British citizens and Spanish naturalisation

Key rules

• UK status: The UK allows dual nationality, so you stay British when you naturalise in Spain.
• Passport: Your British passport stays valid and you can renew it.
• Spanish renunciation: The declaration you make in Spain has no effect on your British citizenship.
• Ending British citizenship: It ends only if you make a separate renunciation to the UK.

Do you stay British?

Yes. UK law allows dual nationality, so the Spanish declaration does not remove British citizenship and your British passport remains valid. Naturalising in Spain does not automatically change your UK status.

Your British passport

You can keep your British passport and renew it as normal after you become Spanish. Nothing about the Spanish process cancels it.

The renunciation in the Spanish process

As part of naturalisation, Spain may ask you to renounce your previous nationality. You make this declaration under Spanish law, and it counts for Spain only. The UK does not treat it as ending your British citizenship.

Spain does not check whether the UK accepts the renunciation. So you can stay a British national under UK law even after making it.

How British citizenship actually ends

British citizenship ends only if you make a separate declaration of renunciation to the UK. Do this only if you truly want to give up being British. Most people never need to.

Choosing

If you are unsure whether to keep both nationalities, use the decision below. The FAQ below answers common follow-up questions.

Choosing between options

Do you want to keep British citizenship after naturalising in Spain?

• Keep both nationalities: You want to stay British and Spanish. Do nothing in the UK: the UK allows dual nationality, so you keep and can renew your British passport.

• Give up British citizenship: You truly want to stop being British. You must make a separate UK declaration of renunciation, because the renunciation you make in Spain does not end it.

Your Spanish renunciation does not end British citizenship. It ends only if you make a UK declaration, so if you make none, you stay British and your passport stays valid.

Frequently asked questions

Can I renew my British passport after I become Spanish?

Yes, you can keep and renew your British passport, because the UK allows dual nationality. Becoming Spanish does not automatically change your British citizenship.

Does Spain check that the UK accepts my renunciation?

No, Spain does not check whether the UK accepts your renunciation. The declaration is valid for Spain whatever the UK thinks, so you can stay British under UK law.

How can British citizenship actually end?

British citizenship ends only if you make a UK declaration of renunciation. The renunciation you make in Spain is not recognised by the UK as ending it, so you would need to go through the UK process separately.