Which route to Spanish nationality fits you?

Terms used

• Empadronamiento — The empadronamiento is your registration at your town hall as living at a given address.
• CCSE — The CCSE is the Spanish constitution and culture exam required for nationality by residence.
• DELE — The DELE is the official Spanish language exam; Spanish speakers are exempt for nationality.
• Carta de naturaleza — The carta de naturaleza is nationality granted by royal decree in exceptional cases.

Key rules

• Marriage: Marriage to a Spaniard shortens residence to 1 year only if you are not separated.
• Continuity: Residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before you apply.
• Exile descendants: The grandchildren-of-exiles route is closed to new claims.
• Prior nationality: Most residence applicants must renounce their original nationality; the 2-year countries can usually keep theirs.

Start with the question that fits you

Pick your route by your status, your ties to Spain and the documents you can prove. Work down this list and stop at the first one that fits. The mechanics of each route are in the nationality guide that follows this page.

Are you already Spanish by origin?

If one of your parents is Spanish, you may already be Spanish. The same applies if you were born in Spain and at least one parent was born in Spain, or if you were born in Spain to stateless parents. You then need to prove it, not apply for it.

Descent and option: family ties

Option is a quicker route for people with a close Spanish family link. It is not a residence route. You may be able to opt if:

• You are under the parental authority of a Spaniard.
• Your parent was originally Spanish and born in Spain.
• You were adopted by a Spaniard while under 18.

Minors opt through their legal representatives. Adoptees who were under 18 at adoption can opt until age 20. Others may opt until 2 years after becoming independent. You make the declaration at the Civil Registry or a consulate, with an oath. Deadlines vary by case, so check yours with the Civil Registry.

Grandchildren of Spanish exiles

The special route for grandchildren and other descendants of exiles closed on 22 October 2025. Claims filed in time are still being resolved. If you missed it, use the general option for children of Spaniards, or one of the residence routes below.

Marriage to a Spaniard

If you are married to a Spaniard, you need 1 year of legal, continuous residence and one year of marriage. You must not be legally or de facto separated. You prove the marriage and shared life with the marriage certificate and joint empadronamiento. You may also need witnesses or an interview at the Civil Registry. Separation, divorce or a sham marriage ends your eligibility.

Residence: everyone else

Residence is the route for most newcomers. The time you need depends on who you are: 10 years in general, 5 years for refugees, 2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and 1 year in cases such as marriage to a Spaniard.

Other 1-year cases include:

• You were born in Spain.
• You were under the guardianship or fostering of a Spanish citizen or institution for two consecutive years.
• You are the widow or widower of a Spaniard and were not separated.
• You were born abroad to a parent or grandparent who was originally Spanish.

Sephardic Jews not covered by the earlier law also qualify for 2 years. Nationals of the 2-year countries can usually keep their original nationality. Most other applicants must renounce theirs.

What counts as residence

Residence must be legal, continuous and immediately before your application. Time on a valid permit counts, including work, family, non-lucrative and student permits. Time without a valid permit does not count. Gaps while a renewal is pending usually count if the renewal is later granted. Long absences from Spain can break continuity, and you may lose the time before the break.

Other conditions

You must show good civic conduct and integration. That means the CCSE exam, and the DELE language exam unless you are exempt, for example as a Spanish speaker. You also swear an oath and register.

Exceptional cases

The government can grant nationality by carta de naturaleza in exceptional circumstances. This is rare, so do not plan around it.

Compare and check

Use the comparison, timeline, documents and FAQ below to confirm your route before you gather papers.

Routes to Spanish nationality side by side

Years of residence, exams, renunciation and documents differ by route. Find your row, then read across.

Routes by residence

Routes by family link

What the exams involve

• DELE A2 is a Spanish language exam. CCSE is a test on Spanish constitution and culture.
• The CCSE has 25 questions, and you need at least 15 correct answers out of 25.
• Neither result expires.
• Minors and people with legally modified capacity skip both exams.
• Some people who finished compulsory schooling in Spain skip both, with proof from the school.
• Other exemptions, for low literacy or disability, are decided case by case on your file.

The standard residence file

• Application form, passport and residence card.
• Birth certificate, apostilled or legalised, and translated.
• Criminal record certificate from your country of origin and any other country where you lived, plus the Spanish one.
• Proof of your legal residence period.
• DELE A2 and CCSE results.
• Proof that you paid the application fee.

Foreign certificates are usually valid for only 3 to 6 months. Order them close to your filing date.

Watch for

• Renunciation happens when you swear the oath. Your original country must also allow dual nationality for you to keep your old passport in practice.
• If you are a Brazilian or Cuban national, confirm with the Registro Civil whether you count as exempt.
• Option and descendant routes are filed at the Civil Registry or a consulate, not with the residence file. Ask them for their document list.

Timeline and deadlines

• File a claim as a grandchild or descendant of a Spanish exile: the window closed on 22 October 2025

• Minor children opt through their legal representatives: while under parental authority of a Spaniard

• Adoptees who were under 18 at adoption can opt: until age 20

• Opt after becoming independent: within 2 years of becoming independent

Documents you need

• Marriage certificate, issued by the registry where you married, to prove your marriage to a Spaniard.

• Joint empadronamiento (town hall registration showing you and your spouse live at the same address), to show you live together.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still claim nationality as a grandchild of a Spanish exile?

No, the grandchildren-of-exiles route closed on 22 October 2025, so new applications under it are not accepted. Applications filed in time are still being resolved. If you missed it, look at the general option for children of Spaniards by origin, or at residence.

Does student time count towards the residence period?

Yes, time as a student with a valid permit can count as legal residence for nationality, as long as it is continuous and immediately before your application. Periods of irregular stay or with an expired permit do not count.

Does a pending renewal break my residence period?

Usually no, a gap while your renewal is pending counts if the renewal is later granted. Time before a long gap may be lost, so keep your permits current. Each case is assessed individually.

Can I get nationality with 1 year of residence if my grandparent was Spanish?

Yes, if you were born outside Spain to a parent or grandparent who was originally Spanish, 1 year of legal residence is enough. You still need to show good conduct and integration.