How long a citizenship decision takes and how to track your file

Terms used

• Tasa — The tasa is the official fee you pay when you file your nationality application.
• Expediente — The expediente is your file number, which you need to follow your application online.
• Registro Civil — The Registro Civil is the civil registry office where you can file, take the oath and have your nationality recorded.
• Requerimiento — A requerimiento is an official request to send missing documents or information by a set deadline.
• DELE A2 — The DELE A2 is the official Spanish language exam at basic level.
• CCSE — The CCSE is the test on Spanish constitution and culture that nationality applicants must pass.
• DEHú — DEHú is the government's electronic mailbox where official notifications are delivered to you.
• Carpeta Ciudadana — The Carpeta Ciudadana is a government online account where you can see your files and receive notices.

Key rules

• Legal period: The Ministry has one year to decide, and silence after that counts as a refusal.
• Real wait: Expect one to two years from filing, sometimes more.
• Missing documents: You have 10 working days from the day after notification to answer a request.
• Oath: After a grant is notified, you have 180 days to take the oath or promise.
• Tracking: Check your file in the Ministry's online office and watch your DEHú and Carpeta Ciudadana mailboxes.

How long you should expect to wait

Plan for one to two years from filing, and sometimes longer. The Ministry has one year to decide, and if it does not, the silence counts as a refusal. In practice most files take longer than that. Waiting times change from year to year and from file to file.

The legal year starts when your application is entered in the Ministry's electronic register. It does not start on the day you first handed it in at a Registro Civil. So a paper filing can lose a little time before the clock starts.

The stages of your file

Your file moves through these steps, in this order:

1. Filing. You submit the application with the fee (tasa) and your documents, online or at a Registro Civil.
2. Start of the file. The Ministry opens it and gives you a file number (expediente).
3. Checks. The Ministry asks the police and the Registro Central de Penados for reports. It also looks at your residence and how well you are integrated.
4. Requests for missing documents. If something is missing, you get a requerimiento. You have 10 working days from the day after notification to reply.
5. Test results. The Ministry checks your DELE A2 and CCSE results.
6. Decision. It is notified to you electronically.
7. Oath or promise. If the answer is yes, you have 180 days to take the oath or promise before a Registro Civil. You renounce your previous nationality where that is required.
8. Registration. Your nationality is entered in the Registro Civil. Only then is the process finished.

The timeline below shows the same sequence.

Does the way you file or your nationality change the wait?

Filing on paper does not seem to make the decision slower. Paper files are scanned and sent to the Ministry, which then handles everything electronically.

Your nationality matters mainly through the paperwork it needs. Files that need extra certificates from your country of origin tend to be slower, so collect those early. Special routes, such as the Sephardic one, follow different procedures.

How to check where your file is

Use the nationality file consultation service in the Ministry of Justice's online office (sede electrónica). You need your file number plus your identity document number, or an electronic certificate, Cl@ve or DNIe.

Notifications also arrive in your DEHú and Carpeta Ciudadana mailboxes. Check both often. A missed requerimiento can put your file at risk, because the 10 working days run from notification, not from the day you read it.

If the wait runs past a year

Check your status first, then ask for an update. The message template below gives you wording to use. Do not assume silence means your file is lost. Most files simply take longer than the legal year.

Timeline and deadlines

• File your application with the fee and documents, electronically or at a Registro Civil: at the start

• The Ministry starts your file and asks the police and the criminal records registry for reports: after filing

• The Ministry checks your DELE A2 and CCSE test results: while your file is processed

• The Ministry decides and notifies you electronically: within one year of the application entering the Ministry's register, though in practice often one to two years from filing

• If granted, take the oath or promise before a Registro Civil and renounce your previous nationality where required: within 180 days of notification

• Your nationality is registered in the Registro Civil: after the oath

Check the current waiting times and each step with the Ministry of Justice.

Checklist

• Note your file number (expediente) as soon as you receive it.

• Open the Ministry of Justice's online office and use the nationality file consultation service to see your status.

• Have your identity document number, electronic certificate, Cl@ve or DNIe ready to sign in.

• Check your DEHú and Carpeta Ciudadana mailboxes regularly for notifications.

• Plan for a wait of one to two years from filing, even though the legal period is one year.

• Answer any request for missing documents within 10 working days of the day after notification.

• Gather extra certificates from your country of origin early if your file needs them.

Message to request an update on your citizenship file

Send this through the general electronic register, with your digital certificate or Cl@ve, and address it to the Ministry of Justice. You can also file it in person or by post at any public registry office. Either way you get a proof of filing, which a phone call or a plain email does not give you. Keep that proof with your file.

Attach a copy of your filing receipt. If a lawyer or representative sends the message for you, they should also attach proof of representation and their own ID, and use the second version of the last paragraph below. No official form is required, so this wording is enough.

Fill in the brackets, then delete any line that does not apply.

Asunto: Solicitud de información sobre el estado del expediente de nacionalidad española por residencia n.º [número de expediente]

Al Ministerio de Justicia
Dirección General de Seguridad Jurídica y Fe Pública

Nombre y apellidos (como figuran en el pasaporte): [nombre completo]
NIE: [número]
Fecha de nacimiento: [dd/mm/aaaa]
Nacionalidad de origen: [país]
Domicilio a efectos de notificaciones: [dirección completa]
Teléfono: [número]
Correo electrónico: [correo]

EXPONGO:

Que presenté una solicitud de nacionalidad española por residencia el [fecha de presentación] en [lugar de presentación: registro electrónico / oficina / ciudad], a la que corresponde el número de expediente [número de expediente].

Que, a fecha de hoy, no he recibido información sobre el estado de tramitación de mi expediente.

SOLICITO:

Que se me informe de la situación actual de mi expediente y de la fase de tramitación en la que se encuentra. Si falta algún documento o es necesaria alguna subsanación, solicito que se me indique para poder aportarlo cuanto antes.

Adjunto copia del justificante de presentación de mi solicitud y de mi documento de identidad.

En [ciudad], a [dd/mm/aaaa].

Firma: [nombre y apellidos]

If a representative sends it, replace the first paragraph after "EXPONGO" and the signature with this:

Que actúo en nombre y representación de [nombre del solicitante], con NIE [número], según acredito mediante el documento de representación que adjunto, y que su solicitud de nacionalidad española por residencia, presentada el [fecha], tiene el número de expediente [número de expediente].

Firma: [nombre del representante] – DNI/NIE [número]

If your enquiry is about a specific problem, such as a request for documents you never received or an error in your details, add one sentence under "EXPONGO" that describes it. Keep it to the facts and dates.

Frequently asked questions

Does filing on paper at a Registro Civil make my decision slower?

No, filing on paper at a Registro Civil does not usually make your decision slower than filing electronically. Paper files are scanned and sent to the Ministry, which then handles them like any other file.

Does my nationality change how long I wait?

Not directly, but your nationality can change which documents you need. Files that need extra papers, such as certificates from your country of origin, are usually slower.

How can I check where my citizenship file is?

You check it on the Ministry of Justice's online office, in the nationality file consultation service. You need your file number plus your identity document number, or an electronic certificate, Cl@ve or DNIe. Notices also arrive in your DEHú mailbox, the official electronic notification service.

How long do I really wait for a decision in practice?

In practice you usually wait about one to two years from filing, and some files take longer. That is longer than the one-year legal period, and times vary by year and by file.