero-American country, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal. Stateless people have nothing to renounce. You declare the renunciation at the oath. Spain does not check whether your other country accepts it.

The documents list and checklist below help you prepare your file, and the FAQ covers common doubts.

Documents you need

• Your valid TIE (foreign resident card), residence card, long-term permit or EU registration certificate, covering your years of legal residence.

• If your TIE has expired or is being renewed, the receipt showing you filed the renewal in time, to prove continued legal status.

• Proof that earlier student or no-work-rights permits were valid, if you want those years to count.

Checklist

• Check that every year you count was on a valid permit, not a short-stay visa or an irregular period.

• Look for lapses between permits and confirm a renewal was filed in time for each one.

• Confirm your years run up to the date you apply, with no long absences from Spain.

• Check whether your nationality or situation puts you in a shorter tier than the general one.

• Check whether you must renounce your previous nationality or are exempt.

• Gather the renewal receipt if your TIE is expired or pending renewal when you file.

Frequently asked questions

Do student years count towards Spanish citizenship by residence?

Yes, student years usually count if your student permit was valid the whole time. The courts and the administration have not always agreed on this, but recent practice tends to accept them. Time on a permit without work rights, such as a non-lucrative visa, also counts as legal residence.

Do I have to give up my old nationality to become Spanish?

Yes, you must renounce your previous nationality, unless you are from an Ibero-American country, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea or Portugal. You declare the renunciation at the oath, and Spain does not check that your other country accepts it.

Can I apply if my TIE has expired while I wait for renewal?

Yes, an expired TIE (your foreign resident card) does not by itself block your application if you were legally resident throughout and filed the renewal in time. Include the renewal receipt with your application. A lapse with no renewal filed in time can break your continuity.

Do short gaps between permits reset my years of residence?

Short gaps are generally tolerated if you filed a renewal, but long absences from Spain or lapses break continuity. Periods without authorisation and short-stay visas never count.