Counting your years of residence

It is for anyone thinking about moving to Spain, planning the move or already living there. Once you have read it, you can work out which of your years count, how time abroad affects them and the earliest dates you may be eligible.

Start with "When your residence clock starts and which years count". It sets out the start date and the counting rules for long-term residence and for citizenship, which differ. The other pages build on it. They cover the permit types, gaps and late renewals, time away for each status, and how your partner's and children's years are counted.

Key rules

• Absence limits: Your long-term residence count is not broken by absences of up to 10 consecutive months, as long as total time away stays within 18 months in the five years.
• Gaps between permits: Gaps of up to three months between permits do not break continuity, and one gap of up to six months is also allowed within the five years.
• Clock start: Your five years run from the date your first residence permit takes effect, not from arrival or the date the card is issued.
• Start date: Your clock starts when your first permit takes effect, not on arrival or card issue.
• Nationality count: For nationality, the legal, continuous period is counted back from the day you apply.
• Student years: For long-term residence, two years of study count as one; for nationality they usually count in full.

Counting your years of residence: the whole process, step by step

• Find your start date: your first permit taking effect (read "When your residence clock starts and which years count"): Before you plan anything else; your five years run from the date your first residence permit takes effect, not from arrival or the date the card is issued

• Check which permit years count fully, partly or not at all (read "Which permit years count toward permanent residence and citizenship"): Right after you know your start date

• Renew each permit on time so the pending period still counts (read "Gaps between permits and late renewals: is your residence still continuous?"): From 60 days before expiry up to 90 days after expiry; the earlier permit stays extended until the decision

• Keep any gap between permits short (read "Gaps between permits and late renewals: is your residence still continuous?"): Gaps of up to three months do not break continuity, and one gap of up to six months is also allowed within the five years

• Plan your travel across the whole period (read "How long you can be away without breaking the five years"): Throughout the five years: absences of up to 10 consecutive months, with total time away within 18 months

• Check your travel pattern before a citizenship file (read "Trips abroad and effective residence when you apply for citizenship"): Before you apply for nationality, counting back from the application date

• Plan a household timeline if family arrived on different dates (read "Partners and children: whose years count for what"): Before you file for any family member

• If your permit was granted or your application filed before 20 May 2025, confirm which regulation applies to you: Before you file; applications filed before 20 May 2025 are normally resolved under the old regulation, and later filings follow the new one

Documents you may need

• Copies of your passport with all stamps — Trips abroad and effective residence when you apply for citizenship

• Your padrón history — Trips abroad and effective residence when you apply for citizenship

• Your vida laboral — Trips abroad and effective residence when you apply for citizenship

• Flight tickets for trips abroad — Trips abroad and effective residence when you apply for citizenship

• Evidence of ties to Spain — Trips abroad and effective residence when you apply for citizenship

Counting your years of residence: questions that cross several articles

Do I count from arrival or from my first permit?

You count from the date your first residence permit takes effect, not from your arrival or the date the card is issued. This applies to long-term residence and, in practice, to nationality.

How many years do I need for Spanish nationality by residence?

You need 10 years in the general case, but some groups need fewer. Refugees need 5 years. Nationals of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal and Sephardic Jews need 2 years, and people married to a Spaniard need 1 year. Read "When your residence clock starts and which years count" for how the period is counted.

Do my student years count toward long-term residence and nationality?

Student years count only half toward long-term residence, but they usually count in full for nationality. Later permits can change how they are treated. Read "Which permit years count toward permanent residence and citizenship" next.

Do non-lucrative, nomad, investor, work and arraigo permits all count?

Yes, these permits all count as legal residence for long-term residence and for nationality, as long as your residence is continuous. See Which permit years count toward permanent residence and citizenship.

Does the time while my renewal is pending still count?

Yes, if you filed the renewal on time, the pending period counts for both long-term residence and nationality. Your earlier permit stays extended until the decision. Read "Gaps between permits and late renewals: is your residence still continuous?" for late filings.