What Spanish and EU citizenship gives you

Key rules

• EU citizenship: Spanish nationality makes you an EU citizen, with the right to live and work in other EU countries.
• Public jobs: Posts involving public authority are reserved to Spaniards, and residents may apply only where a call allows it.
• Security of status: A citizen cannot be expelled, while a long-term resident can lose the status.
• Voting: Only citizens vote in general and regional elections.

The short answer

Spanish nationality brings EU citizenship, a passport, access to public jobs and security of status that residents lack. A long-term resident permit is a strong status, but it is still a permit. Citizenship is not.

EU citizenship and free movement

As a Spanish citizen you are also an EU citizen. You can enter any other EU or EEA country, or Switzerland, with a valid ID or passport. You can stay up to three months with no conditions.

After that, you register as a worker or self-employed person, and no permit is needed. If you move as a student or as a self-sufficient person, you need health cover and enough money to live on. After five years you gain permanent residence there. Family members can come with you, including those who are not EU citizens. You get equal treatment in work, tax and social benefits.

A long-term resident has a weaker right. You can move to another EU state for more than three months only to work, study or for similar reasons. You must apply for a new residence permit there within three months and show stable resources and health insurance. You may also face labour-market tests or integration conditions. Your family's rights are more limited and usually have to be confirmed again.

Passport and consular protection

A Spanish passport lets you travel and use EU free movement. It also gives you protection from Spanish consulates abroad. You also hold a DNI, the national identity document. Unlike a residence card, a DNI and passport only prove who you are. You never renew a status, only the documents.

Public jobs

Public employment in general requires Spanish nationality. As a citizen, you can apply for almost every post. Some jobs are reserved to Spaniards, such as police, Guardia Civil, armed forces, judges, prosecutors, diplomats and tax inspectors.

As a resident, you can usually apply only for contracted posts, called personal laboral, and only in some cases. Teaching, health service, university and general administrative or technical posts are often open to residents. Each call for applications (convocatoria) states its own nationality requirement, so read it before you apply.

Voting and political rights

Citizens vote in all elections: general, regional, municipal and European. They can also hold public office. A long-term resident cannot vote in general or regional elections. Municipal voting exists only where a reciprocity treaty applies, and few do.

Security of status

A Spanish citizen cannot be expelled or refused entry to Spain. A citizen has an unconditional right to live and work there.

A long-term resident has an indefinite right to live and work, with access to social security and most services. But the permit card must be renewed every five years. You can lose the status by:

• spending 12 consecutive months outside the EU,
• spending 6 years outside Spain,
• fraud, or
• expulsion.

Expulsion is possible on serious criminal or public-order grounds, although with extra protection.

Which to choose

If you plan to stay for good, vote, work in the public sector or move around the EU, aim for citizenship. If none of those matter to you, long-term residence may be enough. The decision, checklist and warnings below help you weigh it.

Choosing between options

Is Spanish citizenship worth more to you than keeping a long-term resident permit?

• Aim for Spanish citizenship: You want to vote in all elections, hold public posts, live anywhere in the EU nearly automatically, and never worry about losing status or being expelled.

• Stay a long-term resident: You are happy with an indefinite right to live and work in Spain, can renew the card every five years, and rarely need to move to other EU states.

If you want to vote in general elections, work in posts with public authority, or move freely within the EU, you need citizenship; otherwise residence status may be enough.

Timeline and deadlines

• Enter another EU country with your ID or passport and stay without conditions: for up to three months

• Register as a worker or self-employed person, or show health cover and enough resources as a student or self-sufficient person: after the first three months

• As a long-term resident instead, apply for a residence permit in the second state: within three months of arriving

Documents you need

• Spanish passport: issued to Spanish citizens, it lets you travel and use EU free movement, and gives you consular protection from Spanish consulates abroad.

• DNI, the Spanish national identity document: it proves your identity as a citizen and, unlike a residence permit card, never needs renewing as a status.

• Valid ID or passport to enter another EU country: this is all you need for free entry as a Spanish citizen.

Checklist

• Read the nationality requirement in each public job call before you apply.

• Check whether the post involves public authority, because those posts are reserved to Spanish nationals.

• Register in the other EU country once you stay past three months as a worker or self-employed person.

• Arrange health cover and show enough resources if you move as a student or self-sufficient person.

• Ask the office running a call whether contracted posts are open to legal residents.

What to watch out for

• Long-term resident status can be lost: You can lose the permit after 12 consecutive months outside the EU or 6 years outside Spain, or through fraud or expulsion. Spanish citizens cannot be expelled or refused entry. Keep your time abroad within these limits and renew the card every five years, or consider applying for nationality.

• Expulsion is possible for residents: A resident can be expelled on serious criminal or public-order grounds, with enhanced protection. A citizen cannot. Avoid criminal convictions and seek legal advice at once if you receive an expulsion notice.

• Moving to another EU state is not automatic: As a long-term resident you need work, study or other grounds, resources, insurance and a new permit there. Do not move before you have checked the conditions with the destination country's immigration office.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work as a police officer or judge in Spain with a long-term resident permit?

No, posts such as police, Guardia Civil, judges, prosecutors and diplomats are reserved to Spanish nationals, so a long-term resident permit does not open them. Teaching, health-service and general administrative posts are more open to EU nationals and often to residents. Each job call states its own nationality requirement.

How long can a Spanish citizen stay in another EU country without conditions?

A Spanish citizen can stay in another EU country for up to three months with just an ID card or passport. After that, you register as a worker or self-employed person, or show health cover and enough resources as a student or self-sufficient person.

Can I lose my status if I live abroad after getting a long-term permit?

Yes, long-term resident status can be lost after 12 consecutive months outside the EU or 6 years outside Spain. It can also be lost through fraud or expulsion. A Spanish citizen has no status to renew, only identity documents.